All ages, from 8-80, will enjoy the Smithsonian’s “Star Wars and the Power of Costume,” open now at Discovery Times Square, featuring iconic costumes from the fantastical world of George Lucas’ six blockbuster “Star Wars” films, as well as a selection from the soon-to-be released “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” See below for a slideshow of costume highlights.
Costumes tell stories even when characters come from “a galaxy far, far away.” And a collection of over 70 of the finest hand-crafted costumes and intricate artifacts from “Star Wars,” culled from the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, have a lot of timeless stories to tell.
As the visitors begin their journey in the first of 15 elaborately staged galleries organized around nine “chapters” or themes, they are greeted with an introductory film clip featuring footage and interviews with Lucas himself, the concept drawing artists, costume designers, and even a hologram surprise! “The detailed precision of a design can be as bold a measure of storytelling as words on page, leading to truths at the core of a character, situation or shared history. From initial concept drawing to complex physical constructions, the costumes featured in this exhibition serve to further define crucial aspects of worlds created to move, educate and entertain us-to inspire the imagination,” Lucas says on-screen.
When the screen fades to black, a massive vault door opens up into the first chapter of the interactive storytelling, told through the expressive power of costumes. Dressing a Galaxy is an exhilarating yet sometimes challenging affair, as the visitors learn by checking out Queen Amidala’s famous scarlet Throne Room Gown. In Smithsonian tradition, the costume is a story in itself, supplying the words even without the actor’s presence. The rich color coupled with intricate detailing symbolize royalty, opulence, and a rich society, as opposed to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Robes, the burlap-looking simple silk, representing a different time of sparsity and a struggling society. The dress’s bottom is decorated with light up globes, which were operated by a battery that Natalie Portman, the actress playing the character, was holding between her legs. The electronic flipbook, like many throughout the show, tells this anecdote that explains Portman’s limited amount of movement in the film.
The flipbooks in all galleries show interviews, concept art by artists such as Ralph McQuarrie and Iain McCaig, costume designs of John Mollo and Trisha Biggar, and back stories and evolutions of the costumes are just some ways that the exhibit engages its visitors. Visitors’ tactile senses are engaged as well versus the fabric swaths that once can touch and feel. And a sense of discovery is enticed via the buttons that people can press to have their own light saber battle or hear the terrifying Darth Vader’s breathing. Kids will love playing a part in the movie, by standing next to interactive screens that transform one into a Jedi or a Stormtrooper, gadgets, et al.
“The Smithsonian wanted to tell a different kind of story from Lucas’s films,” explains Saul Sopoci-Drake, the exhibit’s curator. “Exhibit’s purpose is to show the amount of detailed hours long team effort fine work, the stories behind the costumes.”
The craftsmanship focus of the five years in the making exhibit is reflected in the amount of details presented: while some minor characters’ wardrobes appeared on screen for only a few seconds, are given a lot of attention here. The incredibly well preserved costumes show the juxtapositions and dualities of the “Star Wars” universe: That good and evil are not always obvious. For example, a Stormtrooper’s white costume does not signify his good nature and the black robe is not always a villain’s mark.
The collection of costumes for the “Royalty” gallery is a work of art mimicking the heights of Haute Couture and will be enjoyed by costume design and high fashion connoisseurs alike, consisting everything from feathers to intricate leatherwork, a beaded bolo, encrusted balls, etched felt, and more. The mirrored display allows for an all angles views so visitors can admire the costumes’ back train detailing as well.
Symbolism and military power so prevalent in “Star Wars” costumes of faceless Stormtroopers is presented in a mirrored gallery that creates an illusion of numerous militias. Stepping into the next gallery visitors will get lost in the power dynamics played out in the costume creation inspired by military officers from Nazi Germany or heroic American astronauts, everything is traced back to a real life referent and shows how power can be effused and costumes can make characters come alive. Fans will gasp at the “Devolving Palpatine” gallery, as the evolution of costume demonstrates the character’s turn to evil, first in a reptilian robe, and finally as a satanic red crotchety-looking monster, with the mannequins changing their shapes under the robes as well.
“Star Wars” enthusiasts will love seeing Ewoks, Yoda, and of course, the legendary Princess Leia’s Slave Bikini. Visitors will also be delighted to see Chewbacca and learn that he was inspired by Lucas’ own dog, Indiana!
The ending “chapter” is a gallery filled with costumes from the soon to be released “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” film. Seeing these new costumes, visitors can notice that the classic archetypes of the series continue to resonate with people, even though costumes tend to be more streamlined. The new helmets might be printed using 3D printer technology for the new film, but movie goers will see a costume and immediately recognize the role that a character plays due to details like aviation inspired return to earlier style. While the costume budget went up from the early movies on, the new film’s costumes are purposeful returns to classic styles while maintaining the established formula of archetype storytelling that the films are known for: the light and darkness, the good and the evil, the sons and fathers.
Here, like in previous films, the costumes tell the stories.
“Star Wars and the Power of Costume” is open now at Discovery Times Square and will be on view through September 5, 2016. Tickets start at $20. To learn more, visit powerofcostume.si.edu.
