Padmé’s Meadow Picnic Dress from [Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones,] has a complicated underskirt to figure out. Photo’s from The Padawan’s Guide suggests that the underskirt is a multi colored pastel skirt of sheer fabric.
(AOTC: Padmé: Meadow Picnic Underskirt Colors) (Image from Padawan’s Guide, Exhibit Photos, Breakdown Photos) (Left Image adjusted to show the colors brighter, Right Image original)
The three distinct colors that can for sure be seen in the above photo are pale pink, pale yellow, and pale green. These are similar to the colors that appear in the ribbons on the sleeves of the dress, so it’s possible that the same colors that appear in the ribbons also appear in the underskirt.
A close examination of photos from the movie and promo stills from The Padawan’s Guide, shows that there are visible colors underneath the gold/yellow over-skirt. The photo below shows a distinctive pink color to the underskirt.
(AOTC: Padmé: Meadow Picnic Underskirt Colors) (Pink Is Clearly Visible In This Photo)(AOTC: Padmè: Meadow Picnic Underskirt Colors) (Pink Is Clearly Visible In This Photo)
The photo below shows the underskirt as having both pink and yellow in it distinctively.
(AOTC: Padmé: Meadow Picnic Underskirt Colors) (Pink And Yellow Are Clearly Visible In This Photo)(AOTC: Padmé: Meadow Picnic Underskirt Colors) (Pink And Yellow Are Clearly Visible In This Photo)
The ribbons appear to be light green, pale green, pale pink, pale yellow and pale cream-yellow all in pastel colors.
(AOTC: Padmé: Meadow Picnic Dress: Sleeve Ribbon Colors)(AOTC: Padmé: Meadow Picnic Dress: Sleeve Ribbon Colors) (Note: That There Are Two Colors of Yellow and Two Colors of Green)
One fan made costume took what appears to be the approach of making the underskirt with pastel colors fading into one another stripped diagonally across the skirt. (Note: that in the second photo below, with the over-skirt down, the fan made costume looks very slimier to the photos of the actual meadow picnic dress. With fain colors showing through the gold/yellow over-skirt.)
(AOTC: Padmé: Fan Made Costume: Meadow Picnic Dress: Underskirt Colors)(AOTC: Padmé: Fan Made Costume And Real Costume: Meadow Picnic Dress: Underskirt Colors)(AOTC: Padmè: Fan Made Costume And Real Costume: Meadow Picnic Dress: Underskirt Colors)
It appears that the direction of the pastel colors of the underskirts run more or less vertically.
(Note: The Padawan’s Guide says that “the skirt is only two layers “ of fabric. However, there is so much fabric that it may look like there are more layers then there actually are.)
The Dressing the Galaxy book, says that something like 50 yards of fabric where used in the making of the over-skirt. There is some debate on whether 50 yards could actually have been used. However, as it is a very tightly pleated skirt made out of very thin sheer fabric, 50 yards is not unrealistic, for this skirt. whether using 50 or 10 yards of fabric the underskirt should have the same volume as the over-skirt, a lot of fabric will be needed, in either case.
This products is simple to use, the color is a dark mat gold with a metallic gold thread accent. The product is good quality and is what you would expect from a crochet thread, the only con is with a lot of unraveling the gold metallic thread comes away from the base thread.
Products Pros:
Easily accessible
Affordably ($3.50, roughly)
Easy to use
Color seems accurate to movie
Products Cons:
Metallic Thread comes unwound with a lot of unraveling so if you need to restart your project several times this can be an issue.
Review:
Using Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread in Gold/Gold, is simple and very much like using any other crochet thread. The only complaints that can be maid about using the thread is that if you have to unravel your crochet several time, (3 or more) then the metallic gold thread will start unwinding from the old gold colored crochet thread base. This makes it more difficult to have a nice finished look and the metallic thread can get tangled on the hook and makes it difficult to crochet. However, if you don’t have to unravel your crochet thread, multiple times, it seems to be fine. The crochet thread is affordable and for the purposes of making Padmé’s bun covers only one skein is required. Be advised, while crocheting the thread can get twisted so much that it starts twisting in on itself, however, this seems to be more of a problem with the technique of crocheting instead of a product defect.
