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Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy
Who can forget the first time Darth Vader marched onto Princess Leia’s ship, in his black cape and mask? Or the white hard-body suit of the stormtroopers? Or Leia’s outfit as Jabba’s slave? These costumes—like so many that adorned the characters of that galaxy far, far away—have become iconic. For the first time, the Lucasfilm Archives is granting full access to the original costumes of episodes IV, V, and VI, allowing them to be revealed in never-before-seen detail. In over 200 new costume photographs, sketches, and behind-the-scenes photos and notes, based on new interviews, fans will get a fresh perspective on the creation of the clothes and costume props that brought these much-loved characters to life. Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy affords both new and longtime Star Wars fans an intimate look at the unforgettable costumes from this classic series.
226 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2014
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548 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 18, 2016
My formal review has been published on Coffee With Kenobi - http://www.coffeewithkenobi.com/book-...
May 18, 2019
I love reading the Star Wars costumes books because I used to work in Community Theater, and make costumes. This book covered the timeline of the Original Trilogy, three main sections, one each devoted to one of the films.
There was a good balance of main character costumes, and those worn by secondary characters. Each characters costumes were discussed in terms of construction, use in the film, and how they were fitted and molded to each character.
One of the things I found fascinating was the level of detail, and color in so many of the costumes that, on film, you cannot really see. One example that really stood out for me was Bib Fortuna, his costume had so much blue in it! I was so surprised. The innovative way many of the costume pieces was made was so interesting as well.
A highly interesting book.
There was a good balance of main character costumes, and those worn by secondary characters. Each characters costumes were discussed in terms of construction, use in the film, and how they were fitted and molded to each character.
One of the things I found fascinating was the level of detail, and color in so many of the costumes that, on film, you cannot really see. One example that really stood out for me was Bib Fortuna, his costume had so much blue in it! I was so surprised. The innovative way many of the costume pieces was made was so interesting as well.
A highly interesting book.
October 27, 2019
Just an awesome artbook!
As the tittle suggest this is an artbook that details the costumes used throughout the original Star Wars trilogy. Filled with beautiful photos and illustrations this is any film-costume aficionado dream come true. Split between the three movies nearly all minor and major costumes are discusses from initial conception, trough design, implementation, weathering and filming. In addition this book features multiple fold-out pages and high-quality photo's. Though most costumes are covered, special attention was given to Darth Vader's, Boba Fett's and Slav leia's outfit.
Recommended to any film, Star Wars or costume fans.
As the tittle suggest this is an artbook that details the costumes used throughout the original Star Wars trilogy. Filled with beautiful photos and illustrations this is any film-costume aficionado dream come true. Split between the three movies nearly all minor and major costumes are discusses from initial conception, trough design, implementation, weathering and filming. In addition this book features multiple fold-out pages and high-quality photo's. Though most costumes are covered, special attention was given to Darth Vader's, Boba Fett's and Slav leia's outfit.
Recommended to any film, Star Wars or costume fans.
October 17, 2020
Something about this book just felt lacking.
Relative to the Game of Thrones costuming book (which came later), this just feels thin (literally) and incomplete. The discussions of how the costumes were designed and assembled was interesting, but there were plenty left out and I was left with a vague sense of wanting more.
Relative to the Game of Thrones costuming book (which came later), this just feels thin (literally) and incomplete. The discussions of how the costumes were designed and assembled was interesting, but there were plenty left out and I was left with a vague sense of wanting more.
December 19, 2015
I'm between a 2 and a 3 on this one.
The pros: Superb photography of the costumes of "Star Wars." (The original trilogy, that is.) The text is extensive, with in-depth commentary and notes about how ordinary objects became essential props/costumes. (Luke's wearing jeans!)
The negatives: Some of the text is repetitive, the text itself is too small for the book size, and there's no commentary on hair/makeup. In addition, it would have been interesting to see some commentary about how styles of the 1970s/1980s influenced the look of "Star Wars," as well as the fantasy and historical elements frequently mentioned.
Another negative: The book reveals that Leia's infamous slave dancer attire came about because the costuming team and the production people thought Carrie Fisher was attractive. As a result, the team came together and bugged George Lucas to put CF in this position. He said he would so long as CF agreed. This is offensive on two levels: 1.) the story was shifted for 100% reasons of sexism; 2.) the book doesn't call it out for what it was. I never thought that sequence was anything other than gratuitous to begin with, but it is sad to see how pathetic it really was.
