Robes and other Clothing

[serenadust]

No: HPFGUIDX 45774

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., GulPlum <hpfgu at p...> wrote:
 
> A few people have made reference to the Weasley kids wearing 
Muggle clothes 
> while at home. I'm not making accusations, but I can't find 
anything to 
> support it in the books. Anyone care to supply a quote? :-) Bill, 
of 
> course, is a case apart as what he wears "wouldn't be out of place 
at a 
> rock concert", but that's not the same thing. If what the kids 
wear is so 
> "normal" (to Muggle eyes), why is Arthur's getup so outlandish 
when he sets 
> off for the QWC?

In GoF, Chapter 4, p39 (UK Hardback) "He had rarely seen Mr. or Mrs 
Weasley wearing anything that the Dursleys would call 'normal'.  
Their children might don Muggle clothing during the holidays, but Mr 
and mrs Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of 
shabbiness."

I am also confused as to why Arthur is so clueless concerning Muggle-
wear since, not only do his children wear Muggle clothes while 
they're home, his job brings him into more contact with Muggles than 
the average MoM employee.

The books seem to be all over the place in regard to wizard 
clothing, but the impression I'm left with is that the adults choose 
to dress st various points along the wizard-muggle spectrum. This 
results in sartorial eccentricities such as Mr. Fudge dressing in a 
pin-striped cloak and a bottle-green suit (CoS).

My assumption is that through the constant influx of Muggle born 
witches and wizards, the style of dress in the WW has moved beyond 
the traditional robes worn by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to all sorts of 
odd combinations chosen according to the individual witch or 
wizard's personal taste.  It does seem though, that if the pure 
blood Weasley kids all wear muggle clothing when they are not in 
school then it's very likely that all young witches and wizards also 
do so.  The Hogwarts uniforms have probably evolved over time to 
reflect that which is why I'm not really bothered by they way they 
are portrayed in TCTTMNBN.

Jo Serenadust