Padmé wears this Purple evening gown in Star Wars The Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 4, Senate Spy. If looking for a very sexual costume from Star Wars without the problematic issues of Slave Leia, then this might be a good choice.
(In summery: Slave Leia is problematic when taken out of it’s story context as a position that Leia is forced into by Jabba. The difference between Padmé and Leia wearing sex-ulized outfits is consent. Padmé elects to wear her revealing clothing Leia does not.)
Because this dress only appears in cartoon form there will have to be some adjusting to translate into the real world. It can be easy to translate cartoons into the real world exactly, however, this often times can looks very cartoonish and if that is not the aim isn’t important to pay attention to the details. Being careful of watching proportions so that translating it into the real world looks good. Also consider that all of these proportions will have to be adjusted for each individual Padmé.
Fabric:
Because it is a cartoon that is specifically designed to look like painted wooded puppet, the fabric Padmé’s dress is made out of is difficult to figure out. The dress seems to be made out of a fairly heavy fabric the way it moves, the dress appears to be made out of a semi shiny fabric, such as a heavy satin. The gown color is a dark dusky purple, there is a light purple color on the front of her dress that makes up the symbols on her gown. (Because its used so widely in Star Wars, silk would be a good fabric to use for this dress, silk often times has a semi shiny look while not being overly lustrous.)
Dress Skirt:
Padmé’s purple Clone Wars evening gown has a fishtail skirt, also known as a mermaid skirt. Padmé’s dress also appears to has a narrow ‘A’ line skirt, meaning that the skirt of the dress does not fit tightly around her legs, instead it it snug around the hips and follows an ‘A’ shape down to the hem. (Note: That the ‘A’ line dress, is a more narrow ‘A’ line so it resembles a closer fitting fishtail dress.)
Padmé’s evening gown also has a clear train, the train is noticeable, however, it is not very long. a good estimate would be a little over a foot so many 14″ for the train. this of course depending on each individual Padmé.
Padmé’s skirt is very full, there is a lot of fabric moving when she comes down the stairs, the fishtail part of the skirt which is the widest part of the dress is very full.
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown: Lots Of Fabric, Very Full Skirt)
Padmé’s dress also goes all the way down to the floor and her shoes cannot be seen when she is standing. The floor length of the dress seems to be just touching the floor in front and a small but significant train in the back.
The bodice of Padmé’s dress has a slight sweetheart neckline, the bodice also does not come up very high on her chest.
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown:)
The bodice appears to come up to roughly top of the triceps below Padmé’s shoulder,
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown:)
Padmé’s bodice is open on the side, there is no back to her dress, the bodice comes completely around her breast and onto the side of her ribs (see green line for edge of breast and pink line for edge of dress in picture below).
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown:)
The bodice of Padmé’s dress is also very structured, from the top down to the bottom of her rib-cage. The bodice hugs closely to her body, until the bottom of her ribs, then the fabrics of her dress becomes somewhat less structured and is looser and has a very slight drape around her lower back and side (see blue arrows for drape of fabric in picture below).
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown: Structure of Bodice and Back Gaping)
Back:
The gaping between Padmé’s dress and her back is more obvious in the picture below, however, note: that the gaping in not very much just enough to tell that the dress is not structured in its lower half.
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown: Gaping On Back Of Dress)
There is no back too Padmé’s gown, Padmé’s dress comes down very low into a soft round shape. The dress back is lower then Padmé’s natural waist, and appears to show her upper lower back, much like her lake dress from Attack of the Clones. (See blue line for bottom edge of dress, green for waist and red for shape of back of Padmé’s dress.)
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown: Back Of Dress)
Gloves/Sleeves:
The gloves that Padmé wears with her evening gown also double as sleeves, these gloves have a cut out that is the shape of an rectangle with rounded ends. The top of the cut outs on the sleeves falls in line the middle of Padmé’s chest. The bottom of the cut outs on Padmé’s gloves falls roughly in line between the bottom of Padmé’s rib cage, and her natural waist, the cut outs also end several inches above the elbow.
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown: Glove Sleeve Cut Out Shape and Position)
Padmé’s gloves are cut very high, the fabric goes up to her underarm but does not attack to the dress in any way and also does not have a lot of extra fabric there.