The pros: Superb photography of the costumes of "Star Wars." (The original trilogy, that is.) The text is extensive, with in-depth commentary and notes about how ordinary objects became essential props/costumes. (Luke's wearing jeans!)
The negatives: Some of the text is repetitive, the text itself is too small for the book size, and there's no commentary on hair/makeup. In addition, it would have been interesting to see some commentary about how styles of the 1970s/1980s influenced the look of "Star Wars," as well as the fantasy and historical elements frequently mentioned.
Another negative: The book reveals that Leia's infamous slave dancer attire came about because the costuming team and the production people thought Carrie Fisher was attractive. As a result, the team came together and bugged George Lucas to put CF in this position. He said he would so long as CF agreed. This is offensive on two levels: 1.) the story was shifted for 100% reasons of sexism; 2.) the book doesn't call it out for what it was. I never thought that sequence was anything other than gratuitous to begin with, but it is sad to see how pathetic it really was.
September 4, 2019
Originally published online at BORG.com.
Sci-fi movie trivia question: Which Star Wars actor played Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back and was a main character in Star Trek 2009 and Star Trek Into Darkness? More on that later.
We have taken a close look at some of the best behind the scenes books on costumes and props from major movie franchises here at borg.com. The best have included the latest in Weta’s tour inside the making of Middle-earth in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Cloaks & Daggers, reviewed here, and the dense examination of the Star Wars prequel costumes documented in the landmark work Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, reviewed here. After nearly 40 years we finally have a behind the scenes look at the making of the costumes from the original three Star Wars films with Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy, just released from Chronicle Books. This is also the first time many of these costumes have been displayed and photographed since the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum featured dozens of costumes in its Star Wars: The Magic of Myth exhibit in 1997.
Author Brandon Alinger, my friend and fellow costume and prop aficionado, is chief operating officer of The Prop Store (formerly The Prop Store of London) and an expert who has handled original Star Wars pieces over the years. Alinger interviewed costume designers and production staff from the original series to pull together this first ever analysis of the stories and people who earned Star Wars an Academy Award for Best Costuming, the only science fiction film to receive such an honor. Original costumes from the Skywalker Ranch Archives were displayed on mannequins and photographed for the book by Joseph MacDonald of The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco–many for the first time since production.
The most striking revelation in the book is the rarity of each costume and the fact that some of these film artifacts may not survive many more years. “Some of the costumes or costume components in the Archives are quite fragile and for this reason they could not be dressed onto mannequins to shoot,” Alinger recently said in an online discussion. “The costumes are treated as artifacts and conservation concerns are top priority for the Archives team.” Admiral Ackbar’s mask from Return of the Jedi is just one of these items.
Contributing to the book with Alinger are Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back costume designer John Mollo and Return of the Jedi costume designers Aggie Rodgers and Nilo Rodis-Jamero. The book also includes invaluable detail from past interviews with Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnston, and Stuart Freeborn, along with contributions from dozens of other costume and art department staff from the films.
Movie production staff and movie costume collectors are well aware that the typical movie shoot requires multiple copies of each cast member’s costume. For example, it was common for the Star Trek and Lord of the Rings productions to create seven or more of each main cast member’s uniform, allowing for problems on set and dry cleaning. The point is you never want to stop a multi-million dollar shoot so someone can re-stitch the only costume you have created for your film. Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy reveals that was not the case for many of the Star Wars costumes. This means the Skywalker Ranch Archives possesses the one and only costume made for the trilogy for many items. This also explains why the private collecting community has only seen a handful of authentic original trilogy costumes hit the market over the years, like the odd distressed Stormtrooper helmet, Ewok fur, C-3PO hand and foot, and damaged cantina alien mask.
The book reveals that only two of Luke’s famous Tatooine farmboy outfits were created (for a budget of only $750!). Only two Chewbacca suits were made for Star Wars, twenty-four Stormtroopers were made for Star Wars and refurbished for The Empire Strikes Back, and only one Princess Leia as bounty hunter Boushh costume was created. The helmets from the AT-AT Drivers in The Empire Strikes Back not only looked like the two black-armored TIE-Fighter pilots in Star Wars, they were the very same helmets–but repainted. They no longer exist in the AT-AT Driver form as they were later repainted back to black for Return of the Jedi.
