The Best Dressed Star Wars Characters
Star Wars has, seemingly, eons worth of fashion moments. Though at first glance, a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a lot of people appeared to wear little brown robes or standard issue uniforms.
Such is the costuming in most of the Star Wars universe (assuming the characters wear any clothing at all—hello, Chewbacca). Though, like the blast of a laser amidst a star field of black and white, certain character’s personal style flexes have stood out over the franchise’s lifetime.
Here, in honor of the ongoing The Mandalorian hype and the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker this coming Friday, see our best dressed Star Wars characters over the years.
The Child AKA Baby Yoda’s Next Level Swaddling
The newest addition to the Star Wars universe seems to favor the outer rim default of simple robes in a neutral tone, but look closer and you’ll notice that his little fit is far more thought out than some sewn together scraps. The construction and the proportions of the tot’s swaddling clearly took thought. In fact, the whole effect resembles a kitten popping out of one of Y/ Project’s notorious takes on the Ugg boot.
Bazine Netal’s Black and White Drama
Bazine Netal is a snitch, for sure, but a well-dressed snitch. The mercenary appears in a single scene in The Force Awakens where she rats out the location of BB-8 to the first order, and while her actions have major plot implications, her styling choices have stuck in our brain as well. Indeed, her entire aesthetic reminds us of a particularly memorable campaign that the model Iekeliene Stange once shot for jeweler Major Fruithof.
Holdo’s Admiral Gown
For a certain segment of the Star Wars fanbase, the most anticipated feature of The Last Jedi was the prospect of Laura Dern in space. Her Admiral Holdo character did not disappoint, introducing the world to the concept of an Admiral’s gown and stepping up to command the rebels in a chic lavender bob.
Qi’ra’s Femme Fetale Gown
As is turns out, there were multiple issues with mounting a Han Solo-focused prequel, but one of the most obvious was the difficulty of adding a love interest. After all, we all knew going in that Solo would eventually wind up with Princess Leia, so Emilia Clarke’s character was set up instead as something of a femme fatale. An adolescent friend of Han’s in the opening scenes, when the pair reunite years later, she’s reestablished herself as an organized crime princess with a wardrobe to match. Notably, her stand-out black evening gown is designed as if to contrast itself completely with Leia’s own iconic white gown (though, in our galaxy, we’d say the vibe is more reminiscent of Tom Ford-era Gucci).
Sly Moore’s Avant Garde Space-Goth Vibe
This cape alone is major, and Moore’s proto-Euphoria makeup? Don’t get us started.
If you’ve never laid eyes on Moore before, its because she’s a very, very minor character from the prequels, albeit one who, theoretically, is quite an important player in Star Wars history. Officially recognized by the existing canon as Emperor Palpatine’s Chief of Staff, Moore was one of the few people who was in on his evil plan from the beginning. We kind of just imagine here stomping around in avant garde space-goth looks taking care of all the messy clerical work needed to turn a crumbling galactic republic into a dictatorial empire. That sort of thing just doesn’t happen by itself. Someone has to grease the wheels.
Lando Calarissian’s Accessories Devotion
No character in Star Wars loves their signature accessory as much as Lando Calarissian loves his capes, and the man wears them with devilish confidence.
Mother Talzin’s Architectural Coat
Outside of the live action films, the biggest source of characters in the officially recognized Star Wars matrix come from two animated shows, Clone Wars and Rebels. While most of those characters seem to stick to cartoon rules of personal styling (the same exact things, every single day), at least Mother Talzin’s look really, really goes for menacing glamour. She’s the leader of a clan of female warriors, but for the purposes of this article, all that really needs to be said is that this costume could walk down the runway at Gareth Pugh and it wouldn’t seem out of place at all.
Luke Skywalker’s Dark Period
Luke Skywalker first appears in A New Hope like a teen boy wearing a particularly ill-fitting dirty Karate uniform, but by The Return of The Jedi he’s a man who has come into his own with some ultra-galactic styling. While his turns towards an all-black uniform were likely meant to ramp up the suspicion that he could join his father on the dark side, they also still hold up as incredibly chic. In fact, we could imagine Kim Jones sending something like it down the runway at Dior Men, and then Robert Pattinson wearing it on the red carpet a few months alter.
The Galactic Couture of Princess Amidala
It goes without saying that Padmé Amidala (played by Natalie Portman) has the most legendary wardrobe in this particular fictional history. No character in the entire Star Wars oeuvre has had as many outfit changes as Padmé. Even though the queen grew up in a non-royal household, she certainly took quickly to the stylistic trappings of the galactic-aristocratic. Taking notes from both historical costuming as well as (we’re assuming) a lot of John Galliano-era Dior and Alexander McQueen’s more optimistic collections, Amidala’s wardrobe is a full force fashion stunt.
Princess Leia as the Original Phoebe Philo Woman
At the time of Star Wars‘s premiere, some snappy fashion writer might have described Princess Leia’s iconic white dress as something like “Halston for Mormons,” but through today’s lens it is clear that Leia was the original Phoebe Philo woman. Her iconic white dress retains a distinct femininity worthy of the main Princess character of any major blockbuster franchise. Yet it’s also very matter-of-fact with its flowing, utilitarian design paired with the (actually, quite trendy at the moment) white boots (flat soled of course). While you just know the dress is made out of the galaxy’s finest materials and fitted by Alderan’s finest tailor, it’s also unassuming to the point that it’s the perfect fit for the leader of an underground rebellion.