(SWTCW: S2: Ep4) (Padmé Purple Evening Gown: Glove Sleeve Not Attached To Dress & But Up To Under Arm)
The top of Padmé’s glove is a rounded shape that comes up over her shoulders, the sleeves also seem to be structured. Note: that the rounded top of the sleeve that covers Padmé’s shoulder is flush to her body. This indicates a form of structure that also allows glove to stay in place on her arm, (see blue arrow). The lower half that comes around the under Padmé’s arm is not flush with her arm, (see green arrow).
Padmé’s gloves also have a detail on the top rounded part that covers her shoulders, it appears to be cut wide enough to allow for several small folds to occur through the structured part of the glove. almost reminiscent of a very, very slightly puffed sleeve (see link for reference image of puffed sleeve).
Padmé’s hair is styles in a simple three strand braid down from the base of her back and down her back, the braid falls down to middle of Padmé’s back. Her braid is fastened at the end if a apparently metal semi cone shaped decorative fastener.
The Shoes that Padmé wears with her evening gown are the same color of purple as her gown. though it is hard to see it appears that she has a squared/rounded toe to her shoe, in the lower second picture vaguely appears to be middle average in height high heals, or more accurately pumps they appear to have some kind of back to them.
Padmé carries a bag with her evening gown, one of the few times she is ever seen with a bag. Her clutch bag is the matched to her dress and is the same purple color with silver accents like her hair fastener.
Aunt Lydias Crochet Thread is a grate option for making Padme’s meadow picnic bun covers. The color is a dark gold/yellow with metallic gold thread running through it much like the thread used in the movies.
Note: working with this thread is fairly simple, however, it is important to know that unraveling the project a lot will cause the metallic thread to come away from the gold/yellow base. Also note that this thread will wind up on itself.
Level of Difficulty: = Padawan
Youngling
Padawan
Senior Padawan
Jedi Knight
Jedi Master
Jedi Council Member
Grand Master Jedi Council
Force Ghost
Amidala for DIY Galaxy found the thread featured in the pictures at Jo-Ann’s Fabrics, however, it can also be found online at other stores.
Padme’s hairstyle has a center part on the top of her head, but no back part, the rest of her hair is pulled back into a low small bun on her base of her neck.
Hair Piece Over Bun:
(Small Bun Under Hair Piece)
Padme’s real hair, which it actually about shoulder length, is wrapped into a small bun that is tightly pinned at the base of her neck and has a hairnet of a matching dark color placed over it. Over top of that small bun the hair piece is place, this is made out of coils of hair that have been wrapped around a flexible base. This hair piece is attacked to the small bun and the coils are bent around the small bun.
Bun Coil Shape:
(Flatter Shape of Bun After Action)
Sometimes the bun is flattened a little, this appeaser to be from action as most of the time the bun appears rounded.
(Rounded Shape of Bun)
Height of Bun:
(The height of the bun)
The height of the bun rests below or roughly inline with the middle of the back of her head, a rough measurement is the top of the bun should be in line with or blow the bottom outer corner of the eyebrow. The bottom of the bun falls roughly in line with the her bottom lip.
Bun Width:
(Bun Width)
Padme’s bun is slightly narrower then the back of her head,
Number of Coils to Bun:
(Bun coils)
It appears that Padme’s bun coils in this image are about 7 separate coils, these coils are intertwined through each other and form into soft ovals, slightly rounder shapes and a few narrow ovals. Some are more ex-stream then others with number 2 in the image, highlighted by the orange, bent almost in half with a curved edge where it is bend around the small bun.
Hair is one of the most stunning pieces of costuming in the Star Wars franchise, however, sometimes working with synthetic hair can be difficult. Here are some suggestions that might make working with synthetic hair easier.
Why Synthetic Hair?:
Synesthetic hair is a better option for making hair pieces for achieve Star Wars hair styles then human hair in most cases. Often times human hair is unethically sourced so avoiding it is a good idea, unless you know it’s origins. That said, if your human hair can he ethically sourced then it can also work well, however, it is always going to be a less affordable option.