The whereabouts of many of the costumes or their accessories unfortunately are not known as they were rented for production and then returned to Bermans & Nathans costumiers in London or they went out on publicity tours over the years and are no longer in the Skywalker Ranch Archives.
Pull-out sections in Star Wars Costumes highlight the costumes of Darth Vader and Boba Fett, as well as Princess Leia’s slave dancer outfit from Return of the Jedi. Great comparison shots highlight the differences between the costumes and helmets of Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, and Boba Fett across the three films. Want to know the evolution of Oscar Isaac’s X-wing pilot uniform in Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
And back to our trivia question. Four-foot, four-inch Kenyan actor Deep Roy donned a Yoda costume in The Empire Strikes Back for Yoda’s only walking scene–a scene where Frank Oz’s muppet wouldn’t do and a live actor was needed. Roy later would play Keenser–Scotty’s alien sidekick–in several scenes in Star Trek 2009 and Star Trek Into Darkness. Roy also appeared in the Doctor Who franchise, the only actor to appear in all three franchises until Simon Pegg appeared in Clone Wars.
Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy is a must-have for Star Wars fans. It’s available now.
Sci-fi movie trivia question: Which Star Wars actor played Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back and was a main character in Star Trek 2009 and Star Trek Into Darkness? More on that later.
We have taken a close look at some of the best behind the scenes books on costumes and props from major movie franchises here at borg.com. The best have included the latest in Weta’s tour inside the making of Middle-earth in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Cloaks & Daggers, reviewed here, and the dense examination of the Star Wars prequel costumes documented in the landmark work Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, reviewed here. After nearly 40 years we finally have a behind the scenes look at the making of the costumes from the original three Star Wars films with Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy, just released from Chronicle Books. This is also the first time many of these costumes have been displayed and photographed since the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum featured dozens of costumes in its Star Wars: The Magic of Myth exhibit in 1997.
Author Brandon Alinger, my friend and fellow costume and prop aficionado, is chief operating officer of The Prop Store (formerly The Prop Store of London) and an expert who has handled original Star Wars pieces over the years. Alinger interviewed costume designers and production staff from the original series to pull together this first ever analysis of the stories and people who earned Star Wars an Academy Award for Best Costuming, the only science fiction film to receive such an honor. Original costumes from the Skywalker Ranch Archives were displayed on mannequins and photographed for the book by Joseph MacDonald of The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco–many for the first time since production.
The most striking revelation in the book is the rarity of each costume and the fact that some of these film artifacts may not survive many more years. “Some of the costumes or costume components in the Archives are quite fragile and for this reason they could not be dressed onto mannequins to shoot,” Alinger recently said in an online discussion. “The costumes are treated as artifacts and conservation concerns are top priority for the Archives team.” Admiral Ackbar’s mask from Return of the Jedi is just one of these items.
Contributing to the book with Alinger are Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back costume designer John Mollo and Return of the Jedi costume designers Aggie Rodgers and Nilo Rodis-Jamero. The book also includes invaluable detail from past interviews with Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnston, and Stuart Freeborn, along with contributions from dozens of other costume and art department staff from the films.
Movie production staff and movie costume collectors are well aware that the typical movie shoot requires multiple copies of each cast member’s costume. For example, it was common for the Star Trek and Lord of the Rings productions to create seven or more of each main cast member’s uniform, allowing for problems on set and dry cleaning. The point is you never want to stop a multi-million dollar shoot so someone can re-stitch the only costume you have created for your film. Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy reveals that was not the case for many of the Star Wars costumes. This means the Skywalker Ranch Archives possesses the one and only costume made for the trilogy for many items. This also explains why the private collecting community has only seen a handful of authentic original trilogy costumes hit the market over the years, like the odd distressed Stormtrooper helmet, Ewok fur, C-3PO hand and foot, and damaged cantina alien mask.
The book reveals that only two of Luke’s famous Tatooine farmboy outfits were created (for a budget of only $750!). Only two Chewbacca suits were made for Star Wars, twenty-four Stormtroopers were made for Star Wars and refurbished for The Empire Strikes Back, and only one Princess Leia as bounty hunter Boushh costume was created. The helmets from the AT-AT Drivers in The Empire Strikes Back not only looked like the two black-armored TIE-Fighter pilots in Star Wars, they were the very same helmets–but repainted. They no longer exist in the AT-AT Driver form as they were later repainted back to black for Return of the Jedi.
The whereabouts of many of the costumes or their accessories unfortunately are not known as they were rented for production and then returned to Bermans & Nathans costumiers in London or they went out on publicity tours over the years and are no longer in the Skywalker Ranch Archives.
Pull-out sections in Star Wars Costumes highlight the costumes of Darth Vader and Boba Fett, as well as Princess Leia’s slave dancer outfit from Return of the Jedi. Great comparison shots highlight the differences between the costumes and helmets of Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, and Boba Fett across the three films. Want to know the evolution of Oscar Isaac’s X-wing pilot uniform in Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
And back to our trivia question. Four-foot, four-inch Kenyan actor Deep Roy donned a Yoda costume in The Empire Strikes Back for Yoda’s only walking scene–a scene where Frank Oz’s muppet wouldn’t do and a live actor was needed. Roy later would play Keenser–Scotty’s alien sidekick–in several scenes in Star Trek 2009 and Star Trek Into Darkness. Roy also appeared in the Doctor Who franchise, the only actor to appear in all three franchises until Simon Pegg appeared in Clone Wars.
Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy is a must-have for Star Wars fans. It’s available now.
May 7, 2015
A wonderful look at the iconic costumes of the original Star Wars trilogy, with beautiful photography, insightful information on their design and construction, and lots of fun behind the scenes tidbits (Harrison Ford comes across as a diva!) A must-read for Star Wars or costume design fans. Here's hoping they release a companion book for the prequel costumes next!
January 30, 2023
A perfect addition to the library for Star Wars superfans who enjoyed J.W. Rinzler's series of books about the making of the original trilogy. This volume carefully and thoroughly breaks down the design, development, and assembly of the classic iconic costumes. Anecdotes, trivia, and enough photos (and angles) really make you want to visit the roving museum display of these costumes again.
Did you know that Han Solo's puffy blue Hoth coat was actually dark brown? It just looks blue on camera because of color grading. Did you know that Return of the Jedi< Han Solo was supposed to have a dramatic costume change, but that Harrison Ford simply refused to wear the new costume? There's a lot of fun trivia in here about not-Han-Solo as well.
It almost makes me want to buy the sequel book about the prequel movie costumes.
Did you know that Han Solo's puffy blue Hoth coat was actually dark brown? It just looks blue on camera because of color grading. Did you know that Return of the Jedi< Han Solo was supposed to have a dramatic costume change, but that Harrison Ford simply refused to wear the new costume? There's a lot of fun trivia in here about not-Han-Solo as well.
It almost makes me want to buy the sequel book about the prequel movie costumes.
October 28, 2025
It was way better than I expected.
After reading one too many "The Art of ..." books, I was afraid this would and up being more of a photo gallery, but that wasn't the case.
While the specific design process of the costumes wasn't talked about in extreme detail, considering the amount of costumes understandable, it was great to hear about the many people involved in bringing them to the screen. From patternmakers to dyers to sculptors to some guy having to copy an exact camouflage pattern onto miniatures, it was a great joy seeing how much artistic collaboration went into costumes that weren't even meant to be noticed.
After reading one too many "The Art of ..." books, I was afraid this would and up being more of a photo gallery, but that wasn't the case.
While the specific design process of the costumes wasn't talked about in extreme detail, considering the amount of costumes understandable, it was great to hear about the many people involved in bringing them to the screen. From patternmakers to dyers to sculptors to some guy having to copy an exact camouflage pattern onto miniatures, it was a great joy seeing how much artistic collaboration went into costumes that weren't even meant to be noticed.
December 27, 2017
This book is beautiful! The photos of the costumes are amazing and clear. It's incredible how much work and thought went into each costume, even those in the background that are barely seen.
It took me a while to get through the book because it's heavy and large (allowing for good photos, but making it much less transportable than other books!) and the text is very small (I had difficulties with my vision during this period). The book is very interesting - it wasn't a book that I avoided/put off reading due to its content.
It took me a while to get through the book because it's heavy and large (allowing for good photos, but making it much less transportable than other books!) and the text is very small (I had difficulties with my vision during this period). The book is very interesting - it wasn't a book that I avoided/put off reading due to its content.
March 25, 2019
Star Wars fan? Really into the costumes and their design?
The title tells you everything. In this instance, you kind of can judge a book by its cover...
The title tells you everything. In this instance, you kind of can judge a book by its cover...
April 4, 2019
A really great book on the background of how and why they wore what they wore.
October 20, 2021
Phenomenal. I want more. :)
September 6, 2018
A gift for my sweetheart. Beautiful coffee table book with luscious photographs.
May 5, 2015
I love Star Wars. Always have, always will. The characters, the stories, the symbolism, the comedy, the tragedy. All of it. Something that has fostered that love and moved it along towards full-on obsession is the material world of that universe. The settings, the spaceships, the weapons, and even the clothing. The clothing--the costumes of Lucas' creation are on exquisite display in 2014's "Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy" by Brandon Alinger.
This beautifully written and designed book is an in-depth look at every costume seen in the Original Trilogy. I read a similar book by Trisha Biggar about ten years ago, "Designing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars," but that had a focus on the prequels. Which, by the way, despite their weaknesses, have incredible designs. Those costumes, some of the only things built practically instead of in a computer--that's where it's at. But I digress. The domain of this book is the Original Trilogy only, and the text and the images make this a coffee table book worth poring over.
There are three different forewords, written by John Mollo, Aggie Rodgers, and Nilo Rodis-Jamero. They each worked on the original trilogy, and each had insight on how Lucas and the other directors helped shape what we saw on screen. The constraints on budget (not just on "A New Hope," but on the others as well), the attempts to make a universe without any zippers or buttons, the stretch of the imagination to create an entire culture and civilization, represented in a costume that will get about three seconds of screen time. Besides the forewords, Alinger uses interviews with these designers, and pieces of interviews with directors Lucas, Kershner, and Marquand to make the book seem like an intimate conversation that has you going through a museum exhibit with them all as your docents.
There have been touring exhibitions of the costumes of Star Wars, sponsored by the Smithsonian and other organizations...I've never been to any of them. Reading this book is the closest you'd get to that experience. The photography focuses on details that you never thought to look for before; the differences in the colored buttons and lights on Darth Vader's chest box; the differences between a Mark I and Mark II Stormtrooper, the sewn-on patches on the back of Boba Fett's gloves. There are also things I've always wanted a closer look at, but never been able to see: the little pan flute-like instrument hanging around Yoda's neck, the markings on different Rebel pilot helmets, the uh, intricate scrollwork on Leia's bikini in Jabba's Palace. It's all presented at its best here, with most of the costumes photographed at multiple angles and far away/closeup looks. There are also inset photos of what the costume looked like in the movies, often in shots where you'll never see the back of the costume, or the feet of the character...but that part of the costume was carefully designed as well. Not just the principal characters, but "Rebel Technicians" and "Imperial Dignitaries" -- the background people and aliens who add depth to the Star Wars galaxy.
Most of the costumes have sketches of preproduction concept art. These include the initial concept art by Ralph McQuarrie, and then the stages of design that go from his concepts to what we actually see on the screen. I love seeing what could have been, and where the designers or their directors made choices that fundamentally changed the shape of the trilogy. You also see how their use as costumes during the trilogy, and their handling and storage since the 1980s has damaged some of them, some pieces have gone missing, others have paint flaking off or leather breaking down.
For the costumes of the Star Wars movies, and other science fiction movies to an extent, there's a fine line between the costumes and the masks and paws and flippers of the alien species. If it's something an actor needs to wear, it's a costume. John Mollo was the one who did the initial sketches of what the cantina aliens and monsters would look like. Even though many of those designs changed before filming, it's fascinating to see the process. All of them have to be designed so they can be actually worn by humans, and that can be challenging too. We get in-depth looks at what the Ewoks were wearing, and how they wore them, the trials of the poor actors who were roasting inside them. The almost-Ewok costumes are also some of the most horrifying things you've ever seen. They were able to cute-ify them up before they got into the movie, but wow. That was a close one.
If you're a hardcore fan of Star Wars or filmmaking, or if you're considering creating a costume of your own for cosplay or Halloween or just wandering the streets of Mos Eisley, this book is a must-read. My son and I are looking at some Star Wars costumes for later this year, and it's changed what we were going to wear and how we were wearing it. They may still be duct tape, but they're going to look good.
