Further thoughts on fashion and historical influences on certain costumes in the prequels, PART 1
So I’ve recently been adding to/updating an old explanatory piece I wrote several years ago about Naboo and the handmaidens (specifically Sabé and Dormé, originally posted as Differences between Sabé Dahn and Dormé Tammesin and Dormé Jaffa and Sabé Nabish of cariel’s AUs at https://polgarawolf.livejournal.com/97633.html and now posted as Differences between Sabé Dahn and Dormé Tammesin and Dormé Jaffa and Sabé Nabish of cariel’s AUs, 1 (which is still at https://polgarawolf.livejournal.com/97633.html) and as Differences between Sabé Dahn and Dormé Tammesin and Dormé Jaffa and Sabé Nabish of cariel’s AUs, 2, over at https://polgara wolf.livejournal.com/265535.html Among the many added notes and addendums to the original document, I have a section where I talk about how, in the prequel films, there are a lot of fairly obvious parallels to be drawn between clothing choices among the political élite and the wealthy/extremely comfortably well-to-do from Alderaan and Delaya (a binary system or double planet, with Delaya generally being referred to in the old EU as Alderaan’s sister planet), Chandrila, and Naboo or even just Coruscant/the Core and Naboo. I’m going to elaborate on at least some of that here, with some added links, for the convenience of readers who might want to make some comparisons themselves or familiarize themselves more with certain fashions of certain times and places/people.
(I am going under the assumption here that everyone already knows that George Lucas et al appropriated a lot of things - clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, makeup, weapons, etc. - from various eras as well as cultures and distinct groups [peoples, nations, etc.] from all over the world here and then adapted them to make them more fantastical and/or to seem a bit more high tech on the surface to make them fit in a ’verse heavy on the space opera, like the GFFA. To an extent, everyone who tells stories in made-up/invented worlds does this, though most simply borrow from their own historical/cultural backgrounds. Sci-fi/fantasy, being inherently more imaginary than essentially every other form of fictional work out there - with the possible exception, perhaps, of some kinds of horror and certain kinds of fairy tales/folklore that are less obviously rooted in the real world/actual pasts of their creators - have a long, long history with cultural appropriation/adaptation. I am not here to argue about any of that [there’s honestly no arguing with the fact of it or how problematic and harmful it can be, especially when drawing heavily upon negative stereotypes, and I’m honestly not interested in trying to debate any of that here]. I’m just here to talk about which bits of what were probably in the minds of Lucas and etc. when they made their final decisions about what they would and wouldn’t include in the prequel films.)
The one really obvious outlier - the heavy traditional makeup of Naboo monarchs (or at least the canon Queens of Naboo) https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Scar_of_remembrance/Legends and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naboo#Royal_traditions which https://wiseshe.com/all-about-geisha-makeup-history/ is very geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha (and tends to be accompanied by hairstyles/headdresses that are very clearly inspired by Japanese nihongami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihongami and, again, seem designed to evoke the idea of Japanese geishas https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/geisha/the-hairstyles-of-geisha-and-maiko/ and https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/geisha-path-dance-shamisen) - is likely to have arisen, in ’verse, specifically to aid with the handmaiden/decoy monarch ruse. In regards to the other possible outlier, which includes some of the monarchs of Naboo’s more obviously East/Southeast Asian garb, I’ve pointed out that the adapted furisode/kimono https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furisode and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono - which can also be compared to the Chinese shenyi (or simui in Korean) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyi and the Chinese hanfu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanfu, Korean hanbok https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanbok, Okinawan ryusou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryusou, and Vietnamese áo giao lĩnh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81o_giao_l%C4%A9nh - arguably can be seen as just far more formal/elaborate versions of what the Jedi on Coruscant typically wear and, thus, not truly an aberration, since they are clearly Coruscant/Core-inspired, too, although DISNEY!SW would seem to be hinting that possibly this style of clothing may have come to Naboo from one of the other nearby Chommell sector systems, specifically Karlinus, which is described in frankly stereotypically East/Southeast Asian (and possibly also South Asian) terms - it’s known primarily for producing tea, silk, and some kind of grain that might or might not be rice, and the governor, at least, is said to have thick dark hair, dark eyes, and golden-brown skin (though her dark hair is also described as being “frizzy” in Queen’s Peril and as “frizzed in the humidity” in Queen’s Shadow) - and the planet is noted to have a “high turnover” in its workforce (supposedly in overseeing the droids that harvest/process the tea, silk, and grain, though there’s probably also quite a bit of associated manual labor when it comes to planting and caring for the plants that produce the tea and grain), too, which would seem to indicate that there would also likely be a correspondingly high rate of marriages/relationships that could involve children with workers from offworld, which could also explain how more traditional Karlini clothing (in other words, more traditionally East/Southeast Asian clothing) might have found their way to Naboo.
(Note: There’s some interesting but rather cursory information listed about the likely historical influences on several of Padmé Amidala’s costumes over at https://costumevault.blogspot.com/ under the tags of “Star Wars” and “Padme Amidala” [as Padmé’s name is technically misspelled in much of the blog] for those who’re interested - there are twelve major posts about certain costumes/designs for Padmé as well as three “annex” posts for other costumes/designs in the three prequel films not already addressed in one of the twelve main posts on Padmé - but please keep in mind that some of the analysis is frankly arguable and more than some of it is rather flippantly worded, though, to be fair, the blogger admits in a separate post entirely https://costumevault.blogspot.com/2018/03/editorial-my-thoughts-on-padme-amidala.html that a lot of that is due to her aggravation over such things as the general lack of cohesion between the different costumes, their failure to consistently function as a piece of the narrative, and the obvious fact that the narrative circumstances under which they’re supposed to be worn quite often clearly weren’t taken into account for the designs and/or the materials used in the designs. The blogger feels that Padmé deserved better than “bad storytelling and bad writing” and to be “quickly relegated to love interest,” and that her costume designs are in a “similar position” and so fail “to rise to their full potential.” There’s also a lot of interesting information on probable historical influences for various prequel costumes along with photos both of reference and of promotional images of those costumes and also quite often photos of the costumes from various SW exhibits at http://www.padawansguide.com/index.shtml that includes some great close-ups of details of the embroidery, lace, beading, and etc., especially for Amidala and her handmaidens but also for other characters, too.)
What a lot of people seem to be calling more Medieval/Renaissance-inspired clothing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textiles#Medieval_clothing_and_textiles and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1300%E2%80%931400_in_fashion and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textiles#Renaissance_and_early_modern_period, especially among the Naboo, to me seems just as likely to be inspired by Rus Medieval kaftans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaftan#Russian_(North_Asia_and_Eastern_Europe) and https://rezansky.com/eastern-style-medieval-russian-kaftans/ modified to remove the obvious closures (since the GFFA, as a rule, doesn’t have visible fastenings on clothing), Viking quilted/padded caftans/kaftans https://steel-mastery.com/birka-quilted-viking-caftan.html and https://www.living-history-market.com/Tunics_caftans#&gid=1577129481&pid=20 and also https://www.living-history-market.com/Tunics_caftans#&gid=1577129481&pid=88, Byzantine, Turkic, and Algerian kaftans http://truehistoryshop.com/shop/dress-on-demand-byzantine-kaftan/ and https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/kaftan/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaftan and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_Kaftan, the kind of quilted/patchwork changyi/hechang or beizi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beizi that can be found in traditional Chinese clothing, such as the shuitianyi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuitianyi and the baijia yi/baijia pao or Hundred Families Robe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_patchwork#Baijia_yi, and etc., especially when it comes to the men’s clothing.
Similar garments can be seen in the prequel films on various extras in crowd scenes on Naboo (such as during the celebrations at the end of TPM, certain scenes set in Theed in AotC, and Amidala’s funeral at the end of RotS) and on characters like Palpatine (especially earlier on, near the beginning of his political career, but also during some of his time as Supreme Chancellor. See the blue costume he wears in TPM http://www.padawansguide.com/palpatine.shtml and the darkish, heavily embroidered red/maroon/purple outfit with the huge puffed sleeves [to the point where they look scalloped from the sides] that he wears during a Senate address in AotC here http://www.padawansguide.com/palpatine.shtml and here https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/star-wars-legends/images/8/85/PalpatineSWE.png/revision/latest?cb=20190428001252. The elaborate red/maroon/burgundy outfit he’s wearing in RotS when Anakin confronts him about being the Sith and the Jedi try to arrest him https://i.redd.it/nxfl0d1r1wd01.jpg and https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fictupedia/images/2/27/Palpatine4.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150728022359 and https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Star-Wars-Palpatine-Emperor-Lightsaber.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&h=370&dpr=1.5 also fits this mode, though the many of the more extravagantly shaped sleeves Palpatine tends to wear as Supreme Chancellor seem a bit more influenced by Elizabethan or even Victorian fashions in feel/shape) https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Palpatine/Legends, Governor of Naboo and head of the Royal Advisory Council Sio Bibble https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sio_Bibble/Legends, Chief Architect of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council Hugo Eckener https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hugo_Eckener/Legends, Master of Sciences of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council Graf Zapalo https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Graf_Zapalo/Legends, political and economic advisor and members of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council Horace Vancil https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Horace_Vancil/Legends, and another unidentified/unnamed by canon male member https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Unidentified_Naboo_councilman of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo_Royal_Advisory_Council/Legends.
On Coruscant, in TPM, this kind of costume can also be seen on Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Finis_Valorum/Legends and, arguably, on Bail Organa in AotC http://www.padawansguide.com/bail.shtml and at least a few times on Bail Organa (if with much simpler sleeves) in RotS http://www.padawansguide.com/bailorgana.shtml too. Both of Mon Mothma’s two off-white costumes for RotS http://www.padawansguide.com/monmothma.shtml closely resembles this overall style (heavy/thick looking, either quilted, brocaded, embroidered, or otherwise patterned/piled/visibly textured material; high collars; wide yokes/shoulders; visible layers; and etc.), as well, especially the one with the rather full cuffed sleeves https://www.pinterest.com/pin/550776229410107514/ that are almost identical to the sleeves on Graf Zapalo https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Graf_Zapalo/Legends in TPM (technically, these are 15th century - or Late Medieval - style bishop sleeves http://chilestheatre.com/history-of-sleeves-1.pdf but this kind of sleeve https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/26/fashion-moments-bishop-sleeve/ also was popular in the US during the Civil War and in mid-Victorian England/Europe), though there is something almost modern Vietnamese about the pale color (perhaps hinting that she still considers herself a student of politics?) and the layering, which looks almost like an adapted version - just a single garment, instead of a dress over loose pants or another skirt - of a looser fitting áo dài https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81o_d%C3%A0i made out of much heavier material than normal with pleating https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleat on much of the fabric that honestly looks rather like Fortuny pleats https://fortuny.com/the-pleats/ of the sort seen on Delphos gowns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphos_gown).
There are quite clearly some Medieval/Renaissance-inspired https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_medieval_clothing and https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1248/clothes-in-medieval-england/ and http://historicalromance.love/medieval-fashion-in-europe-from-1200-1400/ costumes on the women in the prequels, especially among the women of Naboo - the handmaidens (especially given the hoods/wrapped headscarves that they wear http://www.padawansguide.com/handmaidens.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/index.php [see under “Handmaidens,” and also “Other” under “Royalty” for the other two Queens of Naboo] even when they go without full capes/cloaks that also have hoods - I am particularly thinking of Rabé in the infamous “Anakin can’t count” pre-Senate scene on Coruscant http://www.padawansguide.com/tpm_handmaidens5.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/presenatecloak.php in TPM and possibly also of Queen Jamillia’s handmaidens http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens6.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/jamillia.php in AotC, whose hoods are clearly separate from their overrobes and may not be attached to their underdresses - which is very tenth and eleventh century) and the gown worn in AotC by Queen Jamillia of Naboo http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/jamillia.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/jamillia.shtml (with two layers of sleeves, particularly the much larger/looser outer sleeves that come down to a fairly long/dagged https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/dagging/ point [clear variations on hanging sleeves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeve], that are basically pure High Medieval, though the fabric itself - the heavy beading and embroidery, etc. - arguably is more Elizabethan/in the Spanish style of the latter half of the 1500s, including the shapes of the doubled sleeves, and her traditional Nabooian monarch makeup is very geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha) especially fall into this category.
The same also holds true for the Naberrie family http://www.padawansguide.com/naberrie.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php (Sola with her fairly plain dress/kirtle beneath a fancifully cut, obviously contrasting, full-length lace cloak http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/naberrie.shtml and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB7.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB8.jpg in AotC; Jobal’s laced bodice over a fairly simple shirt of vividly contrasting color and her two layers of skirts, cut so that the two contrastingly hued fabrics can also be seen http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB1.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB2.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB3.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB4.jpg in AotC; Ruwee’s fairly plain/basic tunic over a simple shirt and trousers http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB5.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB6.jpg in AotC; the somewhat romanticized Medieval http://historicalromance.love/medieval-fashion-in-europe-from-1200-1400/ costume - including her hairstyle, with a headband and cauls or crespine/crispinette https://rosaliegilbert.com/headdresses.html and lots of ribbons and loose curls at the back - that Padmé wears on the picnic with Anakin http://www.padawansguide.com/flowered.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/picnic.php in AotC arguably counts, too, though it can also be said to more accurately reflect the Pre-Raphaelite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Raphaelite_Brotherhood romantic vision of Medieval fashion and that her overall look is very close to that of the women in certain Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau posters and paintings; and so on).
