Via Starwars.com:
WHEN YOU RULE THE GALAXY, YOU WANT TO LOOK GOOD.
Force of Fashion focuses on all things wearable in a galaxy far, far away — and right here at home! — with behind-the-scenes studies on some of the most iconic costumes of the saga, and the biggest highlights in Star Wars fashion today.
Dominance. Command. Power. The ideals and aspirations of your everyday Imperial may have differed from one situation to another, but during its prime, one effort remained constant when it came to maintaining the outward appearance of the galaxy’s most feared military power: intimidation. While certain people from certain classes saw the Emperor as a benevolent ruler who was saving the galaxy from disorder, the truth of the matter is that the Empire’s scare tactics were a major part of the driving force behind their ruthless methods.
When originally conceived for A New Hope, designer John Mollo and the film’s costume department went to huge lengths in order to find stock military uniforms – and they almost did with a company called Bermans. That is, until Bermans found out the amount of change that would be made to its collection of uniforms from 1966’s The Blue Max. After that rejection and several others, the uniform came together as an original design with elements based on still-too-recent military uniforms and classic sc-ifi movie design. For A New Hope, the hand-made uniforms came in black and olive (with a secondary costume in a cream color for extras), but the spectrum has broadened since then.
There’s something a little discomforting about admiring the sharp cuts of an Imperial uniform: broad shoulders give even the most bright-eyed cadet the look of symmetrical confidence, bestowing a sense of visual control upon the wearer. In fact, when Lost Stars heroine Ciena Ree first saw herself in uniform as a cadet, the image in her mirror was described from her point of view as if it were “a vision out of a dream.” As the ranks climb higher and colors begin to range from pearl white to the darkest black, the Empire’s many verticals unfold into a well-oiled machine of ultimate power – with the best of the best donning some of the military’s most iconic looks to lead the charge.
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