Star Wars Episode 2 – Padmé’s Wedding Gown
Padmé’s wedding gown from Star Wars Episode 1 is a carefully arranged insanity of antique lace, cording embroidery, pearls, tulle and taffeta.
My motivation to make it is not that I am planning to get married. In fact, that will never happen. The only person I would ever want to marry hates me; and I practically just live from year to year for the one day of that year when we call each other.
No, wanting to get married was not my motivation; and anyways, my own wedding dress would look different (namely: Elizabethan versus Edwardian style; also, blue instead of white).
However, I found the hunt for accurate materials to create a faithful reproduction of Padmé’s wedding gown challenging – all in all, that hunt took two years.
Yes, you read that right – two years.
I could have probably managed to find the materials in less than three months, but that would have cost more than a used car; I’m not kidding you on that matter. You know the rule – buy quick, buy cheap, buy quality; you usually just get just two of those three.
I opted for cheap and quality, and therefore had to sacrifice time. Note that „cheap“, in this case, still means more than US-$1,000 for the materials. However, shelling that money out over a timespan of over two years was easier than having to shell it out all at once.
Let me start by discussing….
The Materials
The gown uses quite a few different materials and also various lace types.
Veil
The veil, as can be clearly seen in the picture above, is bordered by Maltese lace. Maltese lace originates from Malta, an Italian island, and is (very!) easily identifiable by the Maltese crosses which are worked into the lace design.
The veil is also covered with what looks like spirals of pearl drops on stems – those are actually artificial flower stamens. They were, historically, made by dipping thin, paper-wrapped wires into wax.
There are also Edwardian Wax flowers scattered all over the cap that covers the head, which, too, are traditionally made from wax (and also came on paper-wrapped wires).
Here are my findings for the wax drop stamens and flowers:
And yes, those are REAL, antique (c. 1900-1920) wax flowers and stamens. Particularly the flowers, of which I only have 90 (which is barely enough for the veil cap!), did cost a fortune; and sewing them onto the cap prevents me from ever having the possibility to actually wash the veil. Still, they are the one and only true way of imitating Padmé’s veil because they ARE the „real thing“.
The gown
The original gown apparently uses the lace that was cut from a 100 years old bedspread. The lace is a tape lace; I am not quite sure about the type, which could be Brussels lace, Battenburg lace or Vologda lace. Generally, though, it has to be said that those types of lace are extremely similar, and basically the only real difference is that they originate from different countries.
Let’s quickly clarify terminology – I will call the entire ensemble the „gown“, which consists of a dress (which is either a corsage (strapless) or spaghetti strap dress) and a coat, which goes over the dress.
For the „symbols“ on the front of the dress (which are also on the back of the coat) I found these Battenburg lace appliqués:
While they are not exactly like the original symbols, they are rather similar in shape and particularly in size. Also, adding the cording embroideries around them (which have also been added around the symbols on the original gown) will make them look even more similar; so I am rather pleased with them.
Then there’s the side trim on the coat which is worn over the dress. That one was tricky, and it took me quire a bit of time to find something that would work.
In the end, I found this pretty curtain:
which basically consists of three rows of Brussels lace trim, which have been sewn to a handmade linen net. The wider area of lace at the center bottom is really just the very same lace that can be seen at the bottom; just that the zigzag edges have been sewn together facing each other.
Here’s my digital plan for cutting the curtain lace apart to achieve something that will closely resemble the trim on Padmé’s gown. „Digital“ means that this photo is photoshopped. I did not dare to cut into the lace before I exactly knew where and how I had to cut, and I found it safer to find a working cutting layout on the computer before actually cutting into the precious lace.
1: Netting and yardage of trim cut from the curtain (with ruler so I could work proportionally to the original gown for my own height);
2: One single symbol digitally cut from the yardage trim;
3: original gown’s trim with ruler (again, for proportional purposes!);
4: What I am planning to create from the cut symbols and the linen netting.
As you can see, by cutting the curtain up and reassembling the lace pieces, I can achieve something that VERY closely resembles the trim we see on Padmé’s gown.
I am aware that this is not EXACTLY the same lace pattern; but it’s close enough – and also, it’s exactly the same TYPE of lace. Plus, as a friend of mine said, it’s antique lace, just like on the original gown; making the reproduction even more of an heirloom piece.
Starting the cording on the center front piece of the underdress.
Center front piece cording finished with Battenburg appliqués (left) compared to the original gown (right).
