Seventy plus costumes from seven Star Wars movies are on display as part of a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition in partnership with the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and in consultation with Lucasfilm Ltd. I was invited to stop by Star Wars and the Power of Costume at the Discovery Center Times Square in New York and now I get to share a look at what I saw inside.
As a professional photographer, an amateur costume maker, and a long-time Star Wars fan, this exhibit was a visual treat. Many Star Wars costumes don’t get a lot of screen time or we don’t have much opportunity to appreciate the complexities, textures, and detail work put into them. With The Power of Costume you can get fairly close to the costume pieces and get a better understanding of how they could help an actor transform into someone in a galaxy far, far away.
A lot of thought has gone into most of the displays – just wait until you see the final Padmé room. Most costumes are not behind glass and there are a lot of spots with great lighting. Some rooms have a very strong sense of style including one that feels almost as if you’ve walked into Padmé’s closet. It’s a splendid perspective on the Star Wars saga and the role costumes play in storytelling. For me, the only disappointment was The Force Awakens section. Seven costumes from that movie have been added to the exhibit in the New York City leg of the tour and it’s clear their inclusion wasn’t part of the exhibit’s very careful design. While I’ve spent a lot of time studying those costumes, if you haven’t you’ll only find basic character information for those but no further insight on the costumes themselves. I’m sure that’s due in part to the mystery box and in part to them being part of the saga that’s still in motion. After this I look forward to the day we get an exhibit of all the costumes to come out of the sequel trilogy.
Overall Star Wars and the Power of Costume is a great experience for learning more about the costumes while feeling like you get to stand amongst a part of the saga. As much as you’ll see in the gallery below, there’s still parts I left out and a few things you really should experience for yourself. You can find the exhibit in NYC until September 2016. It’ll be on tour through 2019 with Denver being the next destination. Luckily for you, if you would like to visit the exhibit in person, you can get $5 off admission by going here.
For now, click through the gallery below (and enjoy the commentary captions).
The first Queen Amidala costume on display.
The first full room holds many Jedi as well as Darth Maul. Buttons on the signage allow guests to ignite the lightsabers.
One of the several panels filled with insight into the thought process behind the costumes. This was one that also had a tablet that let you further interact with the info.
Mace Windu's robes.
A close look at part of Luminara Unduli's Jedi ensemble, the most detailed of the Jedi robes on display.
At the end of Jedi room sits the costumes of two of the most pivotal Jedi of the Star Wars saga, with the twin suns hanging rather symbolicly behind them.
Luke Skywalker's Return of the Jedi clothing.
Young Anakin's Padwan robes have brief screen time, but it's nice to appreciate the textures and compare it to Luke's Jedi robes.
The Prequel Trilogy gave Jedi cooler boots.
Another neat area of contrast and comparison is Princess Leia and Queen Amidala's costumes side by side.
Detail work on Queen Amidala's costume for appearing at the Senate. So many of the sleeves on her costumes are like cocoons for her arms and hands.
The costume probably most associated with Princess Leia is comparatively simple and probably a lot easier to move in.
The area called The Entourage displays several of the Queen's Handmaiden's costumes flanking Amidala herself.
While the Handmaiden clothing took inspiration from the English Pre-Raphaelite art movement, Amidala's wardrobe had a more Eastern influences. These all come together to make something new.
In a few places you can actually touch swatches of costume fabrics.
Two other Queens of Naboo: Queen Apailana and Queen Jamilla. The mother of pearl headpiece is my favorite of all the Prequel Trilogy.
This costume worn by the Queen's decoy, Sabé, always reminded me of a crow. I found a better appreciation for the burnout velvet and puckering up close.
An Original Trilogy Stormtrooper costume sits among floating Anovos replicas among walls of mirrors that give the effect of an army.
X-wing pilot and TIE pilot allow for comparison never really available on screen. Be sure to read here how on the TIE helmet came to be.
The simple but effective uniform of an Imperial officer.
The Naboo Security Guard uniform includes as lot of leather.
Military members from both sides of Star Wars.
Several weapons are on display in the military area. Luke's blaster sits here across from his mother's.
Boba Fett? Where? There's a lot going on with this costume.
Jango Fett's blaster, holster, and glove.
Boba Fett and Jango Fett reunited.
The Senate costumes have very cool lighting. Here one of Senator Amidala's costumes sparkles in the forefront.
I'm not sure I ever realized before that Senator Bail Organa wore armor.
Vice Chair Mas Amedda looks very regal.
Mon Mothma's senatorial robes are fancier than what we see in Return of the Jedi, but some elements are carried over.
