For the 20th anniversary of « Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith »: How costumes achieved cult status

It is May 15, 2005, the view of the film world is aimed at the sunny Côte d’Azur: The 58th International Film Festival of Cannes, in which numerous productions compete for the coveted golden palm, are running the highest award of the festival.

But outside of the competition, a film provides special attention: « Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith » celebrates its premiere in the festival palace. Director George Lucas shows the last chapter of his Prequel trilogy, in which Anakin Skywalker finally falls into the dark side of power.

Twenty years later, the film has long since reached cult status under fans. For the anniversary, he returned to the local cinemas in April, accompanied by passionate fans who celebrate their enthusiasm for the “Star Wars” universe with light swords and Darth-Vader-Kostümen. Because the saga lives not only from galactic battles and political power games, but also on their aesthetics and the elaborately designed costumes.

It is therefore worth a cultural -historical look at this iconic costume world, which has shaped the visual identity of « Star Wars » far beyond the screen.

Asian influences in robes of the galaxy

Hardly any figure in the « Star Wars » universe wears as many different costumes as Padmé Amidala. In « Episode I – The Dark Threat », it is first presented to the audience in the so -called « throne room robe » as a sovereign queen of the Naboo.

Inspiration for the costume mainly provided the ceremonial court clothes from the Chinese imperial period, specifically the so-called « chaofu » of the Qing dynasty. It is a costume that the emperor, her court officials and the nobility carried to state ceremonies or official celebrations.

The chaofus also included the so -called « Piling », a collar that made the shoulders of the wearer and the carrier appeared wider. With Amidala’s throne room, the adhesive takes the shape of a piling to.

Another symbol lies in the color of the robe. In China, red was red under the Zhou dynasty as the preferred color for imperial robes.

History and headdresses also make historical references

Not only the robes of the Queen Amidala cite Asian traditions, but also, for example, the golden headdress, which she wears as part of the « senatorial robe » during the distrust vote scene in the Senate Chamber on Coruscant in Episode I.

The headdress consists of an adjacent gold cap, from which a curved hair horn hangs on both sides of the face, which is fixed with golden jewelry elements at the top and filled with turquoise and coral -colored gemstones. Below the hair horns are framed with filigree work.

The headdress is modeled on the Mongolian « Ugalz », which was worn by Nobel women in Mongolia in the 19th century. The hair is divided into two ligaments, which are attached with frozen mutton fat and silver, turquoise and coral -colored tassels, amulets and clasps. The valuable hairdresses show the marital status of the wearer and are valued heirlooms. So the women carry their wealth on their heads.

Indigenous hair traditions

If you think of Princess Leia, you inevitably think of her iconic double snail hairstyle. The hair is parted in the middle and rolled up into two symmetrical snails.

It is less well known that this hairstyle has its roots in the tradition of the Hopi. The Hopi are the westernmost group of Pueblo-Indigenen who live in today’s northeast Arizona. The so-called « squash blossom whorls » (German for example « pumpkin blossom snails ») are the traditional hairstyle of young, unmarried Hopi girls.

In the cultural context of the Hopi, the hair costume not only serves aesthetics, but is deeply symbolic: it stands for fertility, the transition to adulthood and female maturity. Married women, on the other hand, carry their hair in simple braids – social status is also communicated.

Interestingly, the pumpkin blossom hairstyle not only appears at Leia, but also at Padmé Amidala in the « Star Wars » prequel trilogy. However, this only until the moment she reveals her pregnancy to her husband Anakin Skywalker. Here, too, the symbolism of the hairstyle seems to be subtle.

Traditional clothing elements from Russia

In addition to the Asian culture, the “Star Wars” costumes also reflect European or Eurasian clothing traditions, such as the “camouflage costume in the spatial freighter” by Padmé Amidala in “Episode II-attack by the clone warriors”.

Her headdress is strongly reminiscent of Russian « Kokoshniki », who were exclusively borne by tsar and emperors before the 18th century, like the Grand Duchess Xenija of Russia, and wealthy merchant women on festive occasions. The silhouette of the dress is also reminiscent of the Nobel dresses of the early Russia, the just cut shift dresses called « Sorochka », « Rubashka » or « Srachitza ».

The Jedi and the culture of the Samurai

In the conception of the Jedi Knight, George Lucas deliberately used elements of Japanese culture, but not only on a visual, but also on a philosophical level.

The Jedi Knights are keepers of peace and justice and at the same time embody a code of honor that is strongly inspired by the Bushidō-that moral guideline of the samurai that emphasizes virtues such as loyalty, discipline and courage.

The Robes of the Jedi are reminiscent of traditional Kimonos and are mostly simple and kept in earth tones, as an expression of inner calm and balance. Anakin Skywalker is an exception. His darker leather and heavy fabrics already reflects his inner tornness and his way to the dark side of power.

But the costumes of the Sith also use Far Eastern elements, such as the kimono -like robe of Darth Maul in Episode I. According to Trisha Biggar, the costume designer of the Prequels, his cloak was also inspired by a photography of a Tibetan llamas taken around 1940.

However, the strongest fusion of cultural symbolism can be found in Darth Vader’s costume: the helmet quotes the martial cable helmets of the samurai, while the metal breast plate of its suit is reminiscent of medieval armor and can also be read as a cybernetic element of modern technology. The high -necked black uniform in turn arouses associations with the aesthetics of fascist regime.

A global fashion history in space

In contrast to the comparatively simple costumes of the original trilogy, the costumes of the prequels are elaborately and richly decorated. The reason for this is that they play at the heyday of the Republic, while the galaxy in Episodes IV to VI is dominated and downloaded from the empire.

As the costume designer Trisha Biggar explains in her book « Dressing A Galaxy » and, as shown, she was inspired in the design of the costumes from Mongolia, Tibet, China, Japan, Africa, Europe and indigenous peoples. The costumes cite cultural-historical role models in order to offer the viewers familiar visual anchors and to facilitate identification with the cultures of the « Star Wars » world, Biggar continues.

The designs thus make a bridge between the fictional galaxy and real world history. In addition to the costumes taken in this article, cultural -historical elements are also hidden in many other robes of the Saga. To define « Star Wars » as a pure space opera would fall too short. Rather, it is a lively archive of global fashion history – told in space, but deeply rooted in reality.

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If you want to learn more about this, here is a book tip: Trish Biggar: « Dressing a Galaxy: The Star Wars costumes », Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin.