Further thoughts on fashion and historical influences on certain costumes in the prequels, PART 4
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I find it interesting that most of the more clearly formal/elaborate Nabooian costumes that are more obviously influenced/inspired by East Asian/Southeast Asian fashions are things worn by either one or another of the Queens of Naboo (whose traditional makeup, again, https://pm1.narvii.com/7114/ce8d71afdcc9b4f8240ba6f2fe522cc22c73a26br1-1280-720v2_hq.jpg and https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Scar_of_remembrance/Legends and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naboo#Royal_traditions is also clearly inspired thus, being very geisha-like https://wiseshe.com/all-about-geisha-makeup-history/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha and, as I’ve mentioned before, tend to be accompanied by hairstyles/headdresses that are also very clearly influenced 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) - Amidala’s red throne room gown and also her hairstyle/headdress (and traditional makeup) http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/throneroom.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/red_invasion.shtml at the beginning of TPM; the gown and headdress/hairstyle (and traditional makeup) Amidala wears on Coruscant, to speak to Senator Palpatine http://www.padawansguide.com/coruscant_kimono.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/presenate.php before going before the Senate in TPM; Amidala’s Senate http://www.padawansguide.com/senate.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/senate.php cloak and gown and her hairstyle/headdress (and traditional makeup); the battle dress and headdress/hairstyle (and traditional makeup) for “Amidala” http://www.padawansguide.com/decoy_theed.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/sabe.php (actually the Queen’s main decoy, Sabé, disguised as Amidala); the hairstyle with the “aurate fan capped with jeweled finials” https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Parade_gown (along with her traditional makeup) and also arguably the tabard-like shape of the attached “banner” on the actual dress of Amidala’s parade costume http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/parade.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/parade.shtml; Jamillia’s (traditional makeup and also her) hairstyle/headdress (if not her actual gown) http://www.padawansguide.com/jamillia.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/jamillia.php in AotC (if you look at the promotional pictures of her from the side, though, her hair forms much the same shape as is traditionally worn with/formed by Laotian xout lao https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xout_lao and it also closely resembles a traditional headdress or crown found in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, the makuṭa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maku%E1%B9%ADa or makuta, mahkota, magaik, mokot, mongkut, chada [though instead of actually wearing such a crown, her hair seems deliberately styled to mimic the shape of that kind of crown]); and Apailana’s gown and headdress/hairstyle (and also her traditional makeup, though what she’s wearing has been somewhat modified - the red changed to indigo, etc. - to show that she’s in mourning) http://www.padawansguide.com/apailana.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/apailana.php for Amidala’s funeral in RotS.
I also find it interesting that (discounting the Neimoidians https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Neimoidian/Legends of course, but then, this piece is specifically focused on Alderaan, Chandrila, Naboo, and, to an extent, Coruscant/the Core, so there’s no logical reason to discuss/include analysis of the costumes worn by the Colonies-based relatives of the Duros species https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Duros/Legends here. Also, I’m trying to avoid getting my blood pressure up and thinking about the amount of racist stereotyping in Neimoidian design tends to do that to me quite a lot) the one other elaborate/seemingly quite formal costume in the prequels that’s clearly inspired/influenced by Western Asia (specifically Transcaucasia of the Caucasus Region or the South Caucasus) is worn by Senator Amidala as her travel gown/refugee disguise (as a matron of the Thousand Moons system https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Thousand_Moons_system/Legends in the Circarpous sector https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Circarpous_sector/Legends of the Slice https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Slice/Legends portion of the Expansion Region https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Expansion_Region/Legends which would seem to hint that Naboo has some kind of trade ties with this area or an alliance with the system - or perhaps Padmé has, at some point, been involved in trying to provide relief for whatever disaster is causing there to be refugees from the system? - for Padmé to evidently already have such a costume in her possession, at hand on Coruscant and ready to use in case of an emergency requiring her to wear a disguise) http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/refugee.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/gold.shtml in AotC (the outfit is clearly modelled on a masquerade costume for the 1903 Ball in the Winter Palace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1903_ball_in_the_Winter_Palace of the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia [née princess Beloselsky-Belozwersky] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Xenia_Alexandrovna_of_Russia as a Boyarina https://i.pinimg.com/originals/57/d1/71/57d17140a07a81b44e9f64e0daf12e48.jpg and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/1903_ball_-_Xenia_Alexandrovna_of_Russia.jpg and also on the sort of traditional Russian costume https://theculturetrip.com/europe/russia/articles/a-brief-guide-to-traditional-russian-dress/ and https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/334144-folk-costume-russian-empire that includes a kokoshnik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoshnik and a sarafan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarafan though the layer of Amidala’s dress meant to evoke a sarafan is not precisely sleeveless). (It seems a little strange that this clearly heavily Russian influenced costume should be attributed to another system, far away in the Expansion Region, that never even gets mentioned anywhere else in the prequels again, when there are multiple instances of items from other costumes - both for characters from Alderaan and characters from Naboo - that arguably at least in part draw inspiration from Medieval Rus and/or Medieval Slavic kaftans.)
