Author Topic: Padme Purple Dress - Loyalist Committee
Mrs_MayimNaar 
Registered: Feb '02
15823_Padmé Art
Date Posted: 2/26/02 11:10am Subject: Padme Purple Dress - Loyalist Committee - Date Edited: 11/13/07 6:12pm (4 edits total) Edited By: Sister_Sola
There may be another topic posted on this, but I didn't see one when I initially looked for it...

I have been studying the purple dress Padme is wearing when she meets Anakin and Obi Wan again for the first time. Does anyone have any thoughts on this dress? I have managed to find views of all sides of this dress, but I am at a loss for how to go about making it.
front
side
back
front

I was able to fina a pattern to use as a starting point. I thought Simplicity #9533 could be modified. It has many lines that are similar to the ones in the dress and coat, but many fabric panels will have to be added and the sleeves need to be adjusted.

The main problems I am trying to think through are how to get the fabric to look right. The dress looks like it is made out of velvet or something heavy like that, and it would be way too difficult and time-consuming to embroider all the details on it. Any ideas?

 

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Azeem 
Title: TFN Staff
Manager Emeritus

Registered: Apr '99
6472_Carnor Jax
Date Posted: 2/26/02 11:19am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
The wonders of velvet...

 

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GentleBant 
Title: Former CR
Ventura County, CA

Registered: Sep '99
7993_Handmaidens
Date Posted: 2/26/02 12:24pm Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
Would a brocade work? (Is that even the right fabric?)

Or a textured velvet....and stamping might work for smaller areas.

 

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Réka 
Title: Ventura County CA FF Costumes and Props Expert
Registered: Aug '99
14812_Queen Amidala
Date Posted: 2/26/02 7:46pm Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
Brocades tend to be too shiny. Unless you can find an upholstery-type brocade with the right pattern...

From what I can tell, the fabric of the outer dress (the part you can see from the back) is a 'burnout velvet', a.k.a. cut velvet, i.e. a fabric where the velvet parts occur in a pattern instead of all-over. The inner dress may or may not be a velvet, the drawings are no help there and I haven't seen a photo that shows the front closely enough. In any case, the dress shouldn't be too difficult in the embroidery category (what there is, can be faked with appliques or different fabric choices).

The difficulty arises in finding a velvet with the appropriate pattern, and then sewing it with piped seams throughout. (What is it with Trisha Biggar and piped seams?) If you are feeling particularly adventurous (and fat in the pocketbook), you could buy silk velvet and do the burnout pattern yourself.

 

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Mrs_MayimNaar 
Registered: Feb '02
15823_Padmé Art
Date Posted: 2/27/02 6:38am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
This picture just barely shows the top of her inner dress.... anyone have any thoughts on this? My computer doesn't show very well.

 

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Kelbee 
Registered: Mar '02
Date Posted: 4/8/02 4:24pm Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
Hi all...

I will be making Padme's senatorial outfit as well. Maybe together we can learn the best way to make this beautiful costume and help each other out!

The jacket part of the costume does look Elizabethan-era inspired (think Ren Faire nobles), but the large sleeves pinned in the back look very Medieval or perhaps even Feudal-period Japan to me. I have to browse through our pattern "library" at home for some ideas on how to approach this. I'll definitely post here if I come up with anything useful.

As for the fabric, it definitely looks like cut velvet on the jacket to me. Some fabric stores carry a decent variety of cut velvet, but it's usually in floral patterns, and nothing like the pattern on Padme's jacket. Doing it yourself, as Reka suggested, is an idea, but it is very time-consuming and expensive! The velvet must be silk-backed, with a cotton pile, in order for the "Fiber Etch" to work. Silk-backed velvet is a little too rich for my blood.

Another alternative to cut velvet is stamped velvet. This is similar to ironing...you use heat to crush down the pile of the velvet in specific areas to make your pattern. More than likely, this is what I will do, unless I find something better.

At one of the local fabric stores here, I saw a stamped velvet that I thought was close. The pattern was a little too symmetrical, but it was the right shade of purple. Even better, it was only $7 a yard! Unfortunately, it was one of those stretch velveteen knits. In order to use a stretchy fabric, you would have to stabilize it with a stiffer fabric...stitch the stretch fabric to the stiff fabric and treat it as one piece when you sew it all together. The stretch fabric would be tough to work with, and I'm sure it would be difficult to make it "sit" right. Ugh. I'm going to shop around a little more to see if I can find something better first.

