The costume vault

The same way that Padme's character becomes less and less relevant as the prequels progress, so do the designs. That's why most of the designs of Episode III are hardly remembered. The most iconic costumes of the characters, those that everyone remembers, are from the first two prequels. That doesn't mean that there aren't good designs in "Revenge on the Sith", because there are. The main problem is that her pregnancy, and the fact that she needs to hide it, places such limitations on the designs, that most of them end being too similar and not very interesting. Still, I'm going to continue this series of articles about the real historical influences behind the costume designs of Padme Amidala in the Star Wars prequels with a few designs from "Revenge of the Sith". The first of these designs I will be breaking down will be the "Peacock Dress". Padme was supposed to wear this somber dress during a meeting with Chancello...

The "Tatooine" outfit from Attack of the Clones is possibly one of the less cohesive designs within the Star Wars universe. And, funny enough, that's why I'm dedicating this new entry to it. She wears this outfit during her visit to Tatooine with Anakin. First when they go to Mos Espa and then when they arrive at Owen's house. The outfit consists of a very light blue midriff dress with silver embroidery. The top is wrapped around her, with wide, loose sleeves that turn into a cape behind her. The hem of the cape is decorated with silver motifs. The pants are wide and loose and are accessorized with a tightly drawn, sash-like top at the waist, which is decorated with a silver beaded pendant with a sash hanging from it. With this, she wears a full-length, large-cowled cloak. It's done with indigo material, with abstract embossed patterns. It's clasped with a simple, curling clasp studded with beads. This is not one of t...

This journey through Padme's many dresses will continue with the "Purple Senate" Gown from Episode II. Amidala wears this dress in Chancellor Palpatine's officer in the scene after there's been an attempt on her life. And again in a session of the Senate later in the movie. The gown consists of a dark indigo bodice with a low-cut neck and skirt under a dark purple overcoat. The bodice is studded with beads and pearls along the neckline, and the front panel of the skirt and the sleeves are decorated with dark, beaded, scrollwork. The overcoat is decorated with intricate swirls and its shoulders are flared and decorated with beads. The sleeves of the overcoat are long and have a slit through which the sleeves of the bodice show. The long ends of the sleeves are joined at the back with a metal circle decorated with pearls. This design takes much from the same sources that the " packing gown " did. It's very western-oriented, but it...