On the other hand, at least two of Padmé’s more informal/casual outfits in AotC, two different two-piece dresses in different shades of blue that she wears under elaborate cloaks at first when she goes to visit her family in Theed http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/home.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/secondblue.shtml and then when she first arrives on Tatooine with Anakin (and first meets the Lars family) http://www.padawansguide.com/cape.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tatooine.php seem to be at least somewhat influenced/inspired by both the South Asian sari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari (traditionally worn in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, with a fitted bodice commonly called a choli [or ravike or kuppasa in Southern India or cholo in Nepal] and sometimes also a half-slip or petticoat called a ghargra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghagra_choli or parkar or ul-pavadai) and choli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choli and also an item of clothing worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Western Asian (among several other locations) and known as the sarong or sarung https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarong The skirt of the two-piece outfit (a color somewhere between a fairly pale blue and a light turquoise) is clearly a sarong - the separation between the two edges of fabric are clearly visible in scenes where she’s walking - so the outfit looks rather as if it were made to literally combine three different cultures (Western/South/Southeast Asia with South Asia - the top, which has some fancy iridescent beading and a beaded clip at the front center of the bottom hem, closely resembles a fairly typical long-sleeved, midriff-baring, deep-backed choli - and Europe, by way of the elaborate, deeply hooded, full-length, panné velvet cloak, ivory over a blue backing, which looks oddly modern, with its elaborate burnout patterns, since burnout or devoré https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devor%C3%A9 is an invention from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries which made a comeback in the 1990s, not too long before the prequel films were made) with a hairstyle that simply looks modern (spiral curls pulled back from the face by a very wide headband made to match the sarong and choli).
The skirt (some have mistaken it for very wide/loose trousers - likely because the extra panel down the center front of the skirt that looks like some kind of attached sash or draped overlap causes folds in the fabric that are extremely deceptive, especially when she’s moving - but photos from the back clearly show that it’s actually a skirt) on Padmé’s second two-piece, very pale blue (with fancy silver/grey designs on part of the top and strings of beads over what looks like a knot [but is clearly sewn on/sewn down, since exhibit pictures of the costume make it clear that what looks like an attached sash/overlay is actually just an extra gore or panel of the skirt gathered in front, centered on that false knot with the decorative beadwork] at the lowest part/at the middle of the waistband of the skirt) outfit http://www.padawansguide.com/cape.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tatooine.php might be based on a sarong or perhaps on the idea of a sari without enough material to form the typical drape up across the body to then hang down in front, sometimes going over the head, or it might’ve simply been made to look something like both of them http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/mythmaking.jpg (it’s difficult to tell just from photos, but honestly it looks more like it’s been constructed to evoke the idea of a skirt made from a single piece of fabric wound around the waist and knotted to hold it in place), but the top, though baring the midriff and fitting tight to upper body like a choli http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/tatooine/tatooine10.jpg has sleeves that, from mainly front on, look like either vaguely High Medieval sleeves or else 1970s bell sleeves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_sleeve that, when she turns around, clearly actually somehow contrive to join/help form the edges of an odd sort of half-cape/capelet across her back (with a hem that’s noticeably slightly longer at the center of her back) that has an extremely deep/wide looking hood or cowl http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/padme_cape_back.jpg somehow attached to it all. If viewed when Padmé’s in motion in a certain matter, though, from the side http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/forbidden_cape.jpg it appears that the seemingly bell-like sleeves and capelet are, in fact, all one piece - the cape or capelet literally loops around Padmé’s arms to form the appearance of loose/wide/bell-like sleeves. This fabric wraps actually around her continuously, so that the capelet/cape has two layers of fabric to it and, underneath that, her midriff-baring top has second set of long sleeves that fit tight to the body (more like with a choli) and normally don’t show beneath the long oversleeves that are actually almost shaped like angel sleeves https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/angel_sleeve (to the point where they resemble full circle sleeves/angel sleeves of the kind worn in the 1970s, like Brian May’s sleeves at the far right of the picture here https://lostmediawiki.com/images/8/8c/Queen_on_TopPop.jpg and Freddie Mercury’s sleeves on the upper right-hand side of the four-photo collage https://www.cleveland.com/resizer/YrZNwXpFDg0YRzieKI4LL7qpuRI=/1280x0/smart/advancelocal-adapter-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/expo.advance.net/img/0d73f2d3c4/width2048/901_collagequeenmacoska.jpeg here).
The outfit, which, surprisingly enough, includes a sort of headdress that looks very much like the ornate silver metallic headdress/crown https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/mon-mothma-3-retina_d142ca96.jpeg?region=0%2C0%2C1200%2C509 with connected round, domed shapes low on the sides suggesting a Medieval reticulated headdress https://world4.eu/reticulated-headdress/ and https://rosaliegilbert.com/headdresses.html known as a crespine or crispinette or cauls https://sartorialadventure.tumblr.com/post/188436114831/the-crispinette-or-caul-came-into-fashion-in-the and http://seducedbyhistory.blogspot.com/2009/09/head-coverings-of-medieval-english.html and http://bloshka.info/2020/09/26/crespine/ that Mon Mothma is wearing with one of her two costumes in RotS, during a meeting of concerned Senators from the Loyalist Committee - specifically the one in Bail’s office, where Padmé is wearing an elaborate purple/burgundy velvet gown http://www.padawansguide.com/revelation.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/revelation.php and Mon Mothma can be seen clearly among the other Senators in several of the stills and behind the scenes photos - only the round shapes aren’t domed but rather hollow, allowing them to fit over/around a bun on either side of her head http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/tatooine/tatooinescreen27.jpg and http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/dag1.jpg that looks as if they’re made out braided or tightly twisted sections of her curly hair (the rest of which is pulled back low over her neck, so she has curls hanging down the center of her back), leading to an effect that (from the front and the sides) is even more like the Medieval hairstyle that uses a crespine or crispinette or cauls.
The outfit also involves yet another deeply hooded, full-length, cloak in indigo and a sort of light lavender that looks like velvet devoré https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devor%C3%A9 (that almost resembles a cat’s spotted coat from a distance but from closer on looks more Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco in a way that almost seems contrived to hint at spirals or looping knots) on film and in photos but has been described by Trisha Biggar on page 185 of her Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars as “a pressed-velvet cloak [with] an enveloping hood” (and has also been reported as having been silk screened or painted with what’s meant to be a version of stylized renditions of Amidala’s symbol or the Naboo emblem https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo_emblem so it seems possible that the pattern pressed into the velvet might have been painted over by way of silk screening, to make the pressed pattern more visible/keep the pattern set, though the pattern doesn’t particularly look all that much like Amidala’s frankly flower-like symbol/the Naboo emblem https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo_emblem stylized or not), and, though there’s clearly a tight caul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caul_(headgear) underneath the deep/full [much more loosely fitting, shaped more like the hood of a Jedi’s robe/overrobe] cowl of the cloak http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ref_clasp_factfile3.jpg and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/tatooine/tatooine12.jpg in the scenes where she’s wearing the cloak, but this tight caul apparently is removable (and removed whenever she takes the cloak off), as the hood clearly visible from the back, attached to the top of her two-piece dress http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/padme_cape_back.jpg is obviously neither the right shape nor the right kind of material to be this caul. The tight caul in combination with the looser/larger hood of cloak http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ref_hood_new3.jpg gives an effect rather like an Islamic hijab https://royalhandmaidens.tumblr.com/post/665573530281328640 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab in the two-piece al-Amira https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_hijab and https://royalhandmaidens.tumblr.com/post/634912973936279552/heres-the-original-photo-btw-just-in-case-anyone style, which as a look has been around since at least the 600s at least and is still required by law in certain countries.
