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Santa's boots... all the way from Mongolia
The mystery over where Father Christmas gets his boots could finally have been solved.
The legendary character, who is approaching his busiest time of year, is portrayed in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, on stage at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, until February 2.
Designers at the theatre often order hand-made costumes and accessories from around the world – but never before has their search lead them to the wilds of Outer Mongolia.
A worldwide hunt went out to find traditional boots for the theatre's own Father Christmas.
Stephen Snell, head of wardrobe, who designed the costumes for the production, said: "It can take a lot of detective work to find exactly the right look for a character.
"We wanted to stick close to the origins of the legend with connections to Lapland and Siberia. His coat is made from red dyed cow hide leather.
"We wanted an overall look which was pre-1930s and before the modern Santa Claus we all know and love.
"The boots are dark maroon coloured leather with cut out designs and have long curly toes. They were made in Mongolia and, used traditionally on the Tundra, they are insulated with felt.
"We found them on the internet from the Mongolian Collection. The world wide web has become a great help in recent years in finding unusual items.
"Shoes or boots are always the biggest challenge."
Actor Neil Salvage, who also plays the role of the professor in the play, said: "The boots took some wearing in. You cannot tell which is left and which is right.
"I have never seen anything like them before, but costumes are very important to bring the character on the stage to life."
Box office tickets on 0113 213 7700 or see www.wyp.
org.uk.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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