Theron's evil queen wears feathers, beetle wings

This film image released by Universal Pictures shows actress Charlize Theron in a scene from "Snow White and the Huntsman." (AP/Universal Pictures, Alex Bailey)

Charlize Theron's evil queen costumes for "Snow White and the Huntsman" called for hundreds of hand-cut rooster feathers, thousands of iridescent beetle wings from Thailand and one particularly imposing crown.

The outfits, some of which are on view at an LA pop-up gallery ahead of the film's June 1 U.S. opening, represented a number of firsts for Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood.

From the leather piping on the pleats of the queen's wedding gown to the gauzy green metal trim on the beetle-wing dress, the nine-time Oscar nominee and three-time winner experimented with materials for director Rupert Sanders' dark take on the classic fairy tale.

"The idea of the fairy tale sets you free in a way because you can make it up," Atwood said. "And I love to make up stuff."

She created an armored ensemble fit for a queen by dressing up chain mail with rolled leather and horsehair trim and topping it off with a particularly pointy metal crown.

"We wanted to have a formidable silhouette," Atwood said, "and from a distance it's spooky with the crown and her height and everything."