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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Padme Amidala Handmaiden Costumes

Discussion in 'Costuming and Props' started by HandmaidenEirtae, Aug 9, 2001.

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  1. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    Ok, here are my best shots of the bottom:

    [image=http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d103/bandykullan/costumes%20exhibit/IMG_0131.jpg]
    [image=http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d103/bandykullan/costumes%20exhibit/IMG_0146.jpg]
    [image=http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d103/bandykullan/costumes%20exhibit/IMG_0138.jpg]

    At first I thought that the wire you see just under the hem was part of the construction, nowadays I do think it's more likely to be some kind of support for the mannequin.

    I have a lot of photos of the dress, and some Amidalas here if you are interested in the original file just tell me and I can mail them to you.

    I have also thought about doing permanent pleats, or rather tucks, but I've also come to realise that it wouldn't work at the bottom. My plan at the moment, for the time when I get a possibility to try this gown, is to boxpleat the fabric, and stitch the pleats down to fix them on certain spots down all the way to the bottom itself. It's for example much tighter up on the bodice than in the skirt.

    As you can see on the pics there is no hem, the best thing would probably be to find a fabric with a nice selvage that can be used without hemming. I also personally think it might be hard to find a fabric long enough to work, I would probably go for a skirt and tunic, and have the waist hidden under the belt.
     
  2. AmmersVI

    AmmersVI Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 25, 2005
    Talked to the Winlass Studio folks at SDCC. They said that they've put a hold on the Maroon Ep.1 Battle Padme dress as they said finding the right material for the underside of the coat was difficult. According to the rep. the one in the Lucasfilm archives is lined with woven horse hair.
     
  3. GentleBant

    GentleBant Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 1999
    I'm thinking of doing it as a skirt/top combination with an obi fastened around the waist; mainly, though, for nursing purposes. (It's impossible with a dress, unless I factor in nursing openings, which doesn't seem practical.) I could later put the whole thing together, I suppose. And as far as the velvet goes, what I have isn't a perfect match, but I did buy like 10 yards of it, I think... I agree that I think those are mannequin supports.

    ObiAnne, your pics are awesome references.


    I was wondering about that! The preorders for the packing dress are up now on the Museum Replicas site, but I didn't see anything for the battle dress. Woven horse hair? I'm trying to imagine that. The part I find hardest to create the look of is the gold trim. The weave in it is impossible for me to locate.
     
  4. AmmersVI

    AmmersVI Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 25, 2005
    I totally agree with you on the gold trim. That is hard to find, and I have yet to see anything that comes close to matching it. I hope they go back to this piece eventually. In the meantime, the rep said that they were going to finish off the costumes of the Yavin Medal ceremony first. So it may take a while before we see the maroon battle dress for sale.
     
  5. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    I'm pretty sure that Benae_Quee has found a pretty good match for the gold trim.

    I'm actually not so surprised about the horsehair. Fabric intervowen with horsehair has been used to stiffen clothes for a really long time. In fact the word crinoline comes from crin, which means horsehair. They have probably used horsehair mostly in the bodice to stiffen it and make it look more like a bulletproof vest, I don't think the red lining that we see is what they used horsehair for.

    When it comes to my photos, lets just say I spent a weekend more or less stuck to where it was, and my friends have a lot of photos of me taking photos, because they felt I spent a bit too much time around it. I was lucky though, the first time I saw it in London it was in bad lightning and up against a wall, then when the exhibit came to Sweden it was much better light and the glass box was standing so you could walk all around it.

    [image=http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l380/NordicRebels/O-vik%20Camilla/StarWarstheExhibitionopeningOrns-197.jpg]

     
  6. princessleia911

    princessleia911 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    Benae Quee did find an almost perfect match for the trim and the post is here: http://www.angelsofiego.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4&sid=c45ba87ce0b7735089d3ca65034dc46d&start=20

    LFL approved it but MR said it was too expensive!! :p

    http://www.museumreplicas.com/t-sizepadmeclonegown.aspx The curious thing is the sizing looks not bad but look at what you get including for that price(notice no hairpiece/wig :( and even though they told someone it was being made in India):

    Padme Apartment Gown Sizing Chart
    Ensemble includes:

    Blouse with Corset

    Green Vest

    Silver Under Skirt

    Silver Over Skirt

    Set of 8 Armbands

    Black Shoes

    Maybe this means that you can buy the hairpiece/wig separate(if at all)?


     
  7. GentleBant

    GentleBant Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 1999
    Oh my gosh! That *is* perfect! Thanks for sharing the link...missed that post somehow.

    Now to figure out where to get $90 to buy it...
     
  8. Neimhaille

    Neimhaille Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 12, 2002
    Slightly bizarre reason.

    Hair canvas (which is the most commonly used hair fabric used in interfacings) is very easy to get hold of. Horse hair canvas (or crinoline) is a little harder to get- but it is still out there- though is generally used for furnishings anyway. Hair canvas would be a perfectly valid alternative. And as mentioned easy to get hold of. I have several meters myself from Spotlight which is not really a high end/specialist chain!