Some articles that break down the ethical issues of human hair extensions
Synthetic hair is also more affordable, for many of the hairstyles in Star Wars a lot of hair is required, and that can become very expensive. Synthetic hair like Kenekalon Braiding Hair and other brands like it are typically a more affordable option when buying a lot of hair. Synesthetic hair can also hold up longer then human hair when taken care of
Another alternative to human hair is horse hair, buying horse hair extensions, they are less affordable and depending on the sealer may also be unethically sourced. However, as an option, the hair is natural and looks so.
Weight, real human hair can be heavy, synthetic hair is often times lighter weight then real hair and can be worn longer because of this.
Styling products, when styling with synthetic hair, styling products such as hair spray or moose, are not needed, because the hairs are all the same length unless altered there are few if any fly-always that need to be smoothed.
Hair Color:
When using synesthetic hair for a costuming it can be hard to find a matching color, this is partly due to the fact that natural hair is not one color, humans have several different colors making up teach individuals hair including high-light and low-lights. Synesthetic hair is typically one color, and it’s hard to match and make it look natural right out of the package. For a more natural look blending 2 too 3 colors of hair together will help, see video for tutorial on blending. (Note: for making hair look more natural, using more of the base color and chose a smaller amount of your high-lights and low-lights.)
2 of the main textures for synesthetic hair are natural or yaki and silky, both will work great, however, most Star Wars hairstyles in the movies use a silky finish, this is not as important when doing a hairstyle such as Classic Leia (a.k.a Political Gown Leia), however, most of the headdresses that Queen Amidala wears require silky hair finish to be used, such as her Red Invasion Gown headdress.
Tangling:
Synesthetic hair can tangle easily, so to untangle it start by brushing or combing depending on the need, at the ends and slowly working up the tail of the hair. Starting at the top and going to the ends will only make the tangling worse and more difficult to get out. Sometimes using fingers to come the hair can be easier then a brush, and if using a brush a wig brush would probably work better then a normal hair brush. For general untangling and styling a wide toothed come works grate.
Washing:
For some people synthetic hair can be itchy right out of the package, to remove the coating the hair comes with make a bath or water and vinegar and let the hair sock a while, then rinse and let dry. This processes might be easiest if the hair is still in its loosely braided form that it comes in right out of the package.
Storing the synthetic hair for reuse, put a fabric covered elastic at the center of the hair bundle and loosely braid the hair. Coil the braid into a circle and place inside a hairnet. See Alexa Poletti’s video on storing wigs.
According to Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy, Luke’s puttees or leg wrappings are made out of soft suede. and unlike WWI puttees, Luke’s leg wraps do not appear to be held in place by a ribbon tape, instead double sided adhesive tape may have been used.
Original Trilogy:
(ANH: Luke Tatooine Farmer: Luke’s Putees) (Images From The Padawans Guide)(ANH: Luke Puttees) (Images From: Stat Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy)(ANH: Luke Tatooine Farmer: Luke’s Putees) (Images From: Cap-That.com)
Prequel Trilogy:
(TPM: Padmé Peasant Disguise Puttees/Leg Wrappings) (Images From: The Padawans Guide)(TPM: Anakin Puttees) (Images From: Cap-That.com)(ROTS: Own Lars Moisture Farmer: Puttees) (Images From: Cap-That.com)
New EU:
Luke in the New Expanded Universe movies, The Force Awakens, wears what appear to be short puttees. Short puttees typically go around the ankle, Luke’s appear to go a little higher then short puttees usually go, but they are not full length or long puttees.
(TFA: Luke Skywalker Short Puttees) (Images From: Google Images)(RO:ASWS: Galen Erso: Farmer Outfit: Puttees) (Image From: Google Images)
What Are Puttees:
Puttees are a wrapping around the lower legs that became very common for militaries to wear at the turn of the nineteenth century. There are two kinds of puttees, long (that wrapped all the way up from the ankle to the knee) and short puttees (that only wrapped around the ankle and a little up the calf.) The long Puttees that were worn during the turn of the nineteenth century were roughly 3 ½” to 4” in width and around 9 ft. long. Puttees help keep the elements out of boots while also protecting and supporting legs.
Blood Stripes appear in several Star Wars costumes (blood strips are the different colored stripes that go down the sides of paints.) The stripes appear in all of Han Solo’s costumes, which is likely why in the Legends EU, they are called Corellian Blood Stripes.
