Costume AnalysisThis dress was worn in The Phantom Menace, when the Queen’s true identity was revealed before the Gungan leader Boss Nass and during the strike to retake the Theed Royal Palace.
One costume department member spent more than a month completing this distinctive dress. It was made from silkworm pods from India, which were woven into a silk net. Because of course it was. |
The shirt is a black v-neck with a swan-neck collar. There is no top stitching visible. This shirt could either be done as a full shirt, or by creating the front and collar and attaching it to the red robe that sits above of it. The shirt crosses in the front rather than meeting in the middle. It lays right over left and is probably closed by a whip stitch or snaps.
The shirt is tucked into the pants. |
The red robe ends around the mid-calf and does not cross in front. The two sides meet just at the point of the belt and separate just below it. The skirt of the robe is an a-line sillhoutte. The material appears to be a semi-matte satin. Judging by the way the fabric drapes, it is stiff enough to have some structure to it. If this isn't achieved with the fabric itself, it could be done with interfacing. There is no top stitching on the red portion of the robe.
The sleeves of the robe are bell-shaped. The black striped layer is attached on top of the bell sleeves, with the red sleeve acting as a lining. The sleeve is asymetrical at the elbow, with a point just above the elbow on the outside of the arm and angling down to a point just below the elbow on the inside of the arm. Both the top and bottom of this portion of the sleeve is trimmed in black bias tape. The sleeve is not open on the bottom. The same striped material is used on the inside, with the stripes going out from the wrist like spokes on a wheel. The material is gathered at the wrist, likely with elastic. The fabric of the black stripe sleeve is the same material used for the surcoat. |
The top portion of the surcoat is two tabards that are wide at the shoulder and taper to the waist. They do not cross or meet, but cut straight down on the inside, and angle out on the outside. The tabards are identical in front and in back.
The skirt of the surcoat is made of 2 layers that are shorter on the outside and angle down towards the center in front and in back. The stripes are also angled accordingly. The skirt does not meet in the front, but does connect in the back with a seam down the middle on both layers. The original surcoat was made from silkworm pods from India, which were woven into a silk net. But because no one has the time or money for that, the simplest alternative is a stripe velvet burnout. It could also be achieved by stitching strips of velvet ribbon onto black mesh/netting. Unlike the sleeves, the surcoat has alternating/offset stripes. The tabards have 8 rows (4 in front, 4 in back). The top skirt has 4 rows, and at least 2 rows are visible on the bottom skirt (but because the skirt is shorter on the outside, the bottom of a 3rd row is likely visible). Each stripe is approximately 0.5"x4". The surcoat is NOT lined with red fabric. The material is partially mesh and the red from the robe underneath is visible through the mesh. The full surcoat photo on the left appears to be lined in red at the shoulders, but if you look closely you can see the curve of the shoulder underneath. All the edges are trimmed with black bias tape. |
Yes, this costume really does have pants. The pants are high waisted, with the waistline being hidden behind the belt. The pants are very loose fitting harem style in the same shade of red as the robe, but they are not the same material. The material used for the pants is much lighter weight and has a slight texture to it. The cuff of the pants is tucked into the boots.
Straps, stirrups, or ties may be added to the bottom of the pants to help keep them tucked into the boots while moving. Pro tip: add pockets. They won't be seen anyway. |
The belt is a wide oval shaped belt that sits at the small of the waist. It is tallest in the center front, narrowing in a slope to the sides and cutting straight across the back. It is more curved on the bottom than the top. (The belt on the costume display has been placed upside down.) There are no clear photos of the closure, but it is likely held together by snaps.
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The boots are black leather riding boots and end just below the kneecap. They do not have a zipper.
The top of the boots are difficult to make out, but according to one shot, they appear to be asymetrical, coming to a point at the front and angling down towards the back. The foot of the boot is slightly squared with a welt. The heel is a block style heel no more than 1 inch tall. Upon further investigation, these boots appear to be the same boots worn by Padmé and the other handmaidens in this scene. |
The base of the headdress is a golden ribbed crown that sits on the forehead and narrows down to just behind the top of the ears. There are 35 raised stripes across the front, with the middle 7 being slightly curved. The front of the crown is curved, following the arc of the forehead before sloping up towars the peak in the middle. The top of the crown is flat and then angles back down towards the head, hooking around the middle of the curving arcs.
Between the raised stripes the crown is textured with a circular pattern and tinted red. The pattern appears to be similar to Japanese 4 in 1 chainmail. Also between the stripes are several crystal gems in red and green. At the top sit 2 red blocks trimmed in gold paint with a gold stripe running down the inside middle. Attached to the blocks are twin curving arcs, alternating between hair and a mysterious red material. The red "beads" are slightly textured with a satin finish. Floral patterns are carved into the beads, with a raised flower sitting just above the center middle of each bead. In the center of the flowers sits a half dome bead. |
The white base is cream makeup from RCMA made special for the film. It is a specific shade of white with a warm under tone. The white base covers the entire face and is lightly applied over the ears and down the neck. It is also applied to the back of her hands and fingers.
Eyeliner is applied lightly above and below the lashes. It is slightly smudged to avoid harsh lines. The eyelids are the same color as the face, likely done with a white or pearl colored eyeshadow or setting powder. Some photos show a slight blue tint to the eyelids. The eyebrows are filled in very lightly and naturally, not over drawn. The cheek dots line up roughly under the iris and are roughly in line with the top of the nostril. They are the same color as the lips. The top lip is filled in naturally with no over drawing. The bottom lip is filled in with the white base with a small rectangle of the red lip color in the center of the lip. This lower stripe of lip color is squared at the bottom and roughly the width of the philtrum. Her fingernails are trimmed short and painted white.
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The hair is sectioned off on the side of the head, just behind and above the ears. This hair is brought to the top of the head in a large rope braid and tied together with an elastic. The rest of the hair is gathered into a high pony tail with the braided section.
The pony tail is tied in 3 segments. The top segment is bell shaped and held in place by a black hair tie. A few inches lower on the pony tail is a red hair tie. The rest of the pony tail is loose, ending roughly at the hips. |
More photos can be found in the gallery.