The Medieval/Renaissance theme also holds true for some of the gowns worn first by Queen Amidala (like the purple gown in TPM worn on the way back to Naboo from Coruscant as well as later in the film, to Qui-Gon’s funeral http://www.padawansguide.com/purple_travel.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/return.php, which resembles the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus and Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia, Catherine Cornaro, who lived from 1454-1510, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Cornaro specifically Titian’s 1542 portrait of Caterina Cornaro as Saint Catherine of Alexandria https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6133233 and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Caterina_Cornaro_after_Titian_%2819th_c.%2C_Sotheby%27s%29.jpg and, thus, is clearly based on High Medieval fashion, even though her makeup is more geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha. (To be fair, though, the heavy white makeup that’s part of the traditional makeup worn by all of the Queens of Naboo in the prequels is also very like Elizabethan white face paint, especially the heavier - and quite poisonous, unfortunately, sometimes cumulatively fatally so, due to the lead pigment in it - form known as ceruse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_ceruse and even the usually bright red lips and markings on the cheeks in the traditional Nabooian monarch makeup is a bit Elizabethan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion#Makeup in feel.) Arguably, even though her hairstyle/headdress looks very like Japanese nihongami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihongami and https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/geisha/the-hairstyles-of-geisha-and-maiko/ and https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/geisha-path-dance-shamisen and her makeup https://wiseshe.com/all-about-geisha-makeup-history/ is also very geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha the post-Senate black gown Amidala wears in TPM http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/postsenate.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/black_coruscant.shtml is also at least somewhat influenced by High Medieval fashions, in regards to the decorative, long, clearly pointed sleeves, which look like a slight variation on dagged https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/dagging/ Medieval sleeves that are partnered with a second set of sleeves that fit closer to the arm, but although the contrastingly colored lining to the pointed sleeves is Medieval, the overall richness of the fabrics and the heavily beaded/embroidered appliqués feel more Elizabethan, while, again, the hairstyle and makeup are clearly more Japanese/geisha-like and something about the basic shape and extravagance of it in addition to the yellow/golden decorations on the shoulders and chest of the gown is reminiscent of a Korean wonsam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonsam) and later by Senator Amidala (such as the slightly modified/hooded, purple-sashed, green velvet http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/greenrobe.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/green.shtml houppelande https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houppelande that Padmé wears in RotS as she meets with Obi-Wan, meets with the Senators [who will become the core of the Delegation of 2,000 and etc.] about Palpatine and the war, and later sits alone in her apartment to brood).
Some of the costumes have details (including the sheer opulence of the fabrics, applied trims, embroideries, ornamentations, contrasting fabrics, shape of the bodices/necklines, shape of the sleeves/oversleeves, and so on) that have more in common with Elizabethan https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1577/clothes-in-the-elizabethan-era/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion styles or even later https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1600%E2%80%931650_in_Western_European_fashion designs. The broad, low, slightly rounded neckline of Amidala’s parade gown in TPM is fairly in line with the shape of early Elizabethan bodices and, though the monarch’s traditional makeup, hairstyle, and the aurate fan behind her head that looks like a cross between an Asian parasol with its ribs and pole removed and the actual parasol part spread out flat and somehow stiffened and an actual tangible version of a Medieval/Renaissance-style painted/sculpted corona/halo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(religious_iconography) are, of course, very Japanese/geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha, the way that the gown is worn with a such a visibly elaborate/fancy cloak http://www.padawansguide.com/parade.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/parade.php gives the same kind of effect as the kind of intricately decorated floor-length/trailing train or cloak quite common to Elizabethan women’s fashions. The shape of the sleeves, bodice, and skirt, plus the brocade extended “stomacher” effect - which is very much so a later Elizabethan/early Jacobean notion - on the gown Amidala wears during her address to the Senate after surviving the bombing at the landing platform http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/senateaddress.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/dark.shtml towards the beginning of AotC also come to mind, although her hairstyle looks like a throwback to her hairstyles as Queen of Naboo, which are so clearly inspired by Japanese nihongami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihongami and, again, seem designed to evoke the idea of Japanese geishas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha and https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/geisha/the-hairstyles-of-geisha-and-maiko/ and https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/geisha-path-dance-shamisen even if, as Senator, Amidala no longer wears the traditional geisha-like makeup.
Padmé’s packing gown http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/packing.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/silver.shtml in AotC, though clearly somewhat simplified (in regards to the width of the skirts and the height of the collar. The sleeves - which seem more like a modified/rather soft take on a very Victorian/Civil War era leg of mutton or French gigot sleeve https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8295/a-brief-history-of-the-leg-of-mutton-sleeve and https://www.geriwalton.com/gigot-or-leg-of-mutton-sleeves-of-the-1800s/ and https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/leg-of-mutton-sleeves/ with four slim decorative armbands around both of her biceps to turn the full part of the sleeve into two unequally sized puffs - are also a bit plain for Elizabethan fashion, though Elizabethan sleeves were often puffed, too), is clearly also informed/inspired by Elizabethan fashions/the Spanish style of the latter half of the 1500s https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1577/clothes-in-the-elizabethan-era/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion given the corseted shape of the bodice, which comes to a point at the center front, the high neck (though it does lack the added ruff/ruffle so popular in this era), and the extremely elaborate and colorful beading on the large front piece appliquéd onto the velvet bodice http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/silver/padme_silver_promo3.jpg (though the designs that the beads form http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/departure/departure7.jpg taken together with the jewel-studded, scroll-patterned silver armbands http://www.padawansguide.com/fidm/maggie/silver3.jpg and her diadem/headdress http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/departure/departurescreen.jpg feel much more Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau). (Her hair, on the other hand, is of course inspired by the traditional Hopi squash blossom whorl or butterfly whorl https://pinsndls.com/2012/10/18/mystery-monday-the-squash-blossom-as-a-symbol-of-fertility/ and https://designyoutrust.com/2020/06/stunning-vintage-photos-of-young-hopi-maidens-with-their-traditional-hairstyle-from-the-1900s-and-1910s/ and https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/e6/5b/5de65bf746a891fa9d297ebdfefa6f80.jpg and http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2017/12/hopi-squash-blossom-story-behind-iconic.html hairstyle.)
Details on other costumes, such as the slightly more vertical line of certain gowns on both Amidala’s handmaidens in both AotC (or at least Dormé’s shoulders http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens4.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme3.php and especially also http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens5.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme4.php plus the dolman sleeves https://www.thefreedictionary.com/dolman+sleeve and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolman on Dormé’s Senate robe/gown http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens2.shtm and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme.php. Versé can barely even be glimpsed, before the explosion, and seems to be swathed in a full-length and heavily cowled overrobe or cloak, while Cordé, who is dressed to act as a decoy for Senator Amidala, is in a gown and hairstyle http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/corde.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens1.shtml that clearly echo some of Queen Amidala’s looks in TPM, particularly the post-Senate http://www.padawansguide.com/black_coruscant.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/postsenate.php costume, though Cordé’s gown has much more obviously High Medieval dagged https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/dagging/ oversleeves and long sleeves beneath that fit tight to her arms) and RotS (as with Moteé and Ellé with their matching, deeply hooded modified ponchos with the extended yokes at the shoulder http://www.padawansguide.com/3_handmaiden1.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/pleated.php) and on various extras in the background of certain shots and the crowd scenes in Theed, with horizontal emphasis at the shoulders, clearly have more in common with slightly later designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1650%E2%80%931700_in_Western_European_fashion.
On the other hand, the gown that Padmé wears in AotC when she meets Obi-Wan and Anakin again for the first time, with a necklace that sits high on her neck and reaches even higher and sleeves that are in clear layers, a tight/corseted bodice, a lower cut, square neckline, and a wide, elaborate skirt and overskirt http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/loyalist.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/purple.shtml looks to be more influenced by even later https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1700%E2%80%931750_in_Western_fashion and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1750%E2%80%931775_in_Western_fashion styles or more Baroque https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque and Rococo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococo designs, though the sleeves and the sumptuousness of the fabric (with its elaborate beading and scrollwork, even if the pattern in the velvet looks more Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau or even Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco in style than anything else) arguably are also rather Elizabethan/in the Spanish style of the latter half of the 1500s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion, and her hairstyle/headdress for this particular costume clearly evokes the artificially elongated heads of African Mangbetu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangbetu_people by way of Limpombo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cranial_deformation, specifically seeming designed to suggest both this picture http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/purple/congo.jpg and http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xeRBsB-bIwY/VlSeRuvsyaI/AAAAAAAAEgc/p3xTgVfqJv4/s1600/Mangbetu%2BWoman%252C%2BCongo.jpg and this http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZLcBaz5ewg/VlSeOfECJjI/AAAAAAAAEfY/CnPNnQGMtw4/s1600/Belgian%2BCongo%2BTraditional%2BHairstyle.jpg picture.
There are also clear influences from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1795%E2%80%931820_in_Western_fashion (Education Regent Lufta Shif https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lufta_Shif/Legends of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council in TPM is pretty clearly wearing clothing influenced by the Neoclassical Directoire https://darthkendraresearch.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/directoire-scarlet-ribbons/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directoire_style style and the contrasting long tunic over a flowing skirt that Music Advisor Hela Brandes https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hela_Brandes/Legends of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council is wearing in TPM is likewise directly informed by that same style. Arguably, Padmé’s “Lake Gown” http://www.padawansguide.com/pastel.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/retreat.php is also at least somewhat influenced by the Neoclassical Directoire style - including her hairstyle - but it mostly comes off as inspired by fantasy clichés) and with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1820s_in_Western_fashion (the slightly higher waisted - but not so high as to be immediately below the breasts - and slightly fuller sleeves of the dark blue/indigo linen dress Padmé wears in RotS both underneath the wrapped/draped cloak http://www.padawansguide.com/hairbuns.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/leia.php that comes off as very Neoclassical/vaguely Directoire style in the reunion scene with Anakin after Palpatine’s rescue from the Invisible Hand and in the scene in her apartment when Anakin visits her, after being given a place on the Council but not elevated to Master http://www.padawansguide.com/black_shawl.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/black.php definitely draw influence from this era) and the Victorian era https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_fashion (again, all of those bishop sleeves and even wider leg of mutton sleeves and full skirts, plus all the numerous embroideries and trims, V-shaped bodices, and etc. Plus, the heavily layered, elaborate purple/burgundy gown Padmé wears both during a meeting with select other Senators about Palpatine, the war, and etc. (this meeting of concerned Senators apparently takes place in Bail Organa’s office. The other such meeting in RotS occurs in Padmé’s apartment, when she is wearing the purple-sashed green velvet costume http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/greenrobe.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/green.shtml clearly based on a Medieval houppelande https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houppelande) and at home during a discussion with Anakin about politics http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/revelation.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/revelation.shtml in RotS and the similarly heavily layered, elaborate purple “liberty dies” http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/newsenate.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/purplesenate.shtml RotS gown both come of rather like odd mixes of Victorian coats, Elizabethan sheer weight/opulence/layering, and Renaissance sleeves in the first case and a hairpiece that greatly resembles a painted/sculpted Renaissance halo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(religious_iconography) for the second).
There are even later influences, too - the 1905 Gustav Klimt painting of Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Margaret_Stonborough-Wittgenstein_by_Gustav_Klimt%2C_1905.jpg that, in combination with either Klimt’s The Kiss https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/The_Kiss_-_Gustav_Klimt_-_Google_Cultural_Institute.jpg or else his Woman in Gold/Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Gustav_Klimt_046.jpg almost certainly helped influence Padmé’s picnic gown costume http://www.padawansguide.com/flowered.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/picnic.php (though so have the drawings of Princess Ozma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Ozma in The Wizard of Oz books, at least in regards to her hairstyle. Plus, in the costume, she looks very like the women in Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau paintings and posters, which has affinities with the Pre-Raphaelite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Raphaelite_Brotherhood romanticized Medieval style), plus the Delphos gowns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphos_gown?wprov=srpw1_0 that have clearly influenced both the underdress of the gold/yellow handmaiden gown http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/yellow.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/tpm_handmaidens2.shtml in TPM and the underdress of Dormé’s Senate costume http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens2.shtm and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme.php in AotC the turquoise underdress Padmé wears on Naboo http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tusken.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/blue.shtml beneath that vaguely indigenous Mexican American/Central American/South American vaguely poncho-like overrobe thing in AotC, plus the fact that there’s lots of both Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau and Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco details on Amidala and her handmaidens (especially in the shapes of the devoré patterns and designs painted or embroidered on their hooded cloaks, robes, and gowns), etc. - but they’re often in costumes that either have additional, earlier influences or else other, even later/more modern influences.
