Fashion, in an in-universe and real-life costume design context, has always been one of my very favourite parts of Star Wars. The way costume designers like Trisha Biggar and John Mollo are able to masterfully create wardrobes that fit the personalities of each character, faction, and species while also fitting into, and sometimes contributing, to the narrative. One of my favourite costuming tidbits from the original trilogy (and I’m sure you’ve already heard it) is how Luke Skywalker’s all black Jedi ensemble is meant to make the audience wonder if he’ll turn from the light and succumb to the dark side. It’s only in the film’s final act, after he proudly states “I am a Jedi, like my father before me,” does the flap on his tunic come undone and reveal a stark white underneath; he had always been on the light side of the Force. Not only does the costume aid in telling the story of a son saving his father and truly ascending to heroism, it is also visually striking, becoming iconic after the release of Return of the Jedi (I mean, hello Chanel Boots Skywalker??).
But why does this matter? After thinking more about what I want this blog to be (sorry for disappearing for several months, woops) and a suggestion from my dear friend Alden, I decided that I wanted to explore the costumes of Star Wars, character by character, outfit by outfit. I’ll detail the more grounded truths like which fabrics/methods were used and the influences the costume designers may have had, before moving into the more speculative aspects like how I think the costume influences the narrative and how it ties into the character’s personality as a whole. There’s a passage in the Solo: A Star Wars Story novelization that eloquently sums up what intrigues me about fashion in the galaxy far, far away:
“[Lando] stood in front of his closet, the rainbow of colors always pleasing to his eye. People simultaneously admired him for commanding attention in any room he walked into and scoffed at him for caring too much about his appearance. They failed to see the irony in the sentiment.”
Mur Lafferty, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition p.180
At the time of writing this, I’ve decided to focus more on the characters/factions who’s costumes aren’t discussed as frequently as say, Padmé, Leia, or the Empire (however if I manage to get my hands on a copy of Dressing A Galaxy by Trisha Biggar I will most DEFINITELY be talking about Padmé). In true me fashion, I’m jump-starting this series by looking at Qi’ra’s wardrobe, outfit by outfit.
QI’RA – CORELLIA
We first meet Qi’ra on Corellia in the lowly lit blue light of the sewers. Even in the dim light, you can tell that her clothes are scuffed and weathered from a life of scheming for the White Worms
PARTS OF THE OUTFIT:
- Light grey/beige suede jacket with shearling collar, the sleeves are ruched at the sides and have a blue buckle/button to keep the ruching cinched. The collar is asymmetric and also features a tech greeblie on the right side (possibly a communicator)
- Crimson red (“a gorgeous saturated red!”1) wrap top with a hanging black flap on the right side with a black band of fabric cuts across the v-neck opening
- Black knee-length leather skirt, with a separate panel of fabric for the bottom portion and an off-centre seam running vertically up the front of the skirt. The skirt is slit up both sides, ending where the bottom panel begins with ties/fasteners at the top of the slits
- Black leggings with elasticated buckle details at the hem
- Black chelsea style, pointed toe, heeled boots
- ACCESSORIES:
- black belt with white stitching and several slots for bullets? charges? , large silver buckle (I think this may be the same belt she wears later in the film but just without the holster which is an interesting choice that I’m not quite sure why they made)
- three chunky bangle-type bracelets
- dark, sparkly nail polish
ON EARTH PRODUCTION
In The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story, we are told that Qi’ra’s attire on Corellia (along with Han’s) was deeply inspired by 1970s-1980s punk scenes and bands like Blondie and The Clash. In fact, costume designer David Crossman said they originally had a yellow shirt picked out for this costume, inspired by one that Debbie Harry had worn (there are two notorious yellow Debbie Harry shirts so I’m not sure which one they’re referring to, but they both kick ass)2. Once they got Emilia Clarke in for fittings, they realized that she suits stronger colours, like the crimson red she ended up in, much better.
The outfit is meant to stand out against the rest of the scrumrats, not to an insane degree, but enough to signal to the viewer that she holds a slight superiority to the rest of them. Her outfit is heavily weathered to offset the feminine aspects of the costume; the wear and tears shows that she is an active participant in dealings of the White Worms and not just “Han’s girlfriend.” However, small details like her bracelets and nail polish counter this and let us know that despite working as essentially an indentured servant, she still values style and individuality, very akin to the 70s/80s punk aesthetic. I, however, have beef with David Crossman and Glyn Dillon (the costume designers) because they made the one connection with Blondie and then called it a day. Pretty much the same deal with the explanations for the rest of Qi’ra’s outfits as well but they didn’t hold back when it came to talking about Lando’s capes! (Which, fair enough, but please guys, I need as many crumbs as I can get.) David, Glyn, on the off chance that you ever read this, please contact me, I need to know every single thought you put into Qi’ra’s costuming, thank youuuu.
