padmé’s battle dress:
here are the previous ones:
my favorite padmé outfits
geonosis outfit
funeral outfit
wedding outfit
summer meadow outfit
parade outfit
tatooine peasant disguise
this maroon and gold outfit, made with concussive-absorbing fabric, was worn by the handmaidens of the naboo court during combat (padmé is wearing the handmaiden costume instead of the queen because sabé is stoll he decoy). the gold details of dress, lining, and trousers make the outfit visible at night.
here are some early concept designs, by iain mccaig. as you can see, most of the designs show a combination of pants and a long overcoat, which makes sense for the activity required when using this piece. the red color in the leftmost one would eventually be changed to a wine red, with some other small changes. the hair stays fairly consistent throughout the designs.
the calf-length velvet overcoat of the piece, with a fitted closure above the waist, is reminiscent of a victorian era smoking jacket or an 18th century business suit. the maroon color is also very popular during those times, and can be seen in all the pictures.
the velvet maroon pants combined with the top of the overcoat remind me of jumpsuits common in the 70s, although the pants in jumpsuits are less fitted than those of padmé’s battle outfit. i think this is a cool sort of throwback to the original trilogy, as “a new hope” came out in the 70s, when this fashion was common.
featured around the shoulders of the bodice, up the coat side seams, along the coat lining, and down the leg of the pants is gold jacquard ribbon. jacquard ribbon, made from a jacquard loom invented in 1804, was common in the victorian era, used for finishing and detailing exquisite dresses. thus, the use of gold, intricate ribbon on the outfit of a royal’s handmaiden makes sense.
padmé’s hairstyle in this outfit looks much like traditional japanese hairstyles. the pictures above show many smooth curves and clipped hair. this hairstyle features a large twice folded ponytail, which is both practical and stylish for battle.
the large buckle on padmé’s belt contains the emblem for naboo, but it’s influences aren’t totally known. the buckle of the piece is reminiscent of historical nurses belts, cowboy belts, army belts, and many more, so there are lots of options.
finally, the boots. they seem to be inspired by both gogo boots and rain boots, taking the smooth waxiness from the gogo boots, removing the heel, and adding more lacing and sole from the rain boots. in all, they are fairly simple and pass for any black boots.
overall, i think this piece really shows the badassery of the handmaidens and reflects the tradition and style of naboo culture. the piece helps to show a side of padmé that we hadn’t seen before, and allows for more character development as not only a queen but a strong fighter and capable leader.
𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬! 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜! 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨!
@roamingbadger @how-the-feathers-have-fallen