CONTINUED INITIALLY OVER HERE https://polgarawolf.livejournal.com/266070.html AND HERE https://polgarawolf.livejournal.com/266273.html AND HERE https://polgarawolf.livejournal.com/266583.html BECAUSE OF THE LJ'S IDIOTIC CHARACTER LIMITS!!!
Sorry about the font apparently randomly changing types whenever it feels like it: I genuinely have no idea why it's doing it (I am copying and pasting from a Word document that has the same font in the same size throughout its entirety) and I don't know how to fix it, short of trying to retype the entire document here and I just don't have the time to do that.
(I am going under the assumption here that everyone already knows that George Lucas et al appropriated a lot of things - clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, makeup, weapons, etc. - from various eras as well as cultures and distinct groups [peoples, nations, etc.] from all over the world here and then adapted them to make them more fantastical and/or to seem a bit more high tech on the surface to make them fit in a ’verse heavy on the space opera, like the GFFA. To an extent, everyone who tells stories in made-up/invented worlds does this, though most simply borrow from their own historical/cultural backgrounds. Sci-fi/fantasy, being inherently more imaginary than essentially every other form of fictional work out there - with the possible exception, perhaps, of some kinds of horror and certain kinds of fairy tales/folklore that are less obviously rooted in the real world/actual pasts of their creators - have a long, long history with cultural appropriation/adaptation. I am not here to argue about any of that [there’s honestly no arguing with the fact of it or how problematic and harmful it can be, especially when drawing heavily upon negative stereotypes, and I’m honestly not interested in trying to debate any of that here]. I’m just here to talk about which bits of what were probably in the minds of Lucas and etc. when they made their final decisions about what they would and wouldn’t include in the prequel films.)
The one really obvious outlier - the heavy traditional makeup of Naboo monarchs (or at least the canon Queens of Naboo) https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Scar_of_remembrance/Legends and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naboo#Royal_traditions which https://wiseshe.com/all-about-geisha-makeup-history/ is very geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha (and tends to be accompanied by hairstyles/headdresses that are very clearly inspired by Japanese nihongami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihongami and, again, seem designed to evoke the idea of Japanese geishas https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/geisha/the-hairstyles-of-geisha-and-maiko/ and https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/geisha-path-dance-shamisen) - is likely to have arisen, in ’verse, specifically to aid with the handmaiden/decoy monarch ruse. In regards to the other possible outlier, which includes some of the monarchs of Naboo’s more obviously East/Southeast Asian garb, I’ve pointed out that the adapted furisode/kimono https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furisode and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono - which can also be compared to the Chinese shenyi (or simui in Korean) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyi and the Chinese hanfu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanfu, Korean hanbok https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanbok, Okinawan ryusou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryusou, and Vietnamese áo giao lĩnh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81o_giao_l%C4%A9nh - arguably can be seen as just far more formal/elaborate versions of what the Jedi on Coruscant typically wear and, thus, not truly an aberration, since they are clearly Coruscant/Core-inspired, too, although DISNEY!SW would seem to be hinting that possibly this style of clothing may have come to Naboo from one of the other nearby Chommell sector systems, specifically Karlinus, which is described in frankly stereotypically East/Southeast Asian (and possibly also South Asian) terms - it’s known primarily for producing tea, silk, and some kind of grain that might or might not be rice, and the governor, at least, is said to have thick dark hair, dark eyes, and golden-brown skin (though her dark hair is also described as being “frizzy” in Queen’s Peril and as “frizzed in the humidity” in Queen’s Shadow) - and the planet is noted to have a “high turnover” in its workforce (supposedly in overseeing the droids that harvest/process the tea, silk, and grain, though there’s probably also quite a bit of associated manual labor when it comes to planting and caring for the plants that produce the tea and grain), too, which would seem to indicate that there would also likely be a correspondingly high rate of marriages/relationships that could involve children with workers from offworld, which could also explain how more traditional Karlini clothing (in other words, more traditionally East/Southeast Asian clothing) might have found their way to Naboo.
(Note: There’s some interesting but rather cursory information listed about the likely historical influences on several of Padmé Amidala’s costumes over at https://costumevault.blogspot.com/ under the tags of “Star Wars” and “Padme Amidala” [as Padmé’s name is technically misspelled in much of the blog] for those who’re interested - there are twelve major posts about certain costumes/designs for Padmé as well as three “annex” posts for other costumes/designs in the three prequel films not already addressed in one of the twelve main posts on Padmé - but please keep in mind that some of the analysis is frankly arguable and more than some of it is rather flippantly worded, though, to be fair, the blogger admits in a separate post entirely https://costumevault.blogspot.com/2018/03/editorial-my-thoughts-on-padme-amidala.html that a lot of that is due to her aggravation over such things as the general lack of cohesion between the different costumes, their failure to consistently function as a piece of the narrative, and the obvious fact that the narrative circumstances under which they’re supposed to be worn quite often clearly weren’t taken into account for the designs and/or the materials used in the designs. The blogger feels that Padmé deserved better than “bad storytelling and bad writing” and to be “quickly relegated to love interest,” and that her costume designs are in a “similar position” and so fail “to rise to their full potential.” There’s also a lot of interesting information on probable historical influences for various prequel costumes along with photos both of reference and of promotional images of those costumes and also quite often photos of the costumes from various SW exhibits at http://www.padawansguide.com/index.shtml that includes some great close-ups of details of the embroidery, lace, beading, and etc., especially for Amidala and her handmaidens but also for other characters, too.)
What a lot of people seem to be calling more Medieval/Renaissance-inspired clothing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textiles#Medieval_clothing_and_textiles and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1300%E2%80%931400_in_fashion and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_and_textiles#Renaissance_and_early_modern_period, especially among the Naboo, to me seems just as likely to be inspired by Rus Medieval kaftans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaftan#Russian_(North_Asia_and_Eastern_Europe) and https://rezansky.com/eastern-style-medieval-russian-kaftans/ modified to remove the obvious closures (since the GFFA, as a rule, doesn’t have visible fastenings on clothing), Viking quilted/padded caftans/kaftans https://steel-mastery.com/birka-quilted-viking-caftan.html and https://www.living-history-market.com/Tunics_caftans#&gid=1577129481&pid=20 and also https://www.living-history-market.com/Tunics_caftans#&gid=1577129481&pid=88, Byzantine, Turkic, and Algerian kaftans http://truehistoryshop.com/shop/dress-on-demand-byzantine-kaftan/ and https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/kaftan/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaftan and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_Kaftan, the kind of quilted/patchwork changyi/hechang or beizi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beizi that can be found in traditional Chinese clothing, such as the shuitianyi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuitianyi and the baijia yi/baijia pao or Hundred Families Robe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_patchwork#Baijia_yi, and etc., especially when it comes to the men’s clothing.
