Killian Jones a.k.a. the infamous pirate, Captain Hook, known from the Peter Pan tale, was a prominent part of the fairytale series, Once Upon A Time. He was brought to life by Irish actor Colin O’Donoghue and he played the part of the pirate just as well as the romantic lead when his character became involved with Emma Swan.
Aside from O’Donoghue’s impeccable acting, part of what made his swagger and pirate persona ooze off the screen was his costume. It became just as iconic as the character himself.
The best part is he was able to wear different iterations of his pirate garb over the 6 seasons of the show he was a part of. And within each iteration were hidden details that not all fans noticed. Here are the 10 hidden details about Captain Hook’s costume that the Oncers may have not noticed before.
His Costume Was Inspired By A Rock Band
The costume department of Once Upon A Time created some serious masterpieces over the seven seasons the show was on the air and Killian’s wardrobe was no exception.
Captain Hook’s costume was also a very important part of what made him who he was: a fearsome, vengeful pirate captain. Like anything in the television and film industry, there is inspiration drawn from other moments in pop culture to create the costumes for a show like Once. For Hook’s pirate costumes, they took inspiration from none other than Depeche Mode, the ’80s English band.
The Change Of His Earring Happened For A Reason
Part of Captain Hook’s costume had a lot to do with his jewelry just as much as the clothing he would wear. Whether it was his necklace, his many rings, or his earrings, he was always decked out in his treasures, so to speak.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed a slight change in one of his jewelry pieces in season 2, though not many actually spotted the change initially.
He had, up until the episode “Manhattan”, been wearing a clear stone as an earring. But unfortunately, it broke during the production of the show. They then replaced it with a black stone earring which was first seen in the aforementioned episode.
Hook’s Coat Was Rather Weighty
Sometimes, you must make sacrifices in comfort to wear the latest fashions that make you look picture perfect. Turns out, the same goes for our fearsome pirate because Captain Hook’s iconic pirate coat weighed a whopping fifty pounds.
We honestly can’t imagine how exhausting and difficult it must have been for Colin O’Donoghue to sport that coat day in and day out while still perfectly executing his scenes in the first three seasons. Lucky for him, they made a huge change to his wardrobe starting in season 4 that allowed him to wear a much more lightweight version of his leather coat.
Killian’s Wardrobe Changed When He Started Dating Emma
What was so great about watching Killian Jones’ story arc play out over the course of the series was the change in him that began because of his love, Emma Swan. He started out as a serious villain the heroes had to take down and soon became a hero in his own right.
Regardless of whether he was a villain or hero, he always had serious feelings for Emma. So when they truly began to date at the beginning of season 4, Hook decided he needed an update to his wardrobe to really sweep her off her feet. It also depicted the change in him we had seen and brought his hero story arc full circle.
His Ring Had A Nod To Emma
It was completely tragic when Emma and her son, Henry, had to leave Storybrooke in the middle of season 3, effectively wiping their memories of everyone they had known there. Including Hook.
The Captain took it very hard and decided he would do whatever it took to get back to her and reunite her with her family. He did this by trading his ship to get a magic bean to transport him to the Land Without Magic.
In the scene with him clutching the bean, we see he has a ring on his index finger. If you look closely, you’ll see a heart engraved on the side with a silhouette of a swan’s head, which was a serious foreshadowing of his relationship with the fair Emma.
The Wedding Tux He Wore Reflected His Personality
Who could possibly forget the musical episode of Once in season 6? The very same episode that finally had Emma and Hook vowing to love each other for the rest of their lives in a marriage ceremony.
It was a huge moment for Captain Swan fans and though they were mostly excited to see their favorite characters married once and for all, they also were excited to see what they would be wearing.
Though Emma looked gorgeous in her feminine, lace wedding gown, Killian nearly stole the show with his all-black, velvet tuxedo. Producers of the show said they couldn’t just go with a boring, regular tux for his wedding day. They needed one to reflect his pirate persona.
There Were Three Different Versions Of Killian’s Hook
When creating a show with plenty of action, there are bound to be ways to prevent injury when performing stunts, even when it comes to the props they use.
Which is a big part of why they had to have three different hooks made for Killian to wear in different types of scenes. They had one hook that was completely made of metal that was solid, sharp, and heavy. Presumably for scenes where it would be up close and needed to look more realistic.
They also had one that was aluminum and would be a bit lighter to use. Finally, for stunts, they had one that was made out of rubber so there was no danger of cutting someone.
Red Vest Vs. Black Vest
A fan-favorite costume detail was in the vest Captain Hook would wear both in the past and the present. Though there were major differences between the two.
In many flashbacks of Hook, we see him wearing a stunning velvet red vest with black brocade details. It would always bring us back to his pillaging and plundering villainous pirate days.
But in the present version of Hook, we would see him wearing a black leather vest. Though he was initially a villain when he arrived in Storybrooke, he turned himself around and we came to recognize the differences in his vests between his good self and his bad self.
His Milah Tattoo
Before Emma Swan, Killian had fallen in love with another woman in his early pirating days. Her name was Milah, and she had originally been married to Rumplestiltskin before she left him and her son to be with Killian.
Eventually, Rumple a.k.a. the Dark One, took revenge on her leaving him for the pirate and crushed her heart - literally. He also took Killian’s left hand the same day. Killian was heartbroken to lose her, which is why when you see his tattoo for Milah, it is more than just her name on his right wrist.
It also depicts a heart with the Dark One dagger going through it, indicating he planned to avenge her death by killing the Dark One.
A Secret Detail In His Pirate Necklace
We’ve talked a bit about Hook’s jewelry and the way it represents who he is and what he loves before. But there is another piece of his pirate jewelry that gives a lot more insight into his family and his past.
See, the Hook family coat of arms has a particular detail that you may recognize in Hook’s costume. It has the design of three fleurs-de-lis, which is also shown on Killian’s pirate necklace that he frequently wears. It shows the ties he still has to his family, even if he had a rough childhood, to say the least.