This beautifully written and designed book is an in-depth look at every costume seen in the Original Trilogy. I read a similar book by Trisha Biggar about ten years ago, "Designing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars," but that had a focus on the prequels. Which, by the way, despite their weaknesses, have incredible designs. Those costumes, some of the only things built practically instead of in a computer--that's where it's at. But I digress. The domain of this book is the Original Trilogy only, and the text and the images make this a coffee table book worth poring over.
There are three different forewords, written by John Mollo, Aggie Rodgers, and Nilo Rodis-Jamero. They each worked on the original trilogy, and each had insight on how Lucas and the other directors helped shape what we saw on screen. The constraints on budget (not just on "A New Hope," but on the others as well), the attempts to make a universe without any zippers or buttons, the stretch of the imagination to create an entire culture and civilization, represented in a costume that will get about three seconds of screen time. Besides the forewords, Alinger uses interviews with these designers, and pieces of interviews with directors Lucas, Kershner, and Marquand to make the book seem like an intimate conversation that has you going through a museum exhibit with them all as your docents.
There have been touring exhibitions of the costumes of Star Wars, sponsored by the Smithsonian and other organizations...I've never been to any of them. Reading this book is the closest you'd get to that experience. The photography focuses on details that you never thought to look for before; the differences in the colored buttons and lights on Darth Vader's chest box; the differences between a Mark I and Mark II Stormtrooper, the sewn-on patches on the back of Boba Fett's gloves. There are also things I've always wanted a closer look at, but never been able to see: the little pan flute-like instrument hanging around Yoda's neck, the markings on different Rebel pilot helmets, the uh, intricate scrollwork on Leia's bikini in Jabba's Palace. It's all presented at its best here, with most of the costumes photographed at multiple angles and far away/closeup looks. There are also inset photos of what the costume looked like in the movies, often in shots where you'll never see the back of the costume, or the feet of the character...but that part of the costume was carefully designed as well. Not just the principal characters, but "Rebel Technicians" and "Imperial Dignitaries" -- the background people and aliens who add depth to the Star Wars galaxy.
Most of the costumes have sketches of preproduction concept art. These include the initial concept art by Ralph McQuarrie, and then the stages of design that go from his concepts to what we actually see on the screen. I love seeing what could have been, and where the designers or their directors made choices that fundamentally changed the shape of the trilogy. You also see how their use as costumes during the trilogy, and their handling and storage since the 1980s has damaged some of them, some pieces have gone missing, others have paint flaking off or leather breaking down.
For the costumes of the Star Wars movies, and other science fiction movies to an extent, there's a fine line between the costumes and the masks and paws and flippers of the alien species. If it's something an actor needs to wear, it's a costume. John Mollo was the one who did the initial sketches of what the cantina aliens and monsters would look like. Even though many of those designs changed before filming, it's fascinating to see the process. All of them have to be designed so they can be actually worn by humans, and that can be challenging too. We get in-depth looks at what the Ewoks were wearing, and how they wore them, the trials of the poor actors who were roasting inside them. The almost-Ewok costumes are also some of the most horrifying things you've ever seen. They were able to cute-ify them up before they got into the movie, but wow. That was a close one.
If you're a hardcore fan of Star Wars or filmmaking, or if you're considering creating a costume of your own for cosplay or Halloween or just wandering the streets of Mos Eisley, this book is a must-read. My son and I are looking at some Star Wars costumes for later this year, and it's changed what we were going to wear and how we were wearing it. They may still be duct tape, but they're going to look good.
June 20, 2021
Wow, everything you wanted to know about the costumes, the behind the scenes challenges including the actors trying to wear the outfits they're given. Great color pics of the outfits. It was cool to see detail that I hadn't noticed before and amazing how great costumes looked once brought to life from a sketch. The sketch might look blah but then to see it brought to life it looked cool. I'm talking mainly about Han and Luke's outfits. They didn't look like much in the sketch but once brought to life... very nice. And how cool to have clothes made just for you. I'd want all my clothes hand made after that, or at least well tailored.
I didn't read the details for all the costumes because of course I didn't have interest in all the costumes but I really enjoyed the book and the behind the scenes story of how it came to be and evolved when necessary.
A must own book for Star Wars fans or those that are involved in fashion whether student or professional. This book was just amazing.