The tulle to which I am stitching down the cording is incredibly fine and thin. That’s why you barely see it in this picture, where it is draped over a red dress.
I’m posting one more time, because my post finally went through. I also wanted to thank you for all the detailed terminology and research you put into your post. I just recently came across the pics of padme’s wedding dress and instantly fell in love. I’m not getting married either and I’m definitely not getting any younger(I’m 40 and still single) but I still hope to marry some day and I want to have a hope chest full of expensive things I found for next to nothing and a beautiful dress squirreled away. Setting myself up for failure??? I hope not….:) I’m a romantic at heart.
You gave me a starting point in order for me to understand what I was looking at. Padme’s dress is absolutely FULL of design and u have to see how it was made and understand where everything comes from. I know the designer listed a lot in the book that came out and in interviews, but u have shown me how to think outside the box and READ the materials and figure out their names and where to buy them. That is one of the hardest parts, in my opinion. I found your website while googling for wedding dress ideas before I found the dress designers interviews.
It’s going to be a while before I start sewing. I’m taking up bobbin lace making to see if I’m any good at it. Plus I’m bored. If i could master making mixed tape lace making, I could make my own battenburg lace. That doesn’t mean I’m not gonna keep my eyes peeled for a piece of battenburg lace that is big enough and has really nice patterns in it. I would gladly pay $100 for an TRUE antique battenburg table cloth or bed cover….they are pricey!!
You weren’t kidding about the wax millinry being a small fortune. Victorian wax veils are going for $100 -340. But you can’t beat the look of those wax flowers. I’m NOT making Maltese lace….I will buy that.
Thanks again for listening and for the inspiration. Once I get this project up and going, and If you ever interested, I might send u a pic or two. You are obviously a good experienced seamstress, so I don’t know what I could contribute.
Hi again….:)
I have tried posting a response to this thread, but I don’t know if I have succeeded or not. I just wanted to thank u for your detailed page on padme’s dress. I will be referencing your site often. I plan on making a wedding dress. Mine will be slightly different than padme’s, mainly because I weight a lot and that style of dress wouldn’t be flattering on me. I will be using more of an Italian renaissance shape as the base layer instead of a fitted edwardian/victorian shape. The „breathe“ dress in the movie ever after is kinda what I’m thinking, except a lace over coat will be on top of it and the base dress will be vintage ivory. I also want a longer train. Otherwise I want the same type of lace over coat and I’m with you and will probably splurge on the Vail in order to get it looking as close to padme’s as possible.
It’s been a few years since any comments have been left. If you have made any progress or have more pics or descriptions I would love to see them.
I’m taking my time on this because I’m low income and I may try my hand at making lace or buying a used plain wedding dress as a base layer in order to save money.
Anyway, thanks again. If I posted multiple times, I appologize.
Did you ever complete this dress? I am taking my own journey in making this and am curious about your final product.
Please please please send me an email me my fiancé and I are die hard Star Wars fans and we will have a Star Wars wedding someday. I NEED TO FIND someone SOMEHOW to make this dress for me ! And your explanation and story is phenomenal !!!!
My perfectionist self is FREAKING OUT about your painstaking reproduction of this dress. I can’t wait for more updates! What you’ve done so far look absolutely perfect.
Thank you 🙂
Hi there,
Just a heads up, Malta is a Republic and is not associated with Italy (it isn’t an Italian island).
Very beautiful lace, love watching the women make it 🙂
Exactly how much would all this cost? And how could I buy it for my wedding in a couple of years? Because this is my ideal dress and I won’t have anything else. I honestly wish I could buy the original dress lol
That would (much!) depend on the price of the lace that is required for this gown, and how quickly you need the gown.
You see, those types of laces aren’t new; and searching for (or rather: finding) them at good prices can take years (I think I mentioned that it took me two years to find the lace for my own gown, yes?), or it would take at least a few weeks to months (!) to find them at regular prices – which, in return, would mean a five figure amount JUST for the lace; no work done with that lace yet – and that work isn’t few, it’s MUCH with all the cording, taking a ton of time (=also months).
So somewhere between $3,000 and approximately $15,000, I would say.
Is it up for purchasing? It’s truly stunning and my fiancé and I are wedding planning. We are huge Star Wars fans!!
So excited to see you making the wedding dress your next challenge! Will be closely following your progress as you share updates! Best wishes on your project!
Thank you 🙂