Similar garments can be seen in the prequel films on various extras in crowd scenes on Naboo (such as during the celebrations at the end of TPM, certain scenes set in Theed in AotC, and Amidala’s funeral at the end of RotS) and on characters like Palpatine (especially earlier on, near the beginning of his political career, but also during some of his time as Supreme Chancellor. See the blue costume he wears in TPM http://www.padawansguide.com/palpatine.shtml and the darkish, heavily embroidered red/maroon/purple outfit with the huge puffed sleeves [to the point where they look scalloped from the sides] that he wears during a Senate address in AotC here http://www.padawansguide.com/palpatine.shtml and here https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/star-wars-legends/images/8/85/PalpatineSWE.png/revision/latest?cb=20190428001252. The elaborate red/maroon/burgundy outfit he’s wearing in RotS when Anakin confronts him about being the Sith and the Jedi try to arrest him https://i.redd.it/nxfl0d1r1wd01.jpg and https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fictupedia/images/2/27/Palpatine4.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150728022359 and https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Star-Wars-Palpatine-Emperor-Lightsaber.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&h=370&dpr=1.5 also fits this mode, though the many of the more extravagantly shaped sleeves Palpatine tends to wear as Supreme Chancellor seem a bit more influenced by Elizabethan or even Victorian fashions in feel/shape) https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Palpatine/Legends, Governor of Naboo and head of the Royal Advisory Council Sio Bibble https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sio_Bibble/Legends, Chief Architect of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council Hugo Eckener https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hugo_Eckener/Legends, Master of Sciences of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council Graf Zapalo https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Graf_Zapalo/Legends, political and economic advisor and members of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council Horace Vancil https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Horace_Vancil/Legends, and another unidentified/unnamed by canon male member https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Unidentified_Naboo_councilman of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo_Royal_Advisory_Council/Legends.
On Coruscant, in TPM, this kind of costume can also be seen on Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Finis_Valorum/Legends and, arguably, on Bail Organa in AotC http://www.padawansguide.com/bail.shtml and at least a few times on Bail Organa (if with much simpler sleeves) in RotS http://www.padawansguide.com/bailorgana.shtml too. Both of Mon Mothma’s two off-white costumes for RotS http://www.padawansguide.com/monmothma.shtml closely resembles this overall style (heavy/thick looking, either quilted, brocaded, embroidered, or otherwise patterned/piled/visibly textured material; high collars; wide yokes/shoulders; visible layers; and etc.), as well, especially the one with the rather full cuffed sleeves https://www.pinterest.com/pin/550776229410107514/ that are almost identical to the sleeves on Graf Zapalo https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Graf_Zapalo/Legends in TPM (technically, these are 15th century - or Late Medieval - style bishop sleeves http://chilestheatre.com/history-of-sleeves-1.pdf but this kind of sleeve https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/26/fashion-moments-bishop-sleeve/ also was popular in the US during the Civil War and in mid-Victorian England/Europe), though there is something almost modern Vietnamese about the pale color (perhaps hinting that she still considers herself a student of politics?) and the layering, which looks almost like an adapted version - just a single garment, instead of a dress over loose pants or another skirt - of a looser fitting áo dài https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81o_d%C3%A0i made out of much heavier material than normal with pleating https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleat on much of the fabric that honestly looks rather like Fortuny pleats https://fortuny.com/the-pleats/ of the sort seen on Delphos gowns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphos_gown).
There are quite clearly some Medieval/Renaissance-inspired https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_medieval_clothing and https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1248/clothes-in-medieval-england/ and http://historicalromance.love/medieval-fashion-in-europe-from-1200-1400/ costumes on the women in the prequels, especially among the women of Naboo - the handmaidens (especially given the hoods/wrapped headscarves that they wear http://www.padawansguide.com/handmaidens.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/index.php [see under “Handmaidens,” and also “Other” under “Royalty” for the other two Queens of Naboo] even when they go without full capes/cloaks that also have hoods - I am particularly thinking of Rabé in the infamous “Anakin can’t count” pre-Senate scene on Coruscant http://www.padawansguide.com/tpm_handmaidens5.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/presenatecloak.php in TPM and possibly also of Queen Jamillia’s handmaidens http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens6.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/jamillia.php in AotC, whose hoods are clearly separate from their overrobes and may not be attached to their underdresses - which is very tenth and eleventh century) and the gown worn in AotC by Queen Jamillia of Naboo http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/jamillia.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/jamillia.shtml (with two layers of sleeves, particularly the much larger/looser outer sleeves that come down to a fairly long/dagged https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/dagging/ point [clear variations on hanging sleeves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeve], that are basically pure High Medieval, though the fabric itself - the heavy beading and embroidery, etc. - arguably is more Elizabethan/in the Spanish style of the latter half of the 1500s, including the shapes of the doubled sleeves, and her traditional Nabooian monarch makeup is very geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha) especially fall into this category.
The same also holds true for the Naberrie family http://www.padawansguide.com/naberrie.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php (Sola with her fairly plain dress/kirtle beneath a fancifully cut, obviously contrasting, full-length lace cloak http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/naberrie.shtml and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB7.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB8.jpg in AotC; Jobal’s laced bodice over a fairly simple shirt of vividly contrasting color and her two layers of skirts, cut so that the two contrastingly hued fabrics can also be seen http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB1.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB2.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB3.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB4.jpg in AotC; Ruwee’s fairly plain/basic tunic over a simple shirt and trousers http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/naberrie.php and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB5.jpg and http://alexeysmirnov1977.com/Images/SWOFF_C/C.NAB6.jpg in AotC; the somewhat romanticized Medieval http://historicalromance.love/medieval-fashion-in-europe-from-1200-1400/ costume - including her hairstyle, with a headband and cauls or crespine/crispinette https://rosaliegilbert.com/headdresses.html and lots of ribbons and loose curls at the back - that Padmé wears on the picnic with Anakin http://www.padawansguide.com/flowered.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/picnic.php in AotC arguably counts, too, though it can also be said to more accurately reflect the Pre-Raphaelite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Raphaelite_Brotherhood romantic vision of Medieval fashion and that her overall look is very close to that of the women in certain Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau posters and paintings; and so on).
