For serious Star Wars fans, you know that your favorite character's looks and costumes evolved over the course of the franchise. We've created this handy visual guide to help illustrate their evolution. Check out this resource to help you compare movie details straight from the screen to help make your costume look more authentic or to find unique DIY touches to add the on-screen details to your unique Star Wars costume.Luke Skywalker Costume IdeasIn the course of Luke's evolution through the original Star Wars trilogy, he grew from his humble beginnings as a Tatooine farm boy in A New Hope to become a Jedi Master in Return of the Jedi. Luke's costume in the first film was meant to portray a look that was both simple and practical. A basic Japanese shirt with elongated sleeves, white trousers and Chelsea style boots would serve as his costume through the movie. Accessories included a brown leather belt with multiple pouches, a lightsaber hook and knee high wraps. By the time of Empire Strikes Back, Luke's costume has evolved into a standard Rebel combat suit with some unique costume touches.
Comprised of khaki wool and featuring accent pockets, this costume was also complete with a leather accessory belt. By the time he becomes a Jedi, Luke's apparel has turned into a stark black jumpsuit covered by a raw silk kimono, a look that is ominous and full of mystery.Han Solo Costume IdeasHan's costume had to help define his rogue nature so a very plain Viyella shirt and a pocketed vest, blue pants with tuxedo style segmented stripes along with a handcrafted leather gun belt and English riding boots would serve as his space cowboy-like costume. Only minor costume changes were implemented for his Empire Strike Back look, including a new western style plastron shirt replacing the previous one. A jacket similar to his original vest, along with similar boots and a gun belt finished his costume look. One of the few major costume changes throughout the trilogy involved the Endor mission, when Han donned a duster style coat. It was hand painted with an air-brushed camouflage pattern. Details on the jacket included large cargo pockets and a large slit up the back.
Princess Leia Costume IdeasLeia starts her evolution as a Princess and a Senator, so her costume was fairly nondescript, yet still had a touch of elegance. A hooded gown made from crepe de chine featured open cut sleeves and was accented with a medieval style belt and knee high white boots. By the time of Empire Strikes Back, she has a new look as a leader of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. She wears a snow combat outfit that continues her established white pallete featuring a white jumpsuit and off-white thermal vest. She then joins the Rebel command team on Endor in Return of the Jedi, and wears the same camouflage outfitted gear as the rest of the squad. Her camouflaged poncho covered gabardine combat trousers and was accented with a custom helmet and English riding boots.Padme Amidala Costume IdeasPadme Amidala has perhaps the most costume changes of any character in the Star Wars universe, but her evolution throughout the prequel trilogy outlines her evolution as a character.
We first meet her as a Queen and her throne room gown conveys her regal nature perfectly. A wide-shouldered paneled gown, accented with gold embroidery, jewels, and an elegant fur hem were the key elements to this costume look. By the time of Episode II, she is both a Senator and an action hero in her own right, so her Geonosis costume is the most recognizable look of her new status. A simple white jumpsuit accented with an off-white shawl, accented by silver armbands, a tan utility belt, and action boots comprise this action ready outfit. By the conclusion of the trilogy, she has both fallen for Anakin Skywalker and is carrying their unborn child, so her costume for her trip to Mustafar is simple and accommodating to pregnancy. A tan collared shirt outfitted by a leather crisscrossing harness, accented with gloves, gold clasps, and white pants finished this costume look.Obi-Wan Costume IdeasObi-Wan Kenobi's prequel trilogy evolution starts from his status as a Jedi Padawan to becoming Anakin's Jedi master and ultimately his opponent at the conclusion.
Starting with The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan's costume was constructed to be similar to the one worn by the character in the original film. A tunic and tabard over plain white shirts and pants achieved this costume look. The tunic and tabard combo was constructed with a light woven fabric known as Indian homespun. By the time he becomes a Jedi, he wears a vintage brown wool cloak that matched the one used by the character in A New Hope. The only notable change in his costume look was an alteration of pant and undershirt color in Revenge of the Sith. He costume look in all of the films was accented with a leather belt and riding boots.Anakin and Darth Vader Costume IdeasAnakin's journey through the prequel trilogy took him from humble slave beginnings to becoming the most feared villain in the Galaxy. When we first meet him as a child in The Phantom Menace, his slave costume served to convey his status, with coarse materials and a rough-hewn fabric material. Ragged leg wraps, faux suede boots, and a leather utility belt rounded out the costume.
A simple addition of a detailed helmet with attached goggles served him when he became a podracing champion. By the time of Attack of the Clones, Anakin had become a Jedi Padawan and wore a costume similar in style to the other Jedi, but of different construction. A leather tabard covered a darker hued tunic and pants with a belt and boots similar to Obi-Wan's.Only very slight color changes were implemented for Revenge of the Sith, but he was outfitted with the typical Jedi cloak. After turning to the dark side he nearly perished as Darth Vader, but was rescued and repaired by Palpatine. With the costume intended to be a mix of cybernetic technology and the powers of the dark side, the debut of the infamous Darth Vader support suit would complete his costume evolution. It's brief appearance at the conclusion of the prequel trilogy was an only slightly altered design from the costume used in the old films with a polished, brand-new effect added.Since its debut in 1977, the saga of Star Wars has transported viewers to a galaxy far, far away.
