Need general Padme costuming info

[Zrissa (Linda Whitson)]

Later this month, I will be appearing on the Geek Fatale podcast to discuss Star Wars costuming. (Yes, Otter knows )
Of course, I expect to talk mostly about the costumes I do or have researched--Jedi, X-wing pilot, RotS Tantive IV crew; however, I know at least one of the hosts has expressed some interest in elaborate Padme costumes (like the RotS nightgown), so I expect to be asked about them. Plus Otter suggested it as well, as an example of what the RL women "excel at".

I was hoping some of you could give me answers to a few general questions (& of course are suitable for giving to non-RL members):
How long it takes to make these gowns?
Rough cost range for a few costumes?
Where do you get patterns/notions/fabrics?
How long does it take to get ready for an appearance?
Where do you wear these--just at cons & indoor events, in parades?
Anything else you can think of?
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Z'Rissa
Arkansas Regional Captain, Kessel Base
Proud member of Spice Runners Squadron

[Aysel ()]

to your anything else question: the jewels and hair can sometimes take the longest to make and most times have to be made completely from scratch. Your lucky if you can find the jewel bits in the right sizes and shapes.
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The Flagship Eclipse Detachment Leader 2011/2012
Kashyyyk Base Commanding Officer 2012/2013
Kashyyyk Base Membership Officer 2013/2014

[SoloYT1300 (Robert Kohn)]

An old costumers creed:
You can make a costume with a small budget
You can make a costume accuratly
You can make a costume in a short amount of time

You can do any 2 of the items mentioned above... but you cant have all three! Keep that in mind when making any costume. For you can get carried away and spend a ton, or you can slow poke it under a budget. You need to figure how you want to proceed when making a costume.

Read read read... the more research you do before you buy materials the more money you will save!

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How long it takes to make these gowns?

All depends how accurate you want it, and how much money and skill you posses.

Rough cost range for a few costumes?

Some costumes require much more in material costs than others. It will also depend if your making it or paying a seamstress to make it. Figure material x3 if you have someone else make it to be safe of the budget side.

Where do you get patterns/notions/fabrics?

Many of the costumes you see on our site or scratch built including the patterns. There are many paterns that can be "used" to assist in the making of a costume, best thing you can do is ask someone via PM who has made the costume allready about pattern info. I would also read the forums a while... info might be right in front of you .

How long does it take to get ready for an appearance?

With the elaborate head pieces and hairdoos it varies from costume to costumer. My wifes hair for Padme must be worked on either over night in curlers or hours ahead of time during the day of the event.

Where do you wear these--just at cons & indoor events, in parades?

Many of the finer gowns will never see a parade route. Wih the trains and the costs of the gowns most will not subject them to the wear and tear of a dirty road. Mostly indoor events and controlled enviroments.

Anything else you can think of?

Royalty/Senatorialand the Rebel Legion Galactic Senate

Read read read read...
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[Zrissa (Linda Whitson)]

Thanks both of you. I have been reading here & will do more reading.
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Z'Rissa
Arkansas Regional Captain, Kessel Base
Proud member of Spice Runners Squadron

[gunslingerpadme ()]

With Padme costumes, I've learned that the number one most useful tip ever is to:

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Most of us don't have access to some of rather... rare or odd materials that some of the elaborate costumes have in them. Either the fabrics were one of a kind, materials are antique finds, or, in my case, I don't have a workshop to make them. Just remember that craft foam, paint, paper mache, vac-forming, glue, glitter, sintra, clay, wire, and solid research pictures can help you see some of those never going to find items in a new way.

[allycat (Ally Bock)]

One of the things I've noticed while researching costumes is that there is the Naboo symbol somewhere on almost all her outfits. Like with the one I have which is the velvet battle outfit from TPM has the symbol upside down on the belt buckle. With the red/yellow handmaiden dress, it is on the inner sleeve. If you look closely, it is on some of her headdresses as well.

Mine is not as elaborate as some others, but if you want I can answer those questions too.

[Zrissa (Linda Whitson)]

Thanks, Ally. If the hosts want a whole lot of details--or decide they're serious, I'll point them to you.
Personally, I love the gowns you all do here--but doing anything like that would drive me crazier than I am. My X-wing flak vest took about 18 hours to make over a week or so & that was bad enough.
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Z'Rissa
Arkansas Regional Captain, Kessel Base
Proud member of Spice Runners Squadron

[Princess Cryvo (Crystal von Oy)]

I think Robert hit the nail on the head!
Also thinking outside of the box is key with a lot of these costumes, and RESEARCH!!
Some fabric that I just could not find for one of my gowns I made, I took an existing fabric and made it what I needed.

For one of my head pieces, I started with a pool noodle as a base.

I have been unemployed for a year, so I have the curse of no $$ to fund these costumes so I have had to use what I have and think outside of the box. But in retrospect, I have the blessing of time which others may not have.
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"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" - Walt Disney

[GentleBant ()]

How long it takes to make these gowns?
Sometimes it starts with a few months of research and looking around to see if materials are going to be available or attainable
Some costumes have taken me over a year when factoring in research, prep, shopping, etc. (And that doesn't include going back and redoing parts or props or segments!)

Rough cost range for a few costumes?
Um, I think the cheapest costume for me was Snow Bunny Padmé , which ended up being less than $200 if I don't factor in the blaster (which was "borrowed" from my battle handmaiden costume).
My ROTS Senate gown ended up being more in the $400+ range after dyes and everything was counted in. (Which totally scares me when I stop and think about it!)

