  Over the next few weeks we are profiling a few of the costumes used throughout the series’. From the way they’re made to why they were designed the way they were. This week is Eagle’s Series 3 costume. Click any of the costume pictures for a larger view.Eagle emerged in Series three. Amber had been all but lost in Series 1 during the explosion at Eagle Mountain along with Zandra.But what emerged in Series 3 was an amazing story of survival. Amber had in fact survived the explosion and the only person to find her alive, Ebony, told her to leave and never come back. So Eagle/Amber had fled and had started living with the Eco-Tribe. She became the leader and was known as Eagle. This costume is one of the most talked about costumes in The Tribe’s existence. Some people hated it and others loved it. But the amount of effort that went into making this costume is evident. Unfortunately we have been unable to track down every piece of this amazing costume but hope to find them soon and update this article when we do.
The skirt is actually made in three pieces. Each one is about a metre long and shaped like a petal. The back layer is a dark blue satin. Sewn into each petal in neat overlays are the rows of feathers. Each row has actually been made seperately and then sewn onto the backing.
The top most row is mostly of white and very light brown feathers. They are fluffy at the top end and then get long and narrow as they get longer. Interspersed with these white feathers are dark purple/blue fluffy feathers that have been dyed. The next row are more of the same feathers as above but they are getting slightly darker in colour and there are some light blue feathers added to the mix.
The next colour change is to the light blue feathers and then to dark blue, still interspersed with some brown and white ones. The skirt has a large waistband in the same backing fabric and has a slight “V” at the front. It is done up with a hook and loop and a snap button.
The leather has been cut along the bottom in a sharp at the front but extra pieces have been sewn along the edge with a little frill in it so that it sits nicely on the hips.
The corset is done up at the back with blue cord criss crossed through nine eyelets. We were unable to find the pants for this outfit but will keep looking.
The jacket just adds to the whole bird and eco look of this lovely costume. Along with this costume Amber wears large blue boots which have been painted with a similar pattern as her corset. We are also attempting to track these down to show you. |
The skirt is obviously made of thousands of feathers. They are mostly pheasant feathers but there are also a lot of plain dyed feathers in dark blue, and light blue.
There is a small but tight piece of fabric that is sewn across all the pieces of feather that keeps them in a row and at the same length. The fabric is folded over the top of each feather and then sewn – put some more feathers between the taping and sew across them. It looks like a lot of work but what an amazing result.
The next layer has very brown feathers and some speckled or zebra patterned feathes plus the occasional purple one.
The shoulder cloak is made along the same lines although a little tricker to make as it is sewn in a circle. Again each row of feathers has been made seperately and then attached to the cloak.
The corset is made of a very light blue leather. The armour or snakelike pattern has actually been painted on by hand in blues, silver and brown. The detail is fantastic. At the top front of the corset are rivets in a symmetrical pattern.
Along the top neckline on the inside edge has been sewn some light blue feathers. These pop up over the front.
When Eagle wasn’t wearing all her feathers she was in a blue mesh top, the corset and her snakeskin pants. To go with this outfit she would wear this long grey jacket. It is very heavy and is made of wool. It is a very large coat and the wardrobe team have come up with some great ideas for making it fit the very slim Beth Allen.
The front has been pinched on both sides and overlapped and then sewn to pull it all in. Across these pleats has been attached paua shell buttons. The neckline is a little different – this jacket obviously once used to have buttons all the way up the front – but what the wardrobe team have done is cut a triangle shape out of the top half and brought triangle sections of the original cut back to the middle as something different.
On the top of the shoulders has been attached pheasant wings almost in their entirety. There would be literally hundreds of feathers in each wing piece. They have some amazing colours and the feathers change across the wing. These have also been attached to the lower arms of the jacket.
The coat is lined in a green fabric that also shines purple from different angles.