But though the films' Wookies, Ewoks, Hutts, and droids look anything but earthly, they remain close to fans' hearts—and now, a series of Star Wars-themed exhibitions is bringing the world of the film much closer to home. Timed to coincide with the release of the seventh film in the franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the exhibitions showcase everything from original costumes and composite sketches to artwork and other one-of-a-kind memorabilia, each reminding you why Star Wars captivated the world in the first place. Feel "the Force" at these four exhibitions: Discovery Times Square, New York City Director George Lucas may have been the mastermind behind Star Wars, but it was his team of costume designers, model makers, and special effects artists that helped turn his vision into reality. Now much of their handiwork, including more than 60 original costumes spanning all episodes of the saga, are on display at Discovery Times Square in New York as part of a traveling exhibit called “Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume,” a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the future Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
One noteworthy piece is Queen Amidala’s elaborate throne room gown from The Phantom Menace. The dress took costume designer Trisha Biggar and her team eight weeks to complete and was equipped with a car battery to illuminate the lights that stud the gown’s train. Guests can also view a collection of interactive light sabers in a rainbow of hues and BB-8, a beach-ball-shaped droid that will make its debut in The Force Awakens. But finished costumes are just the beginning: The exhibit also features raw sketches, fabric swatches, videos and more to help visitors put Lucas’ vision into context.“We want viewers to experience the creative process that went into the making of each film and to understand how costumes shaped each character.” Lucas is infamous for tinkering with the visual elements and even plotlines of his films long after they have been released. This auteur-like sensibility bled over into the costume studio, too. Drake says it often took costume designers many rounds of sketches before George Lucas would approve.
He'd do so in the form of a "Fabuloso" stamp, which he'd slap onto each drawing to let his team know a costume was ready to go from sketch to sewn creation. If Lucas though the idea was just okay, he said so with an "OK" stamp that sent the concept straight back to the drawing board. The traveling exhibit runs through September 5, 2016. In November 2016, it will open at the Denver Museum of Art, where it will continue through April 2017. Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), Vienna, Austria With more than 200 costumes, props, models and other original pieces on display and spanning the entire Star Wars canon, “Star Wars Identities” stands as a dossier of movie memorabilia. The exhibit, which culls much of its content from the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, includes notable pieces such as Han Solo in carbonite and Anakin Skywalker’s full-sized Podracer, plus original Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 costumes. The exhibition also includes an interactive component called an “identity quest” complete with smart technology bracelets and interactive questionnaires.
At the end of the quest, visitors are assigned a unique character profile to share via social media. “Star Wars Identities” runs December 18 through April 16, 2016. L’ Espace Villeneuve-Bargemon, Marseille, France For years, artists from around the world have turned to Star Wars as a source of inspiration. Now, many of their original pieces are on display at L’ Espace Villeneuve-Bargemon in Marseille as part of the exhibit “Star Wars: An Art Odyssey.” The solo exhibition is presented by Acme Archives Ltd. and Lucas Film and features more than 40 original and exclusive works by Poster Posse artists and who have previously created pieces of art for brands such as Marvel, Pixar and Warner Brothers. It includes the artists’ interpretations of much-beloved characters like Chewbacca, Boba Fett and R2-D2 printed on canvas, wood, foil and other materials. “Star Wars: An Art Odyssey” runs now through January 17, 2016. Star Wars superfans have something else to look forward to after they see Episode VII this week: Star Wars Celebration, a multi-day festival designed to get fans' hearts pumping.
Featuring panel discussions, meet and greets, cosplay contests, exhibits and more, the celebration is eagerly awaited by thousands. Next year’s event will return to London for the second time since 2007 and will be held at the ExCel London Exhibition Centre July 15-17, 2016. The good news: The Force Awakens will give fans plenty of fodder for the 2016 gathering. The bad news: Three-day tickets have already sold out. Luckily, that's not your only hope—single-day tickets go on sale January 14. Can't make it to these spots? Don't park your Millennium Falcon just yet: There are plenty of other Star Wars happenings taking place around the world. LEGO Star Wars at Times Square Mall in Hong Kong features a collection of models built using LEGO bricks, including the Rebel Snowspeeder, Imperial AT-AT and Poe's X-Wing Fighter. The exhibition runs through January 1, 2016. Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, has a roster of Star Wars-related events for the months ahead, including Jedi training sessions, special exhibits and an update to its popular Star Tours: The Adventures Continue 3D motion-simulator ride that reflects events from the new film.