Star Wars is sharing some new fashion facts about The Empire Strikes Back.
Fashion trends come and go every decade, especially over the course of 40 years. But when it’s something like the costuming in The Empire Strikes Back, nothing can detract from those iconic looks that we saw Luke, Leia, Han, and others wear in the film.
Now, StarWars.com went behind the scenes to reveal some of the hidden details that we might have missed in the fifth installment of the Skywalker saga. But, keep in mind, back then, this was really only the second installment in the series. And with that return as a sequel, it meant playing with new costumes and new looks for everyone involved — even those in the Empire.
Star Wars revealed a lot of fashionable facts about Episode V, but to keep it simple, we’re sharing the four most interesting facts about The Empire Strikes Back’s fashion.
1. The first true stormtrooper switch up
With The Empire Strikes Back being the first return of all the Star Wars characters, this gave the designers plenty of opportunities to take inspiration from the old movie, but also keep things fresh with some new looks. The Star Wars blog notes that because of this, this is the first time we see a true variation of the Empire’s stormtrooper uniform with the introduction of snow troopers. These troopers were designed with the climate of Hoth in mind, hence the more bundled-up look. Plus, these new designs gave way to the likes of scout troopers and Sith troopers.
2. Han’s jacket isn’t the color you think it is
Cosplayers know this debate already, but Han’s jacket on Hoth isn’t the color it appears on screen. In the film, the jacket appears to be a navy blue. But as the blog mentions, the jacket is actually dark brown! Han’s jacket was “the dress” before the dress went viral.
3. Luke had a lot of costume doubles
If you’re battling Darth Vader, you’ll probably really take a beating. And not to mention, your clothes will, too. That’s what happened to Luke Skywalker, of course, in his lightsaber battle against Vader — so the costume department had to be well prepared. No, they didn’t just hack up Luke’s outfit as the battle went on. Instead, the blog mentions that there were 16 variants of Luke’s beige costume to reflect the different amounts of damage he took during their lightsaber battle.
4. Darth Vader’s look is a lot comfier
Speaking of Darth Vader, Episode V was all about ironing out the kinks. Not literally, of course, but they were able to make some unseen adjustments to the costume so wearing it would be much more comfortable. No, Vader wasn’t wearing his best Work-From-Home ‘fit. But the blog says:
"The costume department made six different helmets for the movie. Some of the changes simply made the costume more comfortable for the actor inside, including the redesign of the mechanism to attach the dome to the mask."
The design was so great that it stuck around for the sixth movie. But for maximum comfort, maybe Vader should have tried to implement casual Friday aboard the Death Star.
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