 PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA Star Wars: A New Hope Senatorial Gown |
| Costume Stats: |
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Costume Completed: 2011 Costume Remade: 2016 Debut: Dragon*Con 2011 |
| Convention History: |
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Dragon*Con 2011 Dragon*Con 2016 Dragon*Con 2018 Dragon*Con 2019 |
| Events: |
| Halloween 2020 |
| Photo Castmates: |
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Han Solo: Sketch |
| Photo Credits: |
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Sketch ChezPhoto Photography MegAnne Photography |
Construction Notes:
I originally made a really crummy version of Leia's senatorial gown in 2011; it was thrown together with whatever white fabric I had laying around and a craft foam belt with glass gems glued to it. Although it was was a decent enough last-minute drinking costume for Dragon*Con (I'm pretty sure I even wore flip flops with it) I've always been a Leia fan and it was obviously not something I was proud of or willing to wear again until I could do it properly. In 2016 I was determined to cosplay Leia for real, and decided to use the Rebel Legion's standards since they were the experts on her design. Since the Legion requires that the tunic have no shoulder seams or seams in the front or back, I skipped over the Simplicity Star Wars patterns and used a T-tunic pattern instead, similar to what is used for a Christmas pageant angel. The fabric is a light, slightly stretchy poly-blend, which feels like pajamas and is super comfy. The tunic is double-layered both to give it some weight and so make sure its not completely see-though, though I still wear a leotard under it to add an extra layer of opaqueness. The entire thing is one-piece and slips over the head, with a metal clasp faster at the neck. The partial hood is made from a rectangle piece attached at the shoulders. I bought the belt off of eBay, which is a white faux matte leather and real metal accents and closes in the back with Velcro. The boots were also an awesome eBay find; they have flat (though slightly wedged for height) soles which is accurate to Leia and their design looks decently sci-fi in my opinion. For props I originally used a storm trooper blaster, which is a resin model kit Sketch assembled and painted, but it is so horribly heavy that I now prefer to use the Defender blaster that Leia wields at the start of A New Hope that I found online. It is 3D printed and much more lightweight and enjoyable to carry around. For her iconic cinnamon bun hairstyle i originally tried using my own hair and adding clip-on pieces, but that failed miserably, so I ended up commissioning a wig from My Favorite Obsession as she made them with the proper non-braided style and it came out perfectly!
Photoshoot Pics:
