Natalie's Padme Ripped Geonosis Costume Build

LeiaAurora ()

Finish one costume and move right on the next, right?

I have the full version of this costume already approved and I love wearing it! However, as mentioned in my Slave Leia build, I have lost a significant amount of weight and it no longer fits quite right. Luckily, I've been able to just take it in and still look fine but it is getting to the point where that may not be an option in another few months.

With that being said, I decided I wanted to tackle Padme's ripped battle costume. Luckily, I already own the necessary accessories etc and just needed a new top made.

I found the perfect fabric at Michael Levine's in the LA fabric district with the help of my friend. Thanks, Lisa! It was definitely costly at $14/yard but its absolutely beautiful and feels amazing.

I "believe" this is the exact fabric I purchased but can't be sure since its online. The price/description/look all seem to match so thought I would put it here for any other Padme's looking for fabric. Amadalia

http://www.lowpricefabric.com/p-8866-ponte-leggero-ml247540-off-white.aspx

I ended up purchasing 4 yards for the pants/ripped top combo, FYI.

My sewing skills are improving but are definitely still minimal so I am working closely with a seamstress who I have used in the past for this outfit. This is also new territory for her costume wise so it has been a learning experience for the both of us.

The initial fitting was today and overall I am happy with the look of the costume. The majority of the stitches currently are basting and will be redone with the correct stitches to fit standards this week. We just wanted to make sure everything looked correct and fit well. Cannot stress enough how absolutely BEAUTIFUL this fabric is.

First, the pants. We will definitely be making them shorter so that they just hit my ankles and we are making the waistband hit right under my belly button. For purposes of the initial fitting and this build album, we just stuck with front/back/right shots.

Now the full ensemble on (pre ripping).

The neckline WILL be taken in. Once it was on, we could definitely see it was too big all the way around. Not sure if you can see it in the pictures but there are pins in place where it will be taken in.

The top was the trickiest part but she was able to line up everything correctly seam wise and once I had it on, you could see it lined up perfectly over the bust.

My sleeves are also too long at this point so we will be bringing them up a bit before the final fitting. Right now they hit the knuckle at my thumb but hers look to hit just a bit past her wrist. It's tricky because I have unusually long arms and when I bend at the elbow, the sleeves tend to pull too far.

These are the main things that need fixing that I see.

1. Make neckline smaller
2. Make pants shorter
3. Bring sleeves up to hit wrist

Is there anything else that I may not be seeing in regards to this costume?
TIA Wink
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Lora Skywalker () · Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 12:48 pm Post subject:

Yes, the sleeves shouldn't be separate pieces, but the shirt is front + back, sleeves and all.
Currently your pant seams doesn't run all the length either, so that is also something to change.

And for movements sake, I'd recommend adding in the diamond under the armpit. Smile

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LeiaAurora () · Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 2:10 pm Post subject:

Lora Skywalker () · Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 2:20 am Post subject:

Yes, the back with sleeves are one large piece, and so is the front with sleeves. The sleeves aren't set in. You just got the top seam line and the bottom seam line on the sleeves, no seam line at the armseye.
It's like Leia's senatorial dress; no seam line between bodice and sleeves. Smile

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LeiaAurora () · Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 3:40 pm Post subject:

MissOBkenobi () · Posted: Mon May 29, 2017 6:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks so much for suggesting a fabric!! Been looking for one for a couple weeks, i look forward to seeing your costume finished keep us updated!

LeiaAurora () · Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 5:30 pm Post subject:

We recut the fabric to follow Lora's advice. The neckline has also been fixed as well as the sleeve length. After this fitting, it will actually be stitched correctly and not have just basting. We will be taking it in as it is still a bit too big around my waist area but it should be done by Friday at the latest.

I really cannot stress how extremely comfortable this fabric is. It has just enough stretch and fits beautifully!

Please excuse my sloppy hair and no makeup. We had to do this fitting at 7AM and taking this shirt on and off with makeup on is NOT advised unless proper precautions are made white battle padme

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LeiaAurora () · Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2017 6:38 pm Post subject:

The full version of this costume is done! Can I get any input on the stitches etc before we "rip" it?