The Medieval/Renaissance theme also holds true for some of the gowns worn first by Queen Amidala (like the purple gown in TPM worn on the way back to Naboo from Coruscant as well as later in the film, to Qui-Gon’s funeral http://www.padawansguide.com/purple_travel.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/return.php, which resembles the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus and Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia, Catherine Cornaro, who lived from 1454-1510, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Cornaro specifically Titian’s 1542 portrait of Caterina Cornaro as Saint Catherine of Alexandria https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6133233 and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Caterina_Cornaro_after_Titian_%2819th_c.%2C_Sotheby%27s%29.jpg and, thus, is clearly based on High Medieval fashion, even though her makeup is more geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha. (To be fair, though, the heavy white makeup that’s part of the traditional makeup worn by all of the Queens of Naboo in the prequels is also very like Elizabethan white face paint, especially the heavier - and quite poisonous, unfortunately, sometimes cumulatively fatally so, due to the lead pigment in it - form known as ceruse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_ceruse and even the usually bright red lips and markings on the cheeks in the traditional Nabooian monarch makeup is a bit Elizabethan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion#Makeup in feel.) Arguably, even though her hairstyle/headdress looks very like Japanese nihongami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihongami and https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/geisha/the-hairstyles-of-geisha-and-maiko/ and https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/geisha-path-dance-shamisen and her makeup https://wiseshe.com/all-about-geisha-makeup-history/ is also very geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha the post-Senate black gown Amidala wears in TPM http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/postsenate.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/black_coruscant.shtml is also at least somewhat influenced by High Medieval fashions, in regards to the decorative, long, clearly pointed sleeves, which look like a slight variation on dagged https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/dagging/ Medieval sleeves that are partnered with a second set of sleeves that fit closer to the arm, but although the contrastingly colored lining to the pointed sleeves is Medieval, the overall richness of the fabrics and the heavily beaded/embroidered appliqués feel more Elizabethan, while, again, the hairstyle and makeup are clearly more Japanese/geisha-like and something about the basic shape and extravagance of it in addition to the yellow/golden decorations on the shoulders and chest of the gown is reminiscent of a Korean wonsam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonsam) and later by Senator Amidala (such as the slightly modified/hooded, purple-sashed, green velvet http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/greenrobe.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/green.shtml houppelande https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houppelande that Padmé wears in RotS as she meets with Obi-Wan, meets with the Senators [who will become the core of the Delegation of 2,000 and etc.] about Palpatine and the war, and later sits alone in her apartment to brood).
Some of the costumes have details (including the sheer opulence of the fabrics, applied trims, embroideries, ornamentations, contrasting fabrics, shape of the bodices/necklines, shape of the sleeves/oversleeves, and so on) that have more in common with Elizabethan https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1577/clothes-in-the-elizabethan-era/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion styles or even later https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1600%E2%80%931650_in_Western_European_fashion designs. The broad, low, slightly rounded neckline of Amidala’s parade gown in TPM is fairly in line with the shape of early Elizabethan bodices and, though the monarch’s traditional makeup, hairstyle, and the aurate fan behind her head that looks like a cross between an Asian parasol with its ribs and pole removed and the actual parasol part spread out flat and somehow stiffened and an actual tangible version of a Medieval/Renaissance-style painted/sculpted corona/halo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(religious_iconography) are, of course, very Japanese/geisha-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha, the way that the gown is worn with a such a visibly elaborate/fancy cloak http://www.padawansguide.com/parade.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/parade.php gives the same kind of effect as the kind of intricately decorated floor-length/trailing train or cloak quite common to Elizabethan women’s fashions. The shape of the sleeves, bodice, and skirt, plus the brocade extended “stomacher” effect - which is very much so a later Elizabethan/early Jacobean notion - on the gown Amidala wears during her address to the Senate after surviving the bombing at the landing platform http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/senateaddress.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/dark.shtml towards the beginning of AotC also come to mind, although her hairstyle looks like a throwback to her hairstyles as Queen of Naboo, which are so clearly inspired by Japanese nihongami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihongami and, again, seem designed to evoke the idea of Japanese geishas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha and https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/geisha/the-hairstyles-of-geisha-and-maiko/ and https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/geisha-path-dance-shamisen even if, as Senator, Amidala no longer wears the traditional geisha-like makeup.
Padmé’s packing gown http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/packing.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/silver.shtml in AotC, though clearly somewhat simplified (in regards to the width of the skirts and the height of the collar. The sleeves - which seem more like a modified/rather soft take on a very Victorian/Civil War era leg of mutton or French gigot sleeve https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8295/a-brief-history-of-the-leg-of-mutton-sleeve and https://www.geriwalton.com/gigot-or-leg-of-mutton-sleeves-of-the-1800s/ and https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/leg-of-mutton-sleeves/ with four slim decorative armbands around both of her biceps to turn the full part of the sleeve into two unequally sized puffs - are also a bit plain for Elizabethan fashion, though Elizabethan sleeves were often puffed, too), is clearly also informed/inspired by Elizabethan fashions/the Spanish style of the latter half of the 1500s https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1577/clothes-in-the-elizabethan-era/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion given the corseted shape of the bodice, which comes to a point at the center front, the high neck (though it does lack the added ruff/ruffle so popular in this era), and the extremely elaborate and colorful beading on the large front piece appliquéd onto the velvet bodice http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/silver/padme_silver_promo3.jpg (though the designs that the beads form http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/departure/departure7.jpg taken together with the jewel-studded, scroll-patterned silver armbands http://www.padawansguide.com/fidm/maggie/silver3.jpg and her diadem/headdress http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/departure/departurescreen.jpg feel much more Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau). (Her hair, on the other hand, is of course inspired by the traditional Hopi squash blossom whorl or butterfly whorl https://pinsndls.com/2012/10/18/mystery-monday-the-squash-blossom-as-a-symbol-of-fertility/ and https://designyoutrust.com/2020/06/stunning-vintage-photos-of-young-hopi-maidens-with-their-traditional-hairstyle-from-the-1900s-and-1910s/ and https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/e6/5b/5de65bf746a891fa9d297ebdfefa6f80.jpg and http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2017/12/hopi-squash-blossom-story-behind-iconic.html hairstyle.)
