Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Character: Senator Amidala
Variant: Senate address gown
Debut: May 2007
Coat
Simplicity 4156 is an excellent pattern as starting point for drafting a suitable pattern for the coat. We needed about 8 meters of navy blue velveteen for the coat. The coat has navy blue satin piping in almost every seam.
The skirt is sewed flat into the waist seam at the front part. In contrast to this, the skirt part at the back is frilled at the waist seam.
The upper sleeves are a sandwich construction. The outer layer of the sleeves is navy blue velveteen and has piping in the seams. The lining of the sleeves is tight-fitting. In-between these two layers we put wadding to make the sleeves puffy. The lower sleeves are made of night blue shantung. They are two-piece and are closed with shantung covered buttons.
The Elizabethan styled collar has a stiff interfacing (some kind of buckram) inserted in the upper part to make it stand up. The collar is piped at the edge. It has five seams underneath in the back upper part which are also piped. Each side of the collar beneath the waist line is embroidered with twelve golden ornaments. These Naboo motifs remind me of leaves on a branch. The lower ten motifs consist of three “leaves” on a branch. They all have the same shape and size. The second ornament from top has the same size than the lower ten, but one of the three “leaf-like” parts is missing. The ornament on top is smaller than the other eleven ornaments (only about 73 % of the size of the other ornaments), and there’s only one “leaf” left. The embroidery is done by machine with golden thread.
The back drape is made of crinkled taffeta and consists of two shawls which are fixed to the overcoat right beneath the collar at breast height. In the back, the two shawls are held together by a tube of crinkled taffeta just below the waist line.
Underdress
The underdress is made of yellow moiré taffeta (or Bengaline) and consists of two parts: a skirt and a separate bodice.
The bodice is sleeveless and has a high neck collar. The collar and the chest area of the bodice are decorated with an embroidered appliqué. The embroidery consists of iridescent anthracite beads and amber and night blue convex rhinestones. The beads and rhinestones are embroidered on a yellow netting (it’s easier to embroider a net than the moiré taffeta itself). The bodice is further on decorated with three V-shaped rows of a pearl trim. This pearl trim is a double-row pearl trim. It’s also self-made and consists of two rows of anthracite beads sewed onto night blue soutache. The lowest row of the pearl trims is at the edge of the bodice to hide the edge of the bodice.
The skirt is also decorated with three V-shaped rows of double-row pearl trims.
Forehead jewelry
A dear friend of mine made the forehead jewelry for me. It’s made of golden wire and different purple glass beads and rhinestones. It’s fixed on a small plate with a hairgrip to fix it in the hair over the forehead.
Hairpiece
The whole hairpiece consists of two wing shaped hairpieces back-to-back. Wire mesh was base of the each of the single hairpieces. I cut the wire mesh in a wing shaped form and stabilized it by additionally attaching thick wire. Then I covered it with brown felt to completely hide the wire mesh. I glued loose hair into bias tape and sew it onto the skeletal structure. Then I put the two aliform hairpieces together and secured the connection with thin wire. The hairpiece is kept in place by two combs which were also sewn onto the hairpiece.
Acknowledgment
- Thank you, Kay, for the jewelry.
- Birgit Müller, thank you for the pictures!