Does anything need altering?

Pants first.

Now the top.

I didn't have time to stop by for a fitting before this weekend so will take further photos on Monday once I have it in my possession.

How does everything look? Are we good to move forward to the rips?

Also, question on that. How specific does the tear need to be? In some photos of Padme wearing this, the rip is definitely angled down towards her arm like in this shot.

In other photos, it looks like its straight across in front.

In some shots, it appears to be longer down the front.

Before we cut this top, I would like this clarified please. Is there a specific amount of inches under the bust it needs to be etc? Sorry for all the questions but this is expensive fabric and I don't want to have to buy more and remake it if we cut it too short. TIA. white battle padme

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LeiaAurora () · Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 8:14 pm Post subject:

Well, we proceeded with the cutting of the shirt. This is the "almost" finished result.

Still need to fix the ripped sleeve. My seamstress wasn't sure how it would look on so she wanted to wait until I tried it on before ripping it more.

Our biggest question concerns the rips in the back. I am a bit more endowed than Natalie Portman. I need to wear a bra. Her rips clearly show her back and where a bra would normally show. Is it all right for me to make the tears "around" my bra so that it doesn't show and I can wear one for modesty?

Here is a shot of the back and the pink lines show where we would like to make the rips. Will this be approved?

Once I get input on the tears, we can finish this costume and I can submit. Any tips on this from other approved Padme's is appreciated! TIA.
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SongofAmazon (Jenna) · Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 5:27 am Post subject:

It's looking pretty good to me. It looks like you're pinning it that way, but you'll want a more angled rip across the front. I think you're well-placed to add the rips in the back as well.
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LeiaAurora () · Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 5:37 am Post subject:

LeiaAurora () · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 5:02 pm Post subject:

The top is finally finished! We did a final fitting and "ripping" on Saturday and completely finished it on Sunday night. I will be submitting for approval in the next few days.

I have to say, I really like this costume! Now that I have both, I can understand the appeal.

We ended up having me wear the top while we cut the rips. We had a visual photo of Padme as we cut and constantly compared before making the snips. The rip on her sleeve is almost a crescent shape so we followed that. The rips in the back are low and spaced pretty evenly and that helped us a lot in terms of being able to space it around my bra.

I chose a nude bra that had the thinnest back strap I could find so that it wouldn't show when I wear this. If it does move, I can always use fashion tape to keep it in place. I'm very pleased with the finished result.

Fitting before the cuts.

After the cuts were made.

My only regret is I don't have the droid blaster she uses as part of this costume. white battle padme

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LeiaAurora () · Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 3:40 pm Post subject:

Submitted last night. white battle padme

On a side note, I redid my hair piece and I am super pleased with it! I used foam rollers from the Dollar Tree (skinny ones that are blue), black duct tape, E6000 spray on glue and Kanekalon hair.

When I used to just wrap the fake hair around the rollers, the color would show through and it was just a big pain. This time, I taped three rollers together with black tape and that took care of the color issue. I then rolled sections of the Kanekalon around the roller after spraying E6000 on them. I would clip the hair in place , after gluing, with baby hair clips and let it sit overnight. Once it had dried, I continued gluing the hair the entire length of the rollers. Once the hair was twisted and glued in place, I looped the pieces around each other loosely. To keep in in place is surprisingly easy. I put my hair in a low ponytail and then braided it into 4 separate sections. I placed the hair piece I had made over the ponytail and braids and then looped my own hair through the piece to keep it in place. I then used a few small bobby pins to keep it place under my hair and voila! So very, very happy with how it came out. You can see how it looks in the photo below.

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LeiaAurora () · Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:26 pm Post subject:

Approved!

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MissOBkenobi () · Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:44 pm Post subject:

I love the detail you gave in your pictures of the decorative stitching and everything! I'm working on my ep. 2 padme as well and am just wondering how you made or did her silver armbands?

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