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Star Wars and the Power of Costume

Star Wars and the Power of Costume
The actual Princess Leia bikini!

If you happen to be a fan of Star Wars – oh boy, do I have an awesome exhibit to tell you about! “Star Wars and the Power of Costume” just opened up in the Discovery building in Times Square NYC, and it seriously is the stuff that Star Wars fans’ dreams are made of. (Click here to see where this exhibit is headed next.)

I happened to be on 44th St. for a matinee showing of Phantom of the Opera (click here for more on that), when just across the way my husband and I noticed this new Star Wars exhibit. As we were standing there contemplating the flyers, a very nice gentleman came up to us and said, “Just do it – the exhibit is so cool, and it just opened this morning!!” And I would like to thank that very kind stranger for his words of wisdom because this was indeed the coolest exhibit ever! May the force be with you, kind sir!

There are 70 actual costumes worn in the Star Wars movies in this exhibit! I am still trying to process seeing this all in-person! Seeing the actual Princess Leia bikini from Return of the Jedi? And R2D2 and C-3PO from the original trilogy?!? It really doesn’t get any more incredible.

R2D2
R2D2 costume from the original trilogy!

I have loved Star Wars my entire life, and I can say that never once did I think I would ever get the chance to see anything like this in my lifetime! For a Star Wars fan, this is honestly the best thing ever (unless George Lucas had been there to guide the tours…and Han Solo had actually been in his costume. That’s the only way this would’ve been better. Haha.)

However, I have to be honest before we get too far into this post… I really don’t like the Star Wars prequels. There. I said it. I haven’t even been able to finish an entire movie from the prequels (sorry!). However, there are a ton of costumes from the prequels, which I diligently took photos of…but I may not be able to talk about them as much (and thank god Jar Jar Binks was computer generated, and won’t be found in this exhibit). This post is mainly going to be centered around my extreme excitement over the original trilogy costumes and a few costumes from the new Star Wars movie (that I do have high hopes for!).

Star Wars the Force Awakens Costumes
New bad guy costumes that were used in filming “The Force Awakens!”

The photo above is of the new stormtroopers called the “First Order.” You’ll see these guys in the new Force Awakens! (Sorry, for my overuse of exclamation points, but honestly, if you were having a conversation with me about this…this is really how I would be talking about the exhibit.)

C-3PO
C-3PO from the original trilogy.
The Droids exhibit
The Droids exhibit

The only negative I have to say about The Power of Costume exhibit is that I didn’t love how they mixed the orignals with the prequels. I would’ve rather have had the two separate (and this is probably entirely because I’m not a fan of the prequels). It just felt weird seeing Padme’s costumes next to Princess Leia’s.

Princess Leia & Padme Costumes
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”

That being said, though, Padme did have some incredible costumes. Her character had by far the most space in the exhibit, and for good reason. There are some truly beautiful gowns that would rival some of the ones I had just seen at China: Through the Looking Glass!

I personally loved seeing the Ewok exhibit. The Ewoks will always have a special place in my heart, and getting to be face-to-face with an Ewok is seriously an experience like no other!

Ewok exhibit

One thing to remember when you are having the time of your life admiring the exhibits.. there are alarms and they will sound if you lean in too close…and you will get scolded like a kindergartner. Be sure to keep a safe distance from the exhibits if you don’t want to be that person.

Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
Han Solo frozen in carbonite.

Han Solo frozen in carbonite was an exhibit that also made me just about lose my mind. Haha. Until my husband pointed out the tiny words under the plaque, that said “official replica.” Darn it! I paid really close attention to the name pieces after that, and am happy to report that was the only replica I noticed.

Chewbacca and Han Solo costumes
Chewbacca and Han Solo
Chewbacca
See, this one was real! Haha.
Darth Vader costume
Is anyone else playing The Imperial March in their head right now? Haha.

And what’s a Star Wars exhibit without the Darth Vader costume? I thought his display looked pretty awesome (even if it was a bit tricky to photograph.)

I also have to mention, that the Senate costumes from the prequels were absolutely exquisite. Even if you aren’t a die hard Star Wars fan, but appreciate fashion, you would find parts of this exhibit fascinating. The prequels seriously had some beautiful costumes.

Yoda had a whole room dedicated to just him and his legendary quotes. It was so awesome!

Yoda!
Yoda!
Yoda
Creeping on Yoda. Haha.

Let’s recap. By going to Star Wars and the Power of Costume, you will get to see Yoda, the Princess Leia bikini, Ewoks, Chewbacca, R2D2, C-3PO, Darth Vader, and many, many more costumes. Seriously, I can die happy now!

Star Wars and the Power of Costume will be in Times Square until September of 2016. So, if you are planning a trip to NYC within the next year – be sure to check this out! Tickets were only $30 when we went and you can also order them online (so, you don’t have to wait around in line) by clicking here. I’ll end this post with some more photos from Star Wars and the Power of Costume.

Is anyone out there planning on seeing Star Wars and the Power of Costume within the next year? Let me know in the comments! (I can also answer any questions you might have about it, too.)

Star Wars & The Power of Costume
If you liked it – Pin it!

Click here to see my Stormtrooper outfit post from that day.

12 Comments

  1. Hi Lindsey! I loved your perspective of the exhibit as a personal stylist, and I added a link to your post in my recent post about the exhibit in Cincinnati. I’d love for you to check it out! https://everydaywanderer.com/2017/10/03/star-wars-and-the-power-of-costume/

    Happy trails, Sage

    1. Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for linking to my post – I really enjoyed your take on it as well. 🙂

  2. Oh my! I love this costume post of all the awesome outfits they wore. This is definitely one of my favorite posts. I love Ewoks the most too:) Thank you so much for sharing.

    astylishlovestory.blogspot.com

  3. Beejawawa!!!! You are so lucky! I was OBSESSED with the ewoks as a child (did you watch the cartoon series?) – I filled two exercise books full of my own ewok stories and drew them, sang the song, watched them all the time!
    I’m very excited to go and see the new film- we have booked our tickets already and I am getting my R22 handbag out again (I bought it when Return of the Jedi was rereleased in the 90’s!) and making myself an R2D2 brooch!!!
    Great post, wish I could get to New York!
    Yubnub!
    x

    1. The Ewoks are the best!! I don’t remember watching the cartoon series, but I did watch the Ewok movie a bajillion times haha. And that is so awesome that you made your own Ewok stories! I should probably book my tickets for the new movie too! I can’t wait to see your R2D2 handbag and brooch! I need to get myself some Star Wars brooches, haha. And thank you so much!

  4. Super fun!! Two years ago I got to see an exhibit that featured some of Grace Kelly’s dresses, so I know how you feel!! XO
    Lauren-Blair
    www.prefertobedemure.com

  5. Wow, just about the coolest exhibit ever! I loved seeing all of these photos. Great job! Darth Vader…he still scares me haha! He’s actually one of my favorite characters. I mean, you see him and instantly know who he is. Just an icon. I always imagined if he were real though, and I was face to face with him, I would be terrified haha.

    amandabrezovsky.com

    1. Thank you so much, Amanda! Haha and Darth Vader is still terrifying – agreed. Having now seen him in person, though (when he’s not moving and being evil,) he’s a bit less terrifying. Haha. 😉

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