Portia

As a newer stylist in the Games, she brings much attention to herself as a brilliant and dazzling artist, with gimmicks such as synthetic fire in her costume designs. Portia is a native of the Capitol, with her exotic nature and intricate fashion skills. She is killed during the uprising along with the other prep teams of the Victors.

Portia Character Profile

• Name: Portia 
• Age: Early 20s
• Gender: Female
• Place of origin: The Capitol
• Physical appearance: Dark-skinned, curly blonde hair, wears ostentatious makeup and clothes
• Skills: Fashion design
• Strengths: Creativity, good sense of aesthetics 
• Weaknesses: Unknown
• Loyalties: Unknown 

Personality and Physical Description

Even though the 74th Hunger Games is Portia’s first year as a stylist, she has a good work ethic as a stylist. Having received prior training as a stylist, Portia constantly tries to excel in her work to make Peeta stand out from the rest of the tributes. Portia is highly collaborative, working with Cinna most of the time to show off Katniss and Peeta as a pair.

Portia is surprisingly astute as she can tell the real meaning of the training scores to Katniss. Katniss has a bad feeling that she would get a bad training score after shooting an apple at the pig’s mouth. However, Portia reassures her that the only scores that matter are the high and the low scores and that the mediocre scores are not going to be noticed. She also remarks to Katniss that sometimes, tributes strategize to keep their real talents hidden – a tactic that gives them a deceptively low score. She is genuinely happy when the Gamemakers scores Katniss an 11.

Portia is warm and compassionate. She can calm Katniss down in her frenzied state of mind after her interview with Caesar Flickerman. Katniss thinks that her presence has a civilizing effect on Haymitch Abernathy and Effie Trinket. Portia is also discreet and keeps the fact that Katniss recognizes the Avox girl, Lavinia, a secret. She is good at conversation, engaging with Effie when she tells the group that she considers herself to be an ‘architecture expert.’

Portia has curly golden hair, porcelain white teeth, and sharp nails. In the first movie, she is seen wearing a black dress, black lipstick, black high heels, purple-pinkish eyeshadow, and black translucent stockings.

Portia in the 74th Hunger Games

Portia and Cinna receive huge cheers, of course, they’ve been brilliant, had a dazzling debut.

Katniss Everdeen in ‘The Hunger Games’

Portia was born and raised in the Capitol. She becomes a stylist for the Hunger Games and debuts in the 74th Hunger Games as District 12’s stylist alongside Cinna. It is possible that she is given District 12 to work with as she is a new stylist, and poorer districts such as District 12 are generally not in demand among reputed stylists. 

While Cinna is responsible for styling Katniss Everdeen, Portia is responsible for designing outfits for her district partner, Peeta. As she collaborates with Cinna to create dazzling outfits for the two of them, she creates a name for herself as a brilliant stylist with her excellent fashion skills. Portia holds contempt for the “whole coal miners thing,” as agreed by the rest of the squad, and she therefore thinks outside the box with her designs.

As Peeta Mellark’s stylist, she is in-charge of the dressing of Peeta, and therefore, designs his opening ceremonies costume, as well as the costume for Peeta’s interview on national television, his outfit for the training center, the launch room before the arena, as well as the Victory Tour. Portia also helps to dress Peeta for his and Katniss’ wedding shoot.

Portia in the 75th Hunger Games

Portia acts as Peeta’s stylist once again in the Third Quarter Quell, when Peeta is once again chosen as the male tribute from District 12. She does an excellent job once again. However, this time, she is marked as a rebel sympathizer by the President for her association with Cinna, Katniss, and Peeta.

Portia also witnesses the old man from District 11 as he sings the four-note Mockingjay song of Rue in front of the entire district during the Victory Tour. During the party at President Snow’s mansion, Portia introduces Katniss and Peeta to the 75th Hunger Games’ new Head Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee, after the replacement of Seneca Crane.

Portia’s Death

Snow executed Peeta’s stylist and his prep team on live television tonight. We’ve no idea what happened to Effie Trinket. Peeta’s damaged, but he’s here.

Plutarch Heavensbee in ‘Mockingjay’

Plutarch Heavensbee informs Katniss of the death of Portia while he is trying to comfort her about Peeta. President Snow executes all of the stylists from the 75th Hunger Games as well as their prep teams on live television to frighten the rebel citizens. The manner of execution is unknown. Snow might have ordered the Peacekeepers to shoot Portia and the others via a firing squad. It is speculated that Portia was executed to threaten Peeta and mentally torture him. As such, the execution was likely painful and gruesome. The news of Portia’s death has a devastating effect on Katniss, as she begins hyperventilating and is forced to be sedated with morphling upon hearing the news.

Portia’s Designs

“So, Katniss, about your costume for the opening ceremonies. My partner, Portia, is the stylist for your fellow tribute, Peeta. And our current thought is to dress you in complementary costumes,” says Cinna.

Portia and Cinna work together to create complementary costumes for Katniss and Peeta. For the chariot rides at the Tribute Parade of the 74th Games, she dresses Peeta in a simple black unitard. She accessorizes the outfit with lace-up boots, a headpiece, and a fiery orange cape that would light up with synthetic flames. 

For the pre-Games interview, Portia designs Peeta a simple black suit with fiery accents. In the post-Games interview, Portia dresses him in a yellow shirt made from the same material as Katniss’ dress, long black pants, and sturdy black boots.

For the Tribute Parade of the 3rd Quarter Quell in ‘Catching Fire,’ Portia dresses Peeta in a fitted black jumpsuit, with a half-crown made of heavy black metal. The suit is designed to light up with a golden glow to mimic the glowing embers of flaming coal, with the orange-red colors rising and falling like embers on the sleeves. For the pre-Games interview, Peeta is clothed as a bridegroom, in an elegant tuxedo and white gloves. The same jacket acts as his uniform for the wedding shoot as well.

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