Boudoir – The Star Wars-kimonos

Lazy Sunday – lazy Boudoir! Welcome again to Boudoir, which this time will be only a few lines and some pictures. Forgive my lazyness, but I am not in the mood to write something longer, yet I wouldn’t like to miss this week’s issue.

The main reason for the little girl me loved to watch Star Wars I-II was not the story itself, nor the characters and the universe (although to think about it once again, I do love it), but because of the costumes of Queen Padmé Amidala and her handmaidens. Maybe I should write another article about Naboo and how it influenced my imagination, but in short I liked the elegance and sublimity of the whole planet. The dresses of Naboo expressed this very well – they were modern and futuristic, but at the same time they can make me feel the power and dignity of the queen.

I have two favourite costumes among Padmé Amidala’s. The first one is the red gown, shown in the scene in The Phantom Menace when we first see the queen. The second one – and also the subject of this Boudoir – is the Coruscant kimono. With this I already disclosed why I am fond of this dress apart from the fact that it’s beautiful and the hairdress is enthralling: because it actually based on a kimono. This is somehow a special costume also, as it’s the only one we can see in another episode and on another character – in Episode III, the funeral scene Queen Apailana wore a similar kimono dress. The following quote I found at Padawan’s Guide: „I embraced the idea of there being a dress code and a precise decorative style for ceremonial regalia, incumbent upon both Queens and their handmaidens, which symbolizes the enduring aspects of their role in Naboo society. We also suggested this custom by repreating the shape of costumes. …  Similarly, Queen Apailana's costume for the funeral procession in Episode III can be traced back to the formal worn by the then Queen Amidala.”

As for comparison, in my opinion Amidala’s more classic style looked better, on the other hand, however, I quite liked the purple-golden/silver colour contrast of Apailana’s costume. But I cannot choose which one I like more. 

by Alla

Sources: The Padawan’s Guide, Fit For a Queen