True-blue Star Wars fans should plan a trek to view an unusual traveling exhibit in Seattle, Washington. “Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume” gives a rare opportunity to see 60 original costumes from the six Star Wars movies.
The exhibit is at the Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum, a museum dedicated to contemporary pop culture. After October, the costumes will travel across the United States through 2020. Other exhibit locations have not yet been announced.
Exhibit designers from the Smithsonian and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts encourage visitors to view videos and read descriptions with insider info about construction, idea development, and cultural influences for the costumes.
One such tidbit reveals the power behind Queen Amidala’s red throne room gown: a car battery worn under the heavy costume during filming. Another explains that Chewbacca’s fur is a combination of Yak hair and mohair.
The factoids are fun, but the exhibit is really all about the clothes. Curators of the collection placed the costumes on faceless mannequins in order keep the emphasis on the extraordinary garments instead of the characters.
Maybe it’s the clothing that makes the Jedi Master after all.