(ROTJ: Han Solo: Blood Stripes On Pants) (Images From: Cap-That.Com)
However, blood stripes also appear on Leia’s Commando outfit in (ROTJ), Luke’s end metal ceremony pants in (ANH) and also in the battle handmaiden outfit that Padmé as well as her handmaidens wears in (TPM).
(ROTJ: Leia’s Commando Pants: Blood Stripe) (Images From: Cap-That.com)(ANH: Luke End Ceremony: Pants Blood Stripe) (Image From: Link Here, this is the only image I could find of Luke’s end ceremony pants)(TPM: Handmaiden: Blood Stripes) (Images From: Cap-That.com)
Typically blood stripes are made out of one continuous piece of fabric; this is how the stripes on Leia’s commando pants are done. However, Han’s stripes are done differently, instead of being a single stripe of fabric; Han’s stripes are actually embroidered in a dashed line.
In Attack of the clones, Padmé wears a black corseted dress for dinner with Anakin and then after by the fireside. With this dress Padmé’s hair is done in a elegant but fairly simple style. Like with all Star Wars hairstyles this one will require some hairpieces, to make the twisted coils that wrap around the braid. (See Myths about Star Wars Hairstyles)
Breakdown:
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Center Part)
Padmé wears a center part with this hair style, however, it ends on the top of her head, there is no back part to this hairstyle.
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: No Back Part)
The front of Padmé’s hairstyle is sodtly swept back from the center part into the twist that starts just above the ear. The front is soft and allowed to swoop downto just cover the tops of her ears.
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Hairstyle:)
Side Twists:
Padm’s hair is twisted back away from her face on both sides, the twist stars roughly an inch or so above eyebrow high. The twits is roughly an 1 1/2″ or so in width, and rolled tightly until gathered at the base of her neck into one tail.
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Side Twist)(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Side Twist)
The twist that Padmé wears on both sides of her head follow the base line of her hairline in the back, they also start roughly right around the top of the ears.
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Twist Starts Before Ear)
The Tail:
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Three Strand Braid)
The tail of Padmé hairstyle is a simple 3 strand braid, the braiding ends roughly mid shoulder-blade on Padmé which is also roughly about where the crease of her arm occurs.
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Twisted Coil Wraps Around Hair)
Wrapped around the outside of Padmé’s braid is a twisted coil of hair, (this is a secondary hair piece that is added and no part of her natural hair, note the difference in color.) The twisted coil that wraps around the outside of Padmé’s braid stars at the base of her skull where the beginning of 3 strand braid starts and stops at the end of the braid as well. The twisted coil appears to be braided in a three strands braid manner, using the braid as the middle strand.
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Three Hidden Elastic Under Twisted Coil)
Padmé’s three strand braid is likely secured by a small elastic, and this is covered by the end of the twisted coil.
(AOTC: Padmé Fireside Gown Hairstyle: Tail Of The Hairstyle Is Loose And Curled)
The end on Padmé hairstyle hangs loose from roughly mid shoulder blade, the very end of the tail also has a but of a curl.
Padmé has many hair styles thrghout the Prequel Trilogy, often when Padmé’s hair isn’t in an official style she wears it hair in curls. Padmé’s curls are usually medium to small size curls that fall in soft romantic rings, it is also important to note that Padmé also has different kinds of curl patterns depending on the outfit. Studying reference images helps to get an idea of what kind of curl patterns are needed. Like with all costuming, study the reference images for proportion, and adjust to fit your own unique features from there is one of the best places to start.
There are a lot of different method to curling hair, the main two being heat and heartless curls. If you have naturally curly hair you may want to change your curl pattern, (the natural way your hair curls,) to one more similar to Padmé.
Helpful Tips:
Before curling your hair some tips that can help, use a product in your hair such as, moose, curling serum, or hair spray. Also consider using hairspray on the curls after the curls are finished forming.
When curling hair, wrap the curl on the wand or the roller in the opposite direction every other curl, (curl 1 away from the face, curl 2 towards the face ext.) This helps prevent the curls from tangling together and helps keep them more defined as separate curls.
When using a heat tool using a heat protective product can help keep the heat tool from damaging your hair.
