You can’t go to a theater now that is showing Star Wars: The Force Awakens without running into at least a handful of people dressed as Princess Lea or Hans Solo. It’s not just older characters; Poe, Rey and BB-8 are on their way to becoming folk heroes too, and influencing fashion, beyond the Cineplex.
The current Star Wars fashion trends started in the fall of 2014 with Rodarte. The sisters behind this conceptual brand, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, were not even born when the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, came out in 1977. Yet, they paid homage with a series of evening dresses that have prints of the original characters including Luke Skywalker, C3PO and R2RD as well as the Galactic Empire’s Death Star.
Before The Force Awakens even opened, Bloomingdales sponsored a charity auction, “Force 4 Fashion,” benefitting Child Mind Institute. Eleven designers across the spectrum participated, riffing off of a variety of Star Wars characters and motifs from all of the movies. Todd Snyder’s Chewbacca inspired coat is almost too cute to wear. Even the storm troopers had their day at the opening ceremony with this floor length micro suede overcoat from Ovadia & Sons.
You may not see anyone walking down the street wearing a full-on Obi-Wan Kenobi robe but loose fitting, desert appropriate clothing with angles, folds and twists are heading our way this spring and summer. Baja East and Rick Owens have arresting pieces that can be worn with Kayne West’s Yeezy Boost 350, which resemble boots in the movie.
Orange and white is the new orange is the new black. Oscar Issac’s character, Poe, and his droid friend, BB-8, sport these colors throughout the movie. Cynthia Rowley previewed a football uniform using them at “Force 4 Fashion.” Also, Poe, a fighter pilot, is wearing a military orange boiler suit, making me wonder if coveralls might make a comeback as General/Princess Leia is wearing them too, albeit in khaki.
I’m pretty surprised The Force Awakens did not get an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design but since it no doubt is proving to have a much more of a far ranging influence than any of the five movies that got the nod, costume designer, Michael Kaplan, will have the last laugh. For nearly 40 years, Star Wars mania has been with us. With the latest film, it shows no signs of dying down any time soon and we’ll be sure to see more of it on the streets and runways over the next year.