Details on other costumes, such as the slightly more vertical line of certain gowns on both Amidala’s handmaidens in both AotC (or at least Dormé’s shoulders http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens4.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme3.php and especially also http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens5.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme4.php plus the dolman sleeves https://www.thefreedictionary.com/dolman+sleeve and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolman on Dormé’s Senate robe/gown http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens2.shtm and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme.php. Versé can barely even be glimpsed, before the explosion, and seems to be swathed in a full-length and heavily cowled overrobe or cloak, while Cordé, who is dressed to act as a decoy for Senator Amidala, is in a gown and hairstyle http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/corde.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens1.shtml that clearly echo some of Queen Amidala’s looks in TPM, particularly the post-Senate http://www.padawansguide.com/black_coruscant.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/postsenate.php costume, though Cordé’s gown has much more obviously High Medieval dagged https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/dagging/ oversleeves and long sleeves beneath that fit tight to her arms) and RotS (as with Moteé and Ellé with their matching, deeply hooded modified ponchos with the extended yokes at the shoulder http://www.padawansguide.com/3_handmaiden1.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/pleated.php) and on various extras in the background of certain shots and the crowd scenes in Theed, with horizontal emphasis at the shoulders, clearly have more in common with slightly later designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1650%E2%80%931700_in_Western_European_fashion.
On the other hand, the gown that Padmé wears in AotC when she meets Obi-Wan and Anakin again for the first time, with a necklace that sits high on her neck and reaches even higher and sleeves that are in clear layers, a tight/corseted bodice, a lower cut, square neckline, and a wide, elaborate skirt and overskirt http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/loyalist.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/purple.shtml looks to be more influenced by even later https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1700%E2%80%931750_in_Western_fashion and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1750%E2%80%931775_in_Western_fashion styles or more Baroque https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque and Rococo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococo designs, though the sleeves and the sumptuousness of the fabric (with its elaborate beading and scrollwork, even if the pattern in the velvet looks more Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau or even Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco in style than anything else) arguably are also rather Elizabethan/in the Spanish style of the latter half of the 1500s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550%E2%80%931600_in_Western_European_fashion, and her hairstyle/headdress for this particular costume clearly evokes the artificially elongated heads of African Mangbetu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangbetu_people by way of Limpombo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cranial_deformation, specifically seeming designed to suggest both this picture http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/purple/congo.jpg and http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xeRBsB-bIwY/VlSeRuvsyaI/AAAAAAAAEgc/p3xTgVfqJv4/s1600/Mangbetu%2BWoman%252C%2BCongo.jpg and this http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZLcBaz5ewg/VlSeOfECJjI/AAAAAAAAEfY/CnPNnQGMtw4/s1600/Belgian%2BCongo%2BTraditional%2BHairstyle.jpg picture.
There are also clear influences from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1795%E2%80%931820_in_Western_fashion (Education Regent Lufta Shif https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lufta_Shif/Legends of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council in TPM is pretty clearly wearing clothing influenced by the Neoclassical Directoire https://darthkendraresearch.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/directoire-scarlet-ribbons/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directoire_style style and the contrasting long tunic over a flowing skirt that Music Advisor Hela Brandes https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hela_Brandes/Legends of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council is wearing in TPM is likewise directly informed by that same style. Arguably, Padmé’s “Lake Gown” http://www.padawansguide.com/pastel.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/retreat.php is also at least somewhat influenced by the Neoclassical Directoire style - including her hairstyle - but it mostly comes off as inspired by fantasy clichés) and with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1820s_in_Western_fashion (the slightly higher waisted - but not so high as to be immediately below the breasts - and slightly fuller sleeves of the dark blue/indigo linen dress Padmé wears in RotS both underneath the wrapped/draped cloak http://www.padawansguide.com/hairbuns.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/leia.php that comes off as very Neoclassical/vaguely Directoire style in the reunion scene with Anakin after Palpatine’s rescue from the Invisible Hand and in the scene in her apartment when Anakin visits her, after being given a place on the Council but not elevated to Master http://www.padawansguide.com/black_shawl.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/black.php definitely draw influence from this era) and the Victorian era https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_fashion (again, all of those bishop sleeves and even wider leg of mutton sleeves and full skirts, plus all the numerous embroideries and trims, V-shaped bodices, and etc. Plus, the heavily layered, elaborate purple/burgundy gown Padmé wears both during a meeting with select other Senators about Palpatine, the war, and etc. (this meeting of concerned Senators apparently takes place in Bail Organa’s office. The other such meeting in RotS occurs in Padmé’s apartment, when she is wearing the purple-sashed green velvet costume http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/greenrobe.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/green.shtml clearly based on a Medieval houppelande https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houppelande) and at home during a discussion with Anakin about politics http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/revelation.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/revelation.shtml in RotS and the similarly heavily layered, elaborate purple “liberty dies” http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/newsenate.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/purplesenate.shtml RotS gown both come of rather like odd mixes of Victorian coats, Elizabethan sheer weight/opulence/layering, and Renaissance sleeves in the first case and a hairpiece that greatly resembles a painted/sculpted Renaissance halo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(religious_iconography) for the second).
There are even later influences, too - the 1905 Gustav Klimt painting of Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Margaret_Stonborough-Wittgenstein_by_Gustav_Klimt%2C_1905.jpg that, in combination with either Klimt’s The Kiss https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/The_Kiss_-_Gustav_Klimt_-_Google_Cultural_Institute.jpg or else his Woman in Gold/Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Gustav_Klimt_046.jpg almost certainly helped influence Padmé’s picnic gown costume http://www.padawansguide.com/flowered.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/picnic.php (though so have the drawings of Princess Ozma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Ozma in The Wizard of Oz books, at least in regards to her hairstyle. Plus, in the costume, she looks very like the women in Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau paintings and posters, which has affinities with the Pre-Raphaelite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Raphaelite_Brotherhood romanticized Medieval style), plus the Delphos gowns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphos_gown?wprov=srpw1_0 that have clearly influenced both the underdress of the gold/yellow handmaiden gown http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/yellow.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/tpm_handmaidens2.shtml in TPM and the underdress of Dormé’s Senate costume http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens2.shtm and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme.php in AotC the turquoise underdress Padmé wears on Naboo http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tusken.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/blue.shtml beneath that vaguely indigenous Mexican American/Central American/South American vaguely poncho-like overrobe thing in AotC, plus the fact that there’s lots of both Art Nouveau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau and Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco details on Amidala and her handmaidens (especially in the shapes of the devoré patterns and designs painted or embroidered on their hooded cloaks, robes, and gowns), etc. - but they’re often in costumes that either have additional, earlier influences or else other, even later/more modern influences.
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Sorry about the font apparently randomly changing types whenever it feels like it: I genuinely have no idea why it's doing it (I am copying and pasting from a Word document that has the same font in the same size throughout its entirety) and I don't know how to fix it, short of trying to retype the entire document here and I just don't have the time to do that.