A closer look at the beautiful texture's of Mon Mothma's senatorial robes.
Palpatine's early Senator outfit is not one often associated with the character, but looking at it here it made me think of Emerald City and the Wizard of Oz – the man behind the curtain pulling the strings.
A look at the "devolving" of Sheev Palpatine.
Ewoks are costumes too!
The Old West vibe in this area is strong, although I never expected to see wagon wheels next to the costumes of fringe characters.
Leia's Boushh the bounty hunter disguise is one of my favorite Leia costumes.
Zam Wesell's all purple look has a lot of pieces to it.
Chewie and Han round out the lawless set. Some kids were amazed to find out a person actually wore the Chewie costume.
A closer look at one of Han Solo's costumes.
The infamous George Lucas-assisted-designed Padmé costume. If it weren't for the textures, this one would suck up all the light.
A close look at the crazy hand-smocked robe Padmé wears briefly on Naboo.
Padmé's picnic dress has a lot of embroidery. Mirrors along the walls help visitors get a better view of the other side of this costume.
Not everyone dresses as fabulously as Padmé to pack. Although compared to her other gowns, this is one of the easier ones to pack while wearing.
Possibly the most impractical nightgown in the galaxy.
The ombre gown Padmé wears lakeside flows much like water.
Fairly simple in terms of structure, this Padmé gown has a lot of symbols burned in.
A sketch of a Padmé pilot costume next to the details of the belt of the final version. Star Wars has a lot of cool belts.
Padmé's arena boots are my favorite boots of the Prequel Trilogy. The cage layer is very appropriate for someone who has been captured.
A look at the hand-beading in Padmé's wedding gown.
Padmé and Anakin Skywalker's wedding outfits stand in stark contrast to each other.
A panorama of Padmé's final room in the exhibit. If you stand on one side you can see back to her wedding costume and forward to a shadow of Darth Vader on the next room's wall.
A very soothing display despite the shadow of Vader hanging just beyond.
There's a very water-like quality to this costume from the shimmer to the color to the flow.
Yoda stands among his wisdom.
Darth Vader's Revenge of the Sith costume towers over visitors.
First Order soldiers in the form of a Stormtrooper, TIE Pilot, and Snowtrooper start The Force Awakens costumes.
Checking out the shiny First Order TIE Pilot uniform.
Across the room from the First Order is the would-be Resistance.
Jessika Pava's X-wing pilot costume next to the detail of Poe/Finn's flight jacket. Both have similar sleeve detail.
Finn's shoes from The Force Awakens, a challenge for cosplayers in the days before the movie came out.
A possible stunt version of Rey's scavenger costume.
At the end of the exhibit are mirrored screens that let you become C-3P0, a stormtrooper, or Darth Vader... and bend their limbs strangely.
The Power of Costume gift shop! No Rey lightsaber here but she's definitely on a few apparel items.
All photos in the above gallery are by me. Please don’t use these photos without my permission. A big thank you to those who help coordinate this experience for me. You can find more about the exhibit itself at http://www.powerofcostume.si.edu/ and more info on it in NYC at http://www.discoverytsx.com/star-wars-exhibition.
Which Star Wars costume is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below.
She grew up wanting to be an astronaut. After seeing Star Wars, she wanted to be Princess Leia, Han Solo, and an astronaut. Life’s taken her on a bit of a different path, but she’s okay with that.
Kay is FANgirl's resident geek fashion expert and co-host of the Hyperspace Theories podcast. She reviews books and movies for the site with a heart for storytelling and a mind that likes to analyze. Kay's been a guest on various podcasts sharing her love and knowledge of storytelling, film-making, fashion, and of course, Star Wars.
Most days are filled with her work as a creative services professional - designing websites & branding, photographing, voice acting, editing, and more. Kay spends the little bit of free time she has reading, costuming, and, of course, making pew pew noises. She would pick up more jobs and hobbies if she was a Time Lord.
She grew up wanting to be an astronaut. After seeing Star Wars, she wanted to be Princess Leia, Han Solo, and an astronaut. Life’s taken her on a bit of a different path, but she’s okay with that.
Kay is FANgirl's resident geek fashion expert and co-host of the Hyperspace Theories podcast. She reviews books and movies for the site with a heart for storytelling and a mind that likes to analyze. Kay's been a guest on various podcasts sharing her love and knowledge of storytelling, film-making, fashion, and of course, Star Wars.
Most days are filled with her work as a creative services professional - designing websites & branding, photographing, voice acting, editing, and more. Kay spends the little bit of free time she has reading, costuming, and, of course, making pew pew noises. She would pick up more jobs and hobbies if she was a Time Lord.