In any case, it doesn’t match the metal headdress and hairstyle Padmé has underneath it (which, again, are clearly suggestive of a Medieval hairstyle and headdress known as a crespine or crispinette or cauls), nor does it particularly seem to go with the style of the two-piece dress she’s wearing with it, which, if not at least loosely based on an Asian/Southern Asian sari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari and choli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choli could pretty much only be based on the midriff-baring crop tops https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_top of the 1980s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_fashion and later (if with a Medieval twist to the sleeves), and a long, fairly slim skirt based on/made to look something like a wrap skirt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skirt Frankly, the outfit as a whole ends up seeming like such a mishmash of disparate styles that it mainly comes off as weirdly modern and contrived, more like someone’s idea of an eye-catching and romantic costume for a fantastical space opera film than anything that would either be very practical for the punishing heat/sandy terrain/extremely dry climate Padmé deliberately intended to visit and knew she would need to be able to move around in (on Tatooine) or else seem to fit with the lush terrain/watery climate/seemingly mildly warm temperatures she’s come from (on Naboo) and the kinds of clothing already established as being typical (or at least traditional) for people from there. (To be fair, a lot of other costumes on characters from Naboo are also a hodgepodge of different fashions and influences, but usually either more in the sense that inspiration has been taken from the styles of a couple of different decades or eras of fashion or else in the sense that one thing from a different culture has been added to a costume that otherwise is largely inspired by some other culture/people entirely.) After all, a full-length velvet cloak (of any kind) does not seem like a very smart choice for the desert - it would be heavy and hot and, depending on what kind of fabric the velvet’s made out of, it might not breathe very well (which would inhibit the body’s natural cooling mechanisms) or it might breathe entirely too much for comfort, given all the dust/sand/grit likely constantly blowing around - and a cloak made out of a fabric that evidently has been treated in such a fashion (in order to make a visible/permanent pattern in its pile) that it would almost certainly weaken/damage a large part of the fabric would also probably not be adequate for keeping out sand/grit being driven by wind. Plus, a bared midriff in the desert frankly seems like a very bad idea, without some way to quickly and adequately cover it up if the weather turns nasty.
Padmé is trapped at the Skywalker residence for an unspecified length of time during TPM because of a sandstorm: she really ought to know better. Without the (quite possibly inadequate to truly provide protection from violently blowing sand) velvet cloak, unless it’s possible for the entire top layer of the oversleeves/capelet thing on her midriff-baring top to lift up over the deep hood draped over it and so transform into something more like a poncho that would still allow her to use the hood/cowl, Padmé would have no way to protect the skin of her stomach from the sand, out in the open. Given that she definitely knows that Tatooine has sandstorms and that the sandstorms can last a long time and be dangerous enough to trap people indoors for as long as the sandstorm is ongoing, the fact that Padmé’s chosen this particular outfit to wear to Tatooine seems either like a grave misjudgment on her part or else awfully arrogant. It does look fairly similar in style to the outfit she wears to her Theed family home, on Naboo, and the extremely elaborately patterned, full-length, pressed velvet (and possibly also silk screened) cloak for the outfit does fit with the overall Naboo aesthetic fairly well, much like the extremely elaborately patterned, full-length, panné velvet burnout cloak she wears when visiting her family in Theed - the richly opulent velvets are fairly par for the course for Naboo and the patterns formed on them by the burnout treatment and the pressed velvet (and possible silk screening) look like a cross between Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco designs and stylized Celtic knotwork - but that doesn’t mean that the second outfit is at all fit for the environment Padmé decides to wear it in (Tatooine, after all, is a desert planet with two suns: it’s extremely different from Naboo, which has an awful lot of water and looks like a temperate biome). Moreover, Padmé spends more time with the cloaks off than she does with them on and the rest of those two particular outfits seems strikingly different from everything else we see on film, either on Naboo or on characters known to be from Naboo.
