Death Eater Costume: How to Make Your Own at Home

As you get discover more of the Wizarding World, you might find yourself wanting to dive deeper – maybe even dress up for those days when you’re just really feeling like you need an escape from your Muggle everyday. And what better way to completely change how you feel about whatever situation you’re in than by donning the dark robes of a Death Eater costume?

Voldemort’s Death Eaters – originally called the Knights of Walpurgis by Tom Riddle when he formed the group in 1970 – are easily the scariest group of wizards in the magical world. I wouldn’t want to come across them in a dark alley, that’s for sure! And if you secretly – or maybe not so secretly – identify with this group, then putting together your own Death Eater costume is a must-do.

In this post, I’ll break down all the items you need to buy to put together a Death Eater costume, as well as why each pieces is important. I’ll also share the alternative ready-made costumes I found in case you’d prefer an easier route. Whether you’re dressing up for a cosplay event or just for a costume party, you’ll be all set to scare the bejeezus out of everyone else when you show up as a Death Eater.

Featured photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Studio Tour; if you haven’t visited, here’s my guide.

Death Eater Costume Item List

If you want to build your own Death Eater costume, let me get right to the items you need – pictured above and listed below:

• Black Robe
• Black Patterned Shirt
• Black Pants (Mens, Womens)
• Black Shoes (Mens, Womens)
• Wrist Cuffs
• Belt
• Mask (Option 1, Option 2)
• Dark Mark
• Wand (Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4)

If you want to learn more about how to put these items together into a Death Eater costume, read on.

Death Eater Costume: Clothes

Let’s start with the clothes – it’s important to have the right attire if you want to look like a Death Eater.

As you might imagine from their name, they wear a lot of black to match the Dark magic they perform. Start with a pair of standard black pants; I like these black pants from Dickies that come in standard styles for women and for men. Next you need a black long-sleeve shirt. In the films, Death Eaters wear elaborately embroidered shirts; I couldn’t find a good alternative except for this subtly flowered shirt. It will work for women or men depending on the size you order, and I guarantee nobody’s going to call you out for wearing flowers once you slip on your Death Eater mask and pick up your wand!

Finally, you need a Death Eater’s robe. Here’s the best robe I found, but it’s not perfect. What you really need is a hooded black sleeveless robe, and this one has sleeves. So if you have a sewing machine, or even a needle and thread, cut off the sleeves and hem them to look finished. (Just do a better job than Ron with his dress robes and the severing charm!)

Dark Mark Costume: Accessories

Next, there are some accessories that help you really look the part as one of Voldemort’s followers in your Death Eater Costume. They might seem extraneous but they’ll help you blend in.

First, and easiest, you need black shoes. If you already have some at home, great; if not, here are some simple ones for men and for women. You could also opt for hardier shoes such as buckled boots (for men/for women) if you want to channel more steampunk style like some Death Eaters do in the films.

Next, you need a belt. As you can see in this image, Death Eaters wear a distinctive braided belt with a round buckle and a wand holster attached. While I can’t help with the wand holster, this belt will look very similar with the rest of your Death Eater costume.

Finally – and I think this is the most important detail – you need wrist cuffs. They just finish the look! I found these ones with cool designs on them; they’d be handy for costumes if you do any other cosplay too.

Death Eater Costume: Finishing Touches

No Death Eater costume could be complete without three important final details – Dark Marks, if you will.

1. You need a Death Eater mask. I found two different styles: this one is more silver all over, and this one has more black. You can choose whichever matches your black heart.
2. You need a wand. I found four official Death Eater wands to choose from: Swirl, Thorn, Snake, and Skull. I’m partial to Swirl, but I’m sure you have your own preference.
3. Every Death Eater has one defining mark – the Dark Mark. This temporary tattoo kit has two different sizes so you can be as brazen with your allegiance to the Dark Lord as you choose.

With these final pieces, you’re all set to dress up as a Death Eater from head to toe.

Pre-Made Death Eater Costumes

Obviously putting together your own Death Eater costume will look more authentic than a pre-made costume – but it will also cost a lot more to buy each of these pieces separately instead of in a single costume set.

If you decide you’d rather purchase a costume instead of making your own, there are some available for adults and for kids. They’re budget-friendly and work great for Halloween or other events like that; true cosplayers will want to create their own costume and invest in it so it looks more authentic.

Have any questions about how to put together your own Death Eater costume, or did some of the links stop working in this post? Let me know in the comments.

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