Pulling this post from my personal blog and posting it here for posterity:
Original posted at artandrews.com on August 5, 2011.
Adrian Brody – Royce Costume from Predators – Shemagh Modification
This is a detailed explanation of the modification necessary to create Royce’s shemagh from Predators.
Start with a
Rothco Shemagh Tactical Desert Scarf (Product #: 8537) in Tan. Right away, let me say that Rothco also makes a Lightweight version of this shemagh, product #4537. The lightweight version is NOT the correct version. This shemagh can be found all over the net and is readily available for roughly $10.
Cut the shemagh into quarters.
The shemagh is roughly a 42″ X 42″ square. To modify it as seen on Royce, you will need to cut the shemagh into quarters that are approximately 21″ X 21″ each. It is important to note the orientation of the shemagh for the next step.
Discard two quarters
Royce’s shemagh retains roughly the same basic orientation (although there were surely multiple copies used) throughout the movie with slight variations. After cutting the Rotcho shemagh, there will be two quarters that can be folded to match Royce’s shemagh precisely and two that cannot. Note the illustration to the left and discard the two quarters indicated. You may use either or the remaining quarters.
Fold the shemagh in half on the diagonal.
Fold the cut quarter of the shemagh in half on the diagonal. Note that there are a clear front and back to the shemagh. Make sure you fold it so the back touches itself and the tassels are on the right-hand side of the shemagh as shown in the illustration.
Roll down the top of the shemagh
Fold approximately 1 3/4″ of the top of the shemagh to the backside of the shemagh twice. You may need to try this several times and make slight adjustments to get the final look to be appropriate. From the front, the shemagh should be a triangle with long, thin ends. From the rear, the rolled down top is obvious, creating a slightly thick and at the top and a thin triangle below it.
Finished Royce Shemagh
The rolled top of the shemagh will be fairly puffy. I suggest wetting the shemagh to flatten it a bit and while wet, twist the ends to create rope-like tails. Additionally, you might want to add small tacking stitching to either side of the rolled to once you are completely satisfied with it to ensure it stays properly rolled. Because the weave of the shemagh is so rough, these stitches are easily hidden.
As mentioned earlier, Royce’s shemagh isn’t perfectly consistent throughout the movie. Sometimes it is high on his neck and sometimes it is barely visible which is primarily due to how loosely it is tied at the back of the neck. Sometimes the tails of the shemagh are hanging outside Royce’s shirt, but most of the time they are tucked in. I have found that a loose single knot works best and allows for easy adjustment. Here you can see two images of Royce’s Shemagh from Predators:
Royce's Shemagh after parachuting to the Predator world
Royce using his shemagh against smoke in Noeland's hideout.