(The basic outline of the two outfits is fairly similar to another one that Padmé wears in AotC, the infamous dinner scene http://www.padawansguide.com/corset.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dinner.php gown, with the same sort of tight bodice, defined/emphasized waist, seemingly slim-fitting skirt that goes to the floor and either has a bit of flare towards the bottom or has pleats or gores that allow for more movement than would seem possible at a glance, a cloak or cape/capelet that can be removed, etc. But the corseted, mermaid dress is ridiculously modern. Technically, the forerunners of fishtail gowns or mermaid dresses first appeared in 1877, though French designer Marcel Rochas made them famous as haute couture in the 1930s and several Hollywood actresses made them iconic in the 1950s https://www.yolancris.com/mermaid-dress-history-and-inspiration/ Frankly, the outfit is blatantly obviously based on/inspired by a vintage 1960-1964 “Solo in the Spotlight” Barbie doll https://www.fashion-doll-guide.com/Vintage-Barbie-Solo-In-The-Spotlight.html and https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3d/16/2b/3d162b892b2a4e195f695ad8159bd723.jpg https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1960-vintage-mattel-barbie-solo-1871535026 that was reproduced in 1995 - and which almost certainly heavily influenced/inspired the creation of the 2001 “Society Girl Barbie” https://www.amazon.com/Society-Girl-Barbie-Collectors-Mattel/dp/B00005Y1CS that might have been out early enough to directly influence the style of Padmé’s costume, with its black over silver/grey mermaid skirt, tightly laced black leather corset top, fingerless black leather gloves that are about as long as opera length or evening gloves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_glove can go, and black choker necklace with attached faceted black beaded strings that waterfall down her front and reach to without about a hands width of the bottom of her skirt - that’s been slightly updated/modified to look edgier. I have heard entirely too many people refer to this costume as the dominatrix Barbie gown: it’s an idiotically, jarringly modern look that does not match the scene in which it’s worn - Padmé is, after all, having dinner with someone who she is then going to try to let Anakin down easily by explaining why they couldn’t ever have a relationship without it destroying them - and, in fact, seems so contradictory to the scene that it all but breaks the fourth wall, knocking viewers right out of the story; it does not match the previously established character of the person wearing it [as it makes her look either deliberately cruel or else overwhelmingly stupid and/or blatantly a hypocrite]; and it appears to have been designed for no other purpose than to make the person wearing it look sexy. There’s really no sense in trying to explain it, when it’s there solely to blatantly objectify Padmé.)
Now, to be fair, these two similar two-piece dresses are presented as more “casual” outfits for Padmé (rather than more formal costumes for Queen Amidala/Senator Amidala) and, otherwise, the prequel films don’t exactly show a whole lot of casually dressed Nabooian women (and they definitely don’t show a lot of casually dressed women on/from Naboo who’re fairly young but old enough either to thinking about marriage or else seriously courting/dating with an eye towards marrying soon, as Padmé - in her early mid-twenties - seems to be, according to her older sister, Sola, who seems determined to push the idea of Padmé dating Anakin even before Padmé and Anakin can quite manage to have a discussion about it). Variations on sari (and choli) and sarongs could easily be fairly normal, as more casual clothing (perhaps particularly as casual clothing for young women of a certain age), and, since it seems strange that sarongs and sari and choli would be the only items of clothing from traditional South Asian fashions that would’ve inspired or influenced clothing worn by the Naboo, there could also easily be other styles of clothing similarly somewhat influenced/inspired by other traditional South Asian fashions (shalwar kameez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalwar_kameez with or without a dupatta; ghagra choli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghagra_choli and saris; lehenga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehenga style saris; Anarkali https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarkali_Salwar_Suit suits; Punjabi ghagra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_ghagra_suit suits; kurta suruwal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal#Clothing and https://handicraftsinnepal.com/nepali-traditional-dress; osariya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari#Sri_Lanka; etc.) and perhaps worn as more casual or everyday clothing by Nabooians. (It seems very odd that more traditional sari and choli should be wholly relegated to “casual” clothing when goodness knows that they are endlessly capable of being extremely elaborate and far too gorgeous seemingly for everyday wear, but then, perhaps versions with a sari long enough to act not just as a skirt but to wrap/drape the upper body, too, are considered more formal and the fact that we’ve only got the three live-action prequel films and hardly ever seen Queen Jamillia or Queen Apailana largely accounts for why we never get to see a royal version of them.)
