Via fastcodesign.com:

From Princess Leia’s cinnamon buns and white robes to Darth Vader’s shiny black helmet and billowing cape, the costumes in the seven episodes of Star Wars are among the most famous in modern film. Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume, a new exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute, puts 60 of these elaborate getups on view and reveals the nitty-gritty of their design processes.

While George Lucas may have invented an entire galaxy far, far away, the clothing worn in that galaxy is deeply influenced by that of our own. We spoke to Laela French, senior manager of archives and exhibits at Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, about the creation processes of six Star Wars costumes. Their stories reveal how the films’ costume designers pulled sartorial references from world history both ancient and modern, referencing everything from the robes of Buddhist monks to Nazi uniforms to costumes in classic Western films. (Dogs also get a shout-out.) Since costume is a tool for creating character, using real-world fashion as inspiration for styles on Tatooine or the Death Star gives viewers a visual shorthand for typifying characters—if Darth Vader dresses like a Nazi, you know he’s evil even before he starts his sinister wheeze-speak.

Here, six behind-the-scenes stories of Star Wars costumes you’ve probably never heard that reveal how styles around the globe inspired the looks of Darth Vader, Han Solo, Padme Amidala, and more.

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