The character of Dorothy (portrayed by Judy Garland) wore a cotton sleeveless blue and pale pink checked pinafore, or jumper, over a pale pink blouse. When photographed by Technicolor cameras, the color pink appeared white on-screen. It had a ruffled neckline with a blue ribbon bow and short, puffy sleeves with elastic at the edges accented with blue ribbons. The skirt had pleats starting at the waist, and the length of the costume hit just below the knees.
Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion costume weighed more than 60 pounds, making it the film's heaviest costume. It was constructed from a wool and cotton jumpsuit with an attached mane and tail made from lion fur. All pieces were dyed a golden brown to match the jumpsuit. A five-pound wig and two plastic felt ears completed the outfit. Technicians on catwalks above the set controlled the lion's tail with wires.
Made from stiff buckram rubber painted silver to resemble metal, the Tin Man's costume was so rigid, actor Jack Haley rested against a board between scenes. The hat and chin strap were made from rubber. Weighing about 10 pounds, the individual tin man sections were assembled on Haley's body every morning. The makeup paste contained aluminum powder that gave him a serious eye infection. Several Tin Man suits were made throughout filming, but most of the sections did not survive after the production.
Preserved in the Smithsonian, the Scarecrow costume worn by Ray Bolger was a patchwork outfit that allowed for plenty of movement. The film's costume designer, Gilbert Adrian, constructed it from loose-fitting, lightweight cotton and denim. He stuffed actual straw in the costume to make it look authentic. To give the look of burlap, a sponge-rubber mask fit over Bolger's face and head, but the hot mask was replaced often.
The iconic symbol of Dorothy's journey, the ruby slippers changed colors from silver to ruby to show better on film. Costume designer Adrian created the shoes in sizes five and six to fit the growing 16-year-old Garland. The shoes were ordinary white silk pumps dyed burgundy and covered with more than 2,000 pieces of sequin per shoe to resemble rubies. Adrian added a red leather Art Deco style bow on top of each shoe just before filming began.