IN-UNIVERSE MEANING
Although this outfit is featured in a relatively small part of the film, I feel like it’s the perfect representation of Qi’ra at that moment in time, and also who she is to become. Fair warning this may be where I get into crazy person territory but bear with me.
In canon, Qi’ra acquires this outfit from Lady Proxima in order to pass as a dignitary in the YA novel, Most Wanted. She says that they are the finest clothes she has ever owned and remarks how it’s the first time she is supposed to be seen while on a mission for the White Worms.3 Lady Proxima even had it sprayed with a floral perfume to help disguise the smell of sewer living. Sadly, after the deal goes wrong, she’s forced to escape through the sewers and falls into a mixture of algae, sewage, and laundry detergent, permanently ruining her new outfit.4 She continues to wear it despite this, since it still is technically the nicest thing she owns. We learn more about Qi’ra’s relationship with fashion in the Solo novelization where she states: “her years wearing rags and stolen clothes had given her enough of a taste of poverty that she never wanted even to relax in anything but the best.”5 The outfit we meet her in on Corellia was her first experience with wearing finer goods and obviously gave her a taste for wanting more.
This outfit sets Qi’ra up as being different from the women in Star Wars as we know them. We see royal characters like Princess Leia and Queen Amidala first appear in regal gowns, pristine and clean, and we meet rougher characters like Rey and Jyn Erso who don dirtier, more practical outfits (pants) for the harsh realities they live in. There hadn’t really been a middle ground for this until Qi’ra showed up in Solo. She appears dirtied and weathered, yes, but she’s also wearing a skirt and jewellery and sparkly nail polish and has neatly trimmed bangs, all of which are signifiers of someone who values their feminine side (trust me, if I were a scrumrat, I would NOT want to keep up with my bangs). The only other character that I can think of who even slightly shares this trait would be Asajj Ventress (I firmly believe they would be besties, please Lucasfilm make it happen since you’ve resuscitated her). This departure from standard Star Wars female costuming conventions immediately clues the viewer in that Qi’ra is going to behave differently than the other women we know and love in the saga.
Beyond that, I think this costume, the jacket in particular, provides an interesting foil to her costume later in the film. The main body of both jackets are similarly coloured, both beige, but with different undertones. Qi’ra’s Corellia jacket leans more towards being grey, while her Vandor jacket has a warmer, more cream tone. They are both lined with a shearling-type fur, but in contrasting colours which I believe is the most key difference when it comes to the visual storytelling of the outfits. Remember when I mentioned Luke’s black tunic in ROTJ coming undone to reveal white underneath? I think the same kind of story device is being used here, but in reverse. On Corellia, Qi’ra, although still wanting to put herself first, has developed a mutual trust with Han. As she says in the novelization;
“She could run. She could take the vial, leave this planet, and never look back. But Han had returned when he had a speeder and coaxium. He could have been halfway off the planet by now! She cursed to herself. The bloody noble fool. He had come back for her and gotten caught. […] She owed him. She hated owing people.”
Mur Lafferty, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition p.23
Although it’s with a kind of reluctance, she waits for Han. When they escape the clutches of the White Worms, she expresses the hopeful joy that they’ll never have to take orders from anyone ever again. Qi’ra, always firmly grounded in reality, very rarely expresses ideas like this. She is the pessimist to Han’s optimist, but for a moment she could taste freedom and let herself indulge in a bit of hopefulness which is what I think the white shearling collar is supposed to represent. Though she had never been the starry-eyed dreamer type, on Corellia she had been more flexible in her beliefs, letting Han’s charm and natural gifts with people break through the stony walls she’d put up around herself. After this scene we do not see her wearing white again in the film. To contrast, the next jacket she wears for the Kessel Run mission is lined in black shearling instead. In a way, this tells the audience that she no longer feels the same sort of girlish hopefulness that she once did on Corellia, and even perhaps hints towards her eventual “betrayal” (betrayal is in quotes because I have far too many thoughts about why she did what she did). I’ll likely talk about this jacket more in depth in the outfit’s eventual article.
On a lesser note, I think that her wearing red (in both her shirt and on one of the bracelets) also hints towards her eventual involvement with Crimson Dawn who’s primary colours are black, red, and gold.
Phew. Ok I think that’s all I have to say about Qi’ra’s Corellia outfit, hopefully this is coherent. Next up in this series, I’ll be discussing the beautiful, sexy, femme-fatale-y goodness that is her yacht dress!
