And then there were four! We move out of the regional divisions and into the Semi Final of this year’s March Madness, the Battle of the Best Dressed in Middle-earth. Here’s how the table stands now:
So who triumphed in the Elite Eight? This was a nail biting round; this very post was drafted with certain costumes as winners, but then there was a late surge in voting and a couple of outfits made a comeback!
Beginning with the Humans and Maiar, a fully armoured Eomer was taking on Aragorn in ranger garb. This duel had the widest margin in the Quarter Final, with just under 60% of the vote going to Aragorn’s outfit. He’ll meet the Witchking in the Semi Final; in the Villains region, the Balrog was finally defeated, with the epic helm and long robes of the Witchking claiming about 10% more votes.
On the other side of the bracket, both contests went right down to the wire. In the end, Galadriel’s winning form in the Elves category was overcome at the last moment by Legolas’ leggings! The Hobbits/Dwarves region had another very close fight, going back and forth until voting closed; ultimately, Pippin’s armour from Gondor triumphed over Gimli’s costume. In both of these showdowns, there were just a few percent between the competing outfits.
And so to the Final (or Fabulous, or Fashionable?) Four – the costumes of a man, a wraith, a hobbit, and an elf, all from The Lord of the Rings movies. Which gets your vote? Do you prefer the leather and layers of Strider’s outfit, or the robes and mace of the Witchking? Are you swayed by the green and grey of Legolas, or are the black and silver of Pippin’s Gondorian garb more to your taste?
Voting in the Final Four is open NOW, until 5pm ET on Sunday 11th 9th April. If you have cosplays of any of these final four costumes, do share them with us – it’s not too late! You can post to our facebook page, email to spymaster@theonering.net, or simply by tag us on Twitter or Instagram, using #middleearthbestdressed. (By sharing your images, you give TheOneRing.net your permission to use them online.)
We’ll be LIVE again for a results show, on Sunday 11th, to find out which two go through to the Grand Final. Make sure it’s the costumes you want – VOTE NOW!
