Luke Skywalker Costumes

Yes, his buckle is octagonal.

Here is my picture of the costume from the exhibit. It's not the best, I was just learning to use my little cheapo digital camera that I had just bought the day before. But at least I was able to use my flash, unlike what people normally get to do during the exhibit!

The buckle is not reflecting the dark room, or the costume itself, it really is black! And I didn't believe that his cloak (or cape) was really brown before this, either.

[image=http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/JediLoreen/Events/ROTJLuke.jpg]

 

If I remember correctly, the ESB buckle is also octagonal, but silver and the ANH buckle is square and silver. Anyone see anything different?

Luke's ESB belt buckle looks silver. His ANH belt buckle looks like its brown (the same color as the leather portion), but shines in the light. This is similar to the style of Luke's ROTJ belt, where the buckle is the same color as the leather portion- even though the buckle looks shiny at times.

those "pegs" you're seeing are just the rivets used to hold the stuff on.

The ones on the (that is Luke's) left of the buckle hold on the saber hook and d-ring, and the ones on the right of the buckle are holding the loop of belt-leather that keeps the buckle in place.

I see. The larger rivets fasten the buckle to the loop of belt-leather.

I imagine that a high gloss black spray paint on a plain metal buckle blank would do the job.

That sounds right. As I mentioned, it looks like the belt (both the leather and the buckle) itself is dyed black since it isn't quite as dark as Luke's pants. The reason why the buckle is shiny might be because its simply a metal buckle that was dyed black.

Edit: And I didn't believe that his cloak (or cape) was really brown before this, either.

In the movie, Luke's cloak looks like a midnight brown when seen in the light.

 

Deos anyone know what to get that look's like Luke's green lightsaber emitter?

 

Try the plumbing section at Home Depot. Check out sink drains or strainers. Bathroom sinks, not kitchen sinks or tub drains, they'll be too large. You could also get some plastic tubing of various diametres and go for a layered look. Barring those ideas, call a local machinist and get a quote. I all you want is the emitter, it shouldn't really cost too much and you'll get the best results seeing as the Luke prop sabre was originally machined.

Trevor

 

IMHO, the belt buckle is tarnished silver (nickle or aluminum) metal. It was probably antiqued with solution that turns metal a blackish color (you can't really dye metal and it doesn't look like black paint). I know I've gotten something called "Silver Black" at a local beading supply store. I believe the antiquing solution is also sold at many model train stores and caswell has a great selection (I've gotten antiquing solutions from them as well).

For reference here are a few of my more recent photos from FIDM:

[image=http://kay-dee.net/fidm/luke/luke1-low.jpg]
HIGHER RES VERSION >

[image=http://kay-dee.net/fidm/luke/luke-belt-low.jpg]

I don't think I've shared some of my other notes about this costume from my recent trip.

Cloak Yes, there is a seam on either side of the cloak near the front. I believe they just added these panels to the front edges of both sides to make the cloak the correct fullness. In other words, it would have been difficult to cut a full circular cloak from a 45" or maybe even a 60" wide bolt of fabric and have it be long enough in the back.

Sorry, I haven't a clue what kind of fabric the cloak is. (I didn't see anything like it in my fabric search). It almost reminds me of boucle, but more subtle.

The brown isn't terribly dark. It was hard to get a color read from a distance, but Toffee was close, Bison a little too dark but also close (pantone for fashion and home color guide).

Vest and Tabard - The tabard is lined with the same fabric used on the outer portion. I stronly suspect the vest is lined, but it could be with a different fabric that what is used on the outer shell. The tabard (aka scarf) looks to be seperate from the vest (unless it gets tacked in place behind his neck).

The off-black color seems closest to Black Olive in my pantone guide. I have no clue about the fiber content of the fabric. I've never seen a raw silk with slubs that thick but I'm keeping my eyes peeled. The closest thing I've found so far with slubs that big is a heavy linen (not the fine linen you often see shirts made from).

Shirt I have to check my DVDs, apparently there are mixed opinions if this is a jump suit or a shirt and pants. Anyway, the shirt doesn't have a twill weave to it, not that I could see looking through binoculars anyway. I did see some wool that looked similar to this while shopping in LA, but it usually had slight stretch to it. Should have jotted down the name. Sorry, I didn't get a pantone on the exact shade of black. I guess I didn't think it was too critical.

- Kay Dee

 

Those are great pics. I know that most of the people had better digital cameras that were there that day I was.

I don't remember the dye being worn of the belt so much, but obviously it is.

 

Good observation on the tinting of the metal--I wouldn't have thought of that on my own. What I need to figure out now is exactly what kind of metal my buckle is. Obviously you can't use just any solution on any metal, it has to be specific. Does anyone happen to know what standard rectangular Tandy buckles are made of? (That's what I have, cut down to an octogon.) Are they steel or aluminum?

 

Why not contact Tandy and ask them? Did you check the info at their web site? As I recall a lot of buckles are made of nickle - but I will leave it to you to search their site

- Kay Dee

 

Yeah, I checked--they don't say in the product description what the buckles are made of.

 

Does anyone know if the clothes in the FIDM exhibit are the actual costume that Luke wore in the film, or if a replica was made?

The pants, shirt, and vest look like they might be what Luke actually wore. The belt looks like the leather is peeling and the color is fading, but this would be expected if it was dyed black- so the belt also might be what Luke actually wore in the film. I noticed three holes to the left of the belt buckle in the exhibit, although I only noticed one hole in pictures from the film. This might simply relate to where the buckle was fastened.