You don't have to be a FAN to want this book, even a fan would be interested since it's the costumes that helped make the characters more than I ever realized. Just seeing this costume or that brings back memories of watching the movie. I have to admit, despite my money being tight and the book likely to be about $20 at least on ebay for new or like new, I'm tempted to get this one. If you're going to buy a Star Wars non fic book then this is a serious contender. Even if it's the only Star Wars book you have.
I didn't read the details for all the costumes because of course I didn't have interest in all the costumes but I really enjoyed the book and the behind the scenes story of how it came to be and evolved when necessary.
A must own book for Star Wars fans or those that are involved in fashion whether student or professional. This book was just amazing.
You don't have to be a FAN to want this book, even a fan would be interested since it's the costumes that helped make the characters more than I ever realized. Just seeing this costume or that brings back memories of watching the movie. I have to admit, despite my money being tight and the book likely to be about $20 at least on ebay for new or like new, I'm tempted to get this one. If you're going to buy a Star Wars non fic book then this is a serious contender. Even if it's the only Star Wars book you have.
October 2, 2025
An absolute delight to rifle through and note the minimalist and realist details of the uniforms in particular!! Star Wars has such a recognisable design aesthetic and my favourite ones are regular Earth clothes with the uncanny details of hidden closures etc.
Andor continued this aesthetic so well in Syril’s s1 government work attire and Dedra’s casual wear!
Andor continued this aesthetic so well in Syril’s s1 government work attire and Dedra’s casual wear!
August 20, 2016
Dudes, this book is awesome.
Star Wars Costumes covers the costuming of the first three movies (New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) in great detail. This might sound boring, but actually it's super amazing. The costumers writing for the book not only go into how they made the costumes, they also talk about the thinking that went into costuming the characters, like how Luke Skywalker's costume in Return of the Jedi gets more and more stripped-down and basic black until the very end, when he has made his choice: then, he leaves the flap of his tunic open and we see the white lining. It's so cool, guys. They even talk about the robots and how they made the costumes for that! So cool. Highly recommended if costuming is your thing-- if it's not this obviously won't be interesting, but if it is, you'll love this.
Star Wars Costumes covers the costuming of the first three movies (New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) in great detail. This might sound boring, but actually it's super amazing. The costumers writing for the book not only go into how they made the costumes, they also talk about the thinking that went into costuming the characters, like how Luke Skywalker's costume in Return of the Jedi gets more and more stripped-down and basic black until the very end, when he has made his choice: then, he leaves the flap of his tunic open and we see the white lining. It's so cool, guys. They even talk about the robots and how they made the costumes for that! So cool. Highly recommended if costuming is your thing-- if it's not this obviously won't be interesting, but if it is, you'll love this.
June 29, 2015
A lavishly illustrated study of the costumes that, despite George Lucas' dictum that they should not be particularly noticeable, set the look of the Star Wars universe. The commentary reveals many interesting details about the design, fabrication, and wear of the various costumes. What really amazed me was the contrast in quality - costumes for closeups and main characters vs. background costumes.
September 14, 2015
It was treat to see so many of the costumes up close, the details are amazing. Who knew Lando's Bespin cape had an inner lining of frabric with dragons? Very cool nerd geeking out while reading this. The process on how so many of these iconic costumes came to be was very interesting.
January 26, 2015
Where's Lobot!!!! Total bs not complete. Many original trilogy costumes missing. Otherwise great book.
November 15, 2014
Spectacular and drool-worthy!
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January 6, 2015This book is great for any Star Wars fan. Interesting tibits that for even the hardcore Star Wars enthusiasts.
February 2, 2015
If you're interested in costume design, this is an excellent in-depth look at the costumes of Star Wars. Fantastic stuff.
June 16, 2015
Kenz got me this for fathers day!
July 30, 2015
Gorgeous book. Would be great for cosplayers because the costumes are pictured in such detail. This would make a great coffee table book!
November 10, 2015
Excellent and very comprehensive. Got it from the library, but I might have to buy my own for costume reference.
February 6, 2016
Good reference pictures and great costuming stories, but nowhere near as elegant and detailed as the "Dressing a Galaxy" book.
May 5, 2016
Brilliant and beautiful. Reminded me why I fell in love with Star Wars in the first place - with all the little details you can just get lost in that world.
September 19, 2016
Terrific photos and wonderful text; a real delight! Christmas gift from hubby and son, this one will stay on my shelf!
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