Well, that's all I have for now. Anyone else have any ideas or suggestions to offer?

All good things,
Kelly

 

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Kelbee 
Registered: Mar '02
Date Posted: 4/10/02 9:16am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
I just found this quote in the press kit production notes for AOTC that I thought might be useful for anyone making the purple senator costume:

"An early scene set in Palpatine's office points to one of Biggar's more formal,
"Senatorial" designs. Padmé wears a multi-layered outfit, with a coat made of a deep
purple velvet over an Elizabethan-style underdress with long flowing sleeves, and a
heavily textured purple dress. A large antique jewel at the back holds the sleeves, and a petticoat brings additional formality to the imposing costume."

It answers a few of the lingering construction questions we had, anyway! happy

All good things,
Kelly

 

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Mrs_MayimNaar 
Registered: Feb '02
15823_Padmé Art
Date Posted: 4/11/02 7:01am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
New pic of this dress:

 

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kreleia 
Registered: Dec '00
41166_Padme
Date Posted: 4/11/02 2:43pm Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
It looks as though Ms. Biggars an co. had a heyday with burn-out velvet for this movie. happy

 

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Mrs_MayimNaar 
Registered: Feb '02
15823_Padmé Art
Date Posted: 5/10/02 10:31am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress


 

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Obi-Dawn Kenobi 
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered: Jan '00
42748_Padme Picnic
Date Posted: 5/10/02 10:45am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
Here are my observations from seeing this dress up close at the Celebration archive:

~It looks like it is composed of a skirt, separate bodice and overcoat.
~The sleeves look triple. Close fitting sleeve with a looser one over it and then the super long ones which are attached in the back of the dress with a decorative clasp/brooch thing.
~The front of the bodice is heavily adorned with sequins. It really glitters. happy
~From the front of the skirt I could make out three panels of fabric.
~The burned out velvet is beautiful.
~The choker and head piece looked to be very light weight.
~The whole thing is so small! Natalie is tiny!

I did take a lot of pictures and I'm still working on getting my scanner to work. Once it does I promise to post pics. happy

 

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Mrs_MayimNaar 
Registered: Feb '02
15823_Padmé Art
Date Posted: 5/10/02 10:50am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress - Date Edited: 5/10/02 11:04am (1 edits total) Edited By: Mrs_MayimNaar
I really really want to make this dress. I wish I could have seen it at C II (I wish I could have seen everything at CII!).

What did you think of the headress?

EDIT: Here's some more newer pics...

 

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Amidala-Leia 
Registered: Mar '02
23688_Padme
Date Posted: 5/10/02 2:45pm Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
I really want to make this dress as well. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated happy

 

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amaunet 
Registered: Mar '02
6483_Fel and the 181st
Date Posted: 5/23/02 8:04am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
I saw this dress at C2 and took tons of pictures of it....If someone is serious about making it, pm me and i will email some of the better pictures.

 

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Mrs_MayimNaar 
Registered: Feb '02
15823_Padmé Art
Date Posted: 5/23/02 9:59am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
This dress is gorgeous. I am definatly going to make it, but I want to do it right, and that is going to cost some serious dough! So I've been trying to pick up little pieces here and there, as I find them on sale. Here are my thoughts:

I mentioned in the very first post using Simplicity pattern #9533, and I think view C would be a good starting point(modifications definatly required!). The "cap sleeves" look like the ones at the top of Padme's cloak. The other sleeves would then have to be made from scratch, rather than with a pattern.

As for the under dress, I think a simple corset and Skirt would work. I already purchased a similar dress/corset combo to use for the Picnic Dress, so I may use them.

For the sleeves: [b]Obi-Dawn[/i] mantioned above that she saw three sleeve layers; a big long sleeve that is split up the front and wraps around the back, a shorter "bell" sleeve, and then tighter sleeves underneath. For the tight sleeves, I think you could use gloves with the fingers cut off, such as the ones in the Black Corset costume.

Any thoughts on the hat and necklace?

 

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Amidala-Leia 
Registered: Mar '02
23688_Padme
Date Posted: 5/23/02 11:12am Subject: RE: Padme Purple Dress
Okay, time for another color debate ladies happy In most pics and what not this dress looks very much like it is purple. But at certain points in the film, this dress looks like a deep blue to me. Could it be somewhere in between purple and blue or was I just imagining things?

 

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