A Costumer’s Look At The Wheel of Time: Ep. 5, About Loial
Rules are meant to be broken, and theories are meant to be played with. Sometimes you get gems and sometimes it doesn’t work as expected. Generally, if I see the direction a costume designer is going with an idea, I will hear them out, but in Ep. 5 of the Amazon Prime series The Wheel of Time, the costume choices with Loial I just don’t understand.
That being said, I would like to preface this article by saying that just because someone doesn’t see eye to eye with a choice that is made, especially design-wise, does not mean there are no good points and by no means does that “ruin” anything. If a costume ruins your experience of a show you need to re-evaluate your view and open up your mind. If it is still too awful for you to watch, then turn it off and walk away. There have been several things design-wise that I question, but I don’t dwell on them. This article is not to lambast anyone. We are going to use this as a learning opportunity.
Let’s get started talking about our first introduction to Loial, a non-violent, non-human ogier. Now I can’t state definitively that all ogiers will look the same and they might change throughout the series as they refine the look and get fan feedback but they might leave him the way he is. After seeing Loial for the first time, I can see some missed opportunities to explain what ogiers are and ogier philosophy using garments and costuming. I feel that the overall look of the ogier can be expanded upon and their love of good craftsmanship can be better represented in his garments.
Ogiers are non-humans and Loial even says that he is stuck in his inn because townspeople thought was a trolloc. If Loial is thought to be a trolloc in an educated and worldly metropolis like Tar Valon, then Tar Valon is more uneducated than I thought. When I look at Loial I see him as more human than trolloc. That being said, ogier are very peaceful and nature loving, they should not have horns, fangs or claws, but giving him a slightly pronounced brow and flattening out his nose is the smallest nod to an ogier.
This is an adaptation of the books, so I will try not to use the books as a benchmark. We should think of costume design as it pertains to the character’s personality and culture, but I will reference the books this once, as I think it could have been useful in the design. I think it was a good call by Robert Jordan to give the ogiers long, pointed ears. It harkens back to our western perception of nature spirits like fairies and elves with pointy ears, and while I know it would be incredibly hard to animate ears like the books, just having them stick out like horns would help make the visual connection between trollocs and ogiers more stark. It represents to us that these are not just tall humans.
Master crafters
Another way to differentiate this would be clothing, where they can also show off what the ogiers prize — craftsmanship. Ogiers in the books are known for their craftsmanship with wood and stone, they are credited with building some of the most beautiful buildings and cities in the Wheel of Time universe.
I recognize that just because they are master builders doesn’t mean they have to have mastery of other skills, but as someone who has been around masters in many different fields, I can generally see what good craftsmanship is and appreciate it. To me, Loial’s clothes in the show just lack a master’s touch. They might be trying to make a correlation between his “hasty” nature for an ogier in his garments, but I just don’t see those little extra steps that someone proud of their work would do. Things like fit, covered buttons, contrast facings or binding are just some of the little details a craftsman would add to show some skill, but I see none of these.
He looks like he would fit in the Two Rivers, but Loial was born in Stedding Shantai in Illian. Now steadings are countries to themselves, but I would assume that he would at least have a passing nod to Illian fashion. Especially in the cut of his coat, Illian has a very distinct style of coat, where his coat looks more like a smock. While this could be a callback to his craftsman heritage, Loial is considered a scholar, so he’s not going to be getting wood and stone dust on his coat (Loial is one of the few wood singers, he can sing a piece of wood into whatever shape he wants, which is a valuable and rare skill for an ogier). His pants are not really worth mentioning, but maybe it is because his boots are not really on point. They look so chunky, really boxy and unnatural. I know they are probably trying to hide platforms in them, and I know that bespoke shoes are expensive, but this is one part I would spend money on, use camera tricks or just don’t show his feet.
Don’t get me wrong, Loial should not look royal or wealthy, he is travelling after all, but if he could look less human and better put together, I think it would get across the keys of ogier culture without us even going to a stedding. In an interview with Nerdist, showrunner Rafe Judkins talked about the need to make the look of Loial something that could be done completely with practical makeup and effects, and no CG, since the budget didn’t allow for that with a character who will go on to be in so many episodes.
The one thing that saves this character for me is the amazing acting of Hammed Animashaun. He captures the essence of Loial so well in his speech, voice and movement. If the costume made more sense to me, he would probably be my favorite TV show adaptation of a character.