The cloak is the one item that looks suspect. It looked like midnight brown in the film, but looks much lighter in the FIDM exhibit.

 

I guess you don't really know what the FIDM exhibit was all about, if you are asking that question.

 

hey, great call on the metal-black! I would think that you'd need to rough it up a bit to get the color hold right? Maybe with med-grit sandpaper?

As far as material, I'm guessing the tandy buckle blanks are a nickle alloy. Nickle is very common in that kind of think because it doesn't tarnish like a lot of other metals.

 

I guess you don't really know what the FIDM exhibit was all about, if you are asking that question.

Unfortunately, I wasn't familiar with the FIDM exhibit. I'm inclinced to think that it is what Luke actually wore in the film since the vest, tabards, shirt, pants, and belt all look like what was in the film. The cloak is the only item that looks like a lighter brown in the exhibit than in the film.

It looks like the cloak might be the same material as the vest, even though it isn't the same color. I'm pretty sure that the tabards are the same material as the vest.

 

Yes, the costumes on display at the exhibit were worn in the movies.

The fabric used on Luke's Cloak is quite different in weave and texture than the Vest and Tabard. They are not the same exact fabric in different colors. The vest has heavy slubs running through it, the cloak is even in texture and weave. If they are the same fiber content (like a silk or wool) that is a different story.

[image=http://kay-dee.net/fidm/luke/vest_fabric.jpg] [image=http://kay-dee.net/fidm/luke/cloak_fabric.jpg]

By-the-way, a little birdie told me that Luke's ROTJ costume is actually a seperate Shirt and Pants (not a jumpsuit as some had thought).

- Kay Dee

 

By-the-way, a little birdie told me that Luke's ROTJ costume is actually a seperate Shirt and Pants (not a jumpsuit as some had thought).

Yes. If you look at Empire of Dreams, Mark Hamill is trying on the costume without a vest or belt on. It definitely looks like the shirt is slightly tucked in the pants.

Thank you for the information on the cloak. Looking at the pictures, I can see that the cloak is indeed a different material than the vest. I'm not sure what the fabric of the cloak is, but the vest might be raw silk. The shirt and pants are the same material. I'm not sure what the material is, but it looks different than the material used for the vest or cloak.

 

Wasn't all this covered in this thread already?

 

RE: LUKE ROTJ
Might have been - but I was reiterating the fact that the outfit is not a jumper because I spoke with someone at FIDM who had hands on access to the costume. I talked to other fans in the past month who still believed the costume was a jump suit. I also believe I read strong 'jumpsuit' support in this thread at one point. I just wanted to remove all doubt for those who don't have time to comb through DVDs since no screen caps were posted as evidence.

If my FIDM notes are a repeat of anything others have observed I don't see that as a negative. I just wanted to post all my own notes and reaffirm/confirm what others were seeing and shed new light where possible.

As for the other info I posted, I was only making a clarification on fabric that farrellg had speculated on. But Jedhead1 has a point. If you read just a few pages back (or my FIDM notes above) you'll see discucssions on fabric speculation. The shirt/pants fabric has already been discussed.


- Kay Dee

 

I've never had to roughen the metal with sandpaper. This is a chemical oxidizer. Think of the way really old silverware will turn black. It doesn't need to be roughened up to hold. But sandpaper will give it a brushed metal effect if that's what you like.

- Kay Dee

 

FYI, there's a ROTJ belt on ebay, although the buckle is rectangular.

http://cgi.ebay.com/STAR-WARS-LUKE-ROTJ-BELT-POUCH-COSTUME-PROP_W0QQitemZ8743197017QQcategoryZ154QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Not a bad looking belt. Pretty simple, especially when you leave the Tandy belt blank rectangular and silver.

I wonder if he made, or bought the pouch? It looks like a different dye and finish job than the belt.

 

Oh, that's Ashton Synn, aka NyghtCraft--his stuff is always great, and he's always on eBay. I got three custom belts total from him, and I love them.

He makes everything himself, pouches and belts alike. Consider that the pouch leather is a different weight than the belt, and we all know no two dye jobs are never the same. Not to mention camera photos, lighting, our computer screen resolutions/color output, etc.

 

I suppose so. This belt, holster and redyed pouch I did in this pic are all different weights of leather. They have the same dye and finish, so they all look pretty close to each other, I think.

[image=http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/JediLoreen/Weapons/beltholster4.jpg]

 

I'm hoping to have my wife make me an ESB Besbin costume this year. She's very good with a needle and thread--she made me the Falcon Jacket in black, and boy it looks good. Can anyone help me out with reference photos, patterns, or advice? I've looked far and wide and have found few pictures or info. It would be SO much easier doing practically any other outfit from the series!!!

 

I'm sure Official Pix has some on their website.

 

Actually, you could use the Falcon jacket pattern as a template and just modify that slightly--that pattern is really versatile, and the Bespin jacket is very similiar in shape. Just make it a tighter fit, change the pockets, and add some hidden buttons down the front. And I hate to say it, but freeze-framing TESB is your best resource for studying this costume. (I don't know why it's never been displayed in any of the SW costume exhibits...maybe it was ruined somehow?)

There were several prolific publicity shots of this costume back then that pop up all over the place now, so it shouldn't be too hard to find them. Google Images is your friend. Phayze posted this link to his album of ESB references photos on page 1 of this thread: http://photobucket.com/albums/v295/reverendz3n/Luke%20ESB%20Ref/

My best advice to you for modifying a pattern to make a costume you haven't done before is to make a cheap muslin or mock-up first. Until you perfect that, then you can go ahead and make your final costume.