Where do you get patterns/notions/fabrics?
Anywhere I can find them; stores, thrift stores, yard sales, online stores, eBay, fashion district, other clothing items, upholstery sources... If something doesn't exist, sometimes you have to special order, create, or make do with something close.
I use a lot of Dharma dyes in my costumes, and am exploring having some fabric made through Spoonflower.
A great resource, of couse, is here! Ask and see what others have done or what they may have seen; take advantage of the knowledge more experienced costumers have.
I have used a lot of sculpey at times.
The "think outside the box" comment is great: sometimes things become available in forms you're not expecting. Or, a friend with a skill can be a huge help, even if at first they don't seem to have an applicable business. (My Naboo pistol and belt buckle were made by a family friend who does deck and railing work for boats and homes; he did a great job!)

How long does it take to get ready for an appearance?
Anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

Where do you wear these--just at cons & indoor events, in parades?
Did the Rose Parade, but that wast LFL's gown. Otherwise, cons and events, both indoor and outdoor.

Anything else you can think of?
Research everything and keep notes (or at least a mental note) of what you'll be needing. You never know when that one special bead or button or trim (or shade of fabrid) will show up somewhere, and you want to be absolutely sure you're ready for it and know it's what you need when it does! And always buy more material than you need, so if there's an "oops" or problem, you're not in tears in a heap the night before you're supposed to be wearing a costume.


Now, I'm definitely not the best seamstress, and my ideas and ideals far outpace my ability, so there are others who may have much better advice than I. I hope this is helpful, at least a little!
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[gunslingerpadme ()]

GentleBant nailed it on the head on keeping notes on your research. Or at least organizing your research photos into files on your hard drive. And sometimes that weird item you are looking for does come from out of the blue.

As far as time, it took me about a rounded year to make my Padme Parade Gown. From research, to finding fabric, dyeing petals, sewing, and constructing, it evened out to a year, with a cost of about $300 to $400. I find it hard to nail down prices because you always end up buying things one at a time and spread out, so unless I'm keeping active track of how much I'm spending, I loose track

As far as patterns/notions/fabrics, those have been covered mostly. Never be afraid to dye your own fabric! Dharma Trading is very helpful on how to do this.

Sintra, a sign making material, is your best friend in the making odd little accessories. I've made the pastel lake gown neck piece with it, the RotS Mustafar outfit buckle and pin with it. I know some people on these boards have made the family gown headband with it..... I love Sintra. It's magical.

Sculpty is also just as magical and amazing, to get so great to get details on things that mostly flat Sintra can't.

To other, much more experienced ladies and gents on this board, maybe listing a "Padme Costume Making Survival Kit" would be a great thing to mention?

[Padme of Hidden Lake ()]

How long it takes to make these gowns?
Depends on the gown. My fireside took less than a week once I found the fabrics - about a day for the skirt and 3 for the corset (partially b/c I broke beyond repair my mom's sewing machine and had to go buy a new one in the middle). The Necklace took a day for the strands (got lucky and found a beaded scarf that I could take strands from for parts of them) and the beading on the choker itself and 2 days for the brooch. Hair piece took a couple of hours and my dad did the headbands for me. My Lake gown took a month to mod the pattern for the underlayer, create a pattern for the top layer, sew and dye the fabrics then put the layers together. The wig took me about 2 weeks to make and the jewelry a couple days (per version). So far my Picnic gown has taken a year and an half - I still need to attach the sleeves, hem it to the proper length and finish the sequins on the dress part, then do all the embroidery on the corset and put that together and make the head band. I waited almost 5 years to start it after doing the research while looking for the right fabric.
Rough cost range for a few costumes?
Fireside: I spent $50 - the lace was left over from a friend, I used pleather not real leather, I used scraps for the collar and behind the beading on the brooch, old headphone bands for the headband, and a couple of perm curlers for the hair piece (wrapped in artificial hair)
Lake Gown: $400 - I used 20 yards of silk, real human hair for the wig (over chicken wire) sculpty for the necklace and bronze sheets for the arm bands.
Picnic (so far): $100 (or $700 if you count the plane tickets but i would have gone regardless so I don't count them) - the fabric came from Egypt - I negociated for it at a market in Cairo - approximately $30 for 11 meters of 120 inch wide fabric (a lot of it was used for other things) 10 yards of silk for the middle layer (as in I added a modesty layer of swimsuit liner) sequins, corset fabrics (4 different ones for the different layers) decorators trim for the headbands, rose appliques, and premade crochets bun covers, ribbons included in price even though I haven't used them yet.
Where do you get patterns/notions/fabrics?
Fabrics I searched every where for - found some in Cairo, Egypt visiting a friend, others were at local shops, I dyed almost all of them my self so all I had to worry about was fiber content and pattern. Any time I go into a fabric store I will look around and see if I can find anything that I could use for any costume that may be of interest to me to make in the future, same thing with notions. Most of my patterns were either drafted by me or modded from something else more common.
How long does it take to get ready for an appearance?
Fireside - 20 minutes - make up takes the longest
Lake - 45 minutes - mostly taping it on - before I made the wig 4 hours - the hair alone took 3 hours.
Where do you wear these--just at cons & indoor events, in parades?
I have worn them in parades - the Fireside has a protective panel sewn into the skirt that keeps the delicate fabric off the ground but can't be seen. The silk on the Lake gown stays up on its own in the breeze if I walk fast enough and i gather it in when we stop
Anything else you can think of?
Patience and creativity are key. Think out of the box and don't rush things and you will do fine.
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[Zrissa (Linda Whitson)]

Thanks for all your help. We recorded the podcast last night & I had a lot of fun doing it. I passed on a lot of these tips, and also made a lot of mental notes for myself.
Maybe this coming year, I'll try a simple Leia costume, which I've always wanted. Something simple for starters--like altering my grandfathered-in Endor commando to do Leia's Endor one. I might as well--I get called Leia every time I wear it.
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Z'Rissa
Arkansas Regional Captain, Kessel Base
Proud member of Spice Runners Squadron