    Oh yeah hair canvas generally is woven as a mixture of the brushed body hair from goats and Ii think I read donkey in one list.. and sometimes wool and rayon buy a lot of linen too. Horse hair has the wefts made from single strands of the tail of a horse. Both fabrics essentially collapses fairly well along the warp but is very firm across the weft.

     
  9. AmmersVI

    AmmersVI Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 25, 2005
    Perhaps the rep was refering to costs when he sited the Horse Hair... He could have very well meant the trim as well as it seems that that is rather expensive also. All I know is, those were the answers he gave me when I asked him why the Ep. 1 costume was not out on display.
     
  10. Benae_Quee

    Benae_Quee Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2002
    Even at Wholesale cost, the trim was too expensive for them to use. I tried sourcing China for them, but it was still going to be pricey (and cheap looking). This trim is a vintage one we had from Europe (Switzerland I think). Last I checked, we still have plenty of it.

    Heads up, there is 'hopefully' going to be a sale Aug 14 for 20% or 25% off site wide for M&J Day! If you want the discount on this, please send me an email that day (in the link from AOI website Becca linked). Send your name, address, phone number and qty desired. I'll put in an order for you and then call for the credit card information. Orders over $75 are shipped free UPS ground within continental US.

    -Kris
     
  11. GentleBant

    GentleBant Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 1999
    Noted. :~)
     
  12. Neimhaille

    Neimhaille Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 12, 2002
    Regular hair canvas is really cheap. $NZ11.99/m at 140cm wide over here and that's not even retail. One meter does a few items too. It is however fiddly to work with. It unravels quite quickly and so you need to cut it individually ratehr than in batches. Perhaps that is what they meant? labour costs would probably go up.
    (I've currently got a petticoat cut out of it for my 1830s dress, it's going to be pretty cool ;) I also used a different form of the stuff for my Imp Officer).

    Thank you for asking them questions :) No worries about being the messenger here either ;)

    B_Q: I recently saw an antique item that I think had the same trim, so it really doesn't surprise me if the cost was high! The trim I saw would have been real metal wire and so be very heavy too. Now to track it down and see if I can remember where I saw it...
     
  13. GentleBant

    GentleBant Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 1999
    Gah! Missed the sale. My oldest child was sick and I was in a mommy-fog and forgot about the sale. /forehead smack
     
  14. princessleia911

    princessleia911 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    I did finish my Padme Battle Dress for DragonCon. Below are some pics.
    http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l107/princessleia911/Padme%20Costumes/Battle%20Dress/CIMG0260.jpg
    http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l107/princessleia911/Padme%20Costumes/Battle%20Dress/CIMG0261.jpg(hairpiece)
    http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l107/princessleia911/DragonCon%202009/Saturday/swat1.jpg
    http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l107/princessleia911/DragonCon%202009/Saturday/DC2009096.jpg
    http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l107/princessleia911/DragonCon%202009/Saturday/DC2009097.jpg

    I marched in the DragonCon parade and then ran the SWatDC costume contest that was hosted by the RL. The halftime show was the Duel of the Fates to celebrate the 10th anniversary of TPM and I did the Padme part where she runs away from Maul while the Jedi fight him. I should have a video up soon.
     
  15. GentleBant

    GentleBant Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 1999
    Cool! Nice battle dress. Can't wait to see your video. :~) You know, I've always thought that the handmaidens should have shot at Maul while he was busy taking off his robe...

     
  16. Moy

    Moy Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2005
    I loved your handmaiden costume :) It was perfect!
     
  17. Neimhaille

    Neimhaille Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    May 12, 2002
    I had been looking at hem pictures and figured it was a selvage but didn't quite read your reply here ;) Did you also happen to note what weave the fabric was? It's quite hard to tell from any photo :)

    And yes, I think having a hidden seam at the waist would be the way to go. It's quite likely this was done for the originals given how the skirts puddle on the floor.
     
  18. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    Sorry can't remember the weave. But the fabric looked more coarse than I had expected.
     
  19. Alishu06

    Alishu06 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2005
    I love that dress (the yellow one) If I were to make a handmaiden costume that one would be it.....
     
  20. Falls_the_Shadow

    Falls_the_Shadow Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 31, 2002
    The Flame handmaiden costumes are on display at the Star Wars in Concert exhibit.

    In taking reference photos for the sleeve embroidery, I noticed that the embroidery was at times very quickly basted OVER the stitches. Glad that we are not the only ones who cut corners as deadlines approach.

    The tabbard part appears to be attached with about 3-4 inches of velcro on the top seam.
    http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb188/Falls_The_Shadow/SW_In_Concert/
     
  21. princessleia911

    princessleia911 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    Csn't wait to see it. Too bad the matched the wrong Amidala dress with the wrong handmaidens. The handmaidens seen with this Senate dress were blue or black hooded. The Flame Handmaiden goes with the Black Invasion gown that was worn by Sabe as the decoy.
     
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