Unfortunately, almost all the sapient biologically-based (i.e., not counting the droids) beings we see in the films (with the exception of the Jedi and Jango and the clones, including Boba) are either politically powerful or working for the politically powerful, clearly very rich or extremely comfortably well-to-do, or else they’re almost certainly dressed in some of their very best finery for an important occasion (like the celebration/parade, at the end of TPM, and the funeral of a former Queen and Senator [so beloved that her people had actually tried to change their laws so they could keep her as their Queen past the legal limits of her two terms], Padmé Amidala, towards the end of RotS). Aside from Tatooine (in all three films), Obi-Wan’s visit to Dex’s Diner in AotC, and a brief foray into the underlevels of Coruscant (when Anakin and Obi-Wan are chasing down one of Padmé’s would-be assassins, who turns out to be Zam Wesell https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Zam_Wesell/Legends) in AotC, there really aren’t any “casual” locations in the films (the Naberrie family home in Theed https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naberrie_family_house [see also multiple images of the building and inside the building here http://starwars.rossiters.com/aotc_uf51-60.html] might be more casual than the Palace, but it’s clearly still the home of a clearly highly privileged, wealthy/extremely well-to-do. The same also holds true for Varykino/the Lake Retreat https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/f/f3/Dinner_at_Varykino.png/revision/latest?cb=20180218200431 and https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Varykino_Villa/Legends and https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Varykino and https://www.villavarykino.com/varykino/ which, if anything, is clearly even more elaborate and openly affluent/sumptuous/ornate/extravagant than even the Naberrie home in Theed) and, of those three, someone from Naboo visits exactly one of them (Tatooine).
Discounting R2-D2, Padmé’s the only being from Naboo who’s shown going into a Tatooine settlement in the prequels: she’s clearly not even pretending to try to fit in with the locals, in AotC (even with the outfit she’s wearing when Anakin returns with Shmi’s body http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tusken.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/blue.shtml she is not in any way blending in with the locals. Her hair’s too loose, which could be dangerous in the desert in a high wind with sand already likely cutting down on visibility, her clothing is way too vividly colored, shows a little too much skin, lacks a hood or anything that could be used to protect the face/head from flying sand, in an emergency, the Delphos-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphos_gown dress she has on underneath that weird poncho-like overtunic thing [it definitely has sleeves, so it’s not really a poncho, even though fandom seems determined to call it one] looks too fragile to protect her lower legs and too long to safely/easily run in, and it’s impossible to tell if she has on footwear sturdy enough to give her feet/legs any kind of protection, since her dress is so long it’s pooling around her feet even when she’s standing up straight); and, though she’s probably attempting to blend in/appear unremarkable, in TPM http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/peasant.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/tatooine_disguise.shtml she falls quite short of succeeding (her probably black - if not black than a navy blue so dark that they look black - pants are way too dark for a desert planet, especially given that almost everyone else [except Beru, who we don’t see until AotC. Even then, Beru’s blue shirt is a lighter/more muted than Padmé’s much more vividly bright and darker saturated blue undertunic or shirt in TPM and is mostly hidden by the nubby tan/sand-colored jacket that’s worn in a crisscross manner over it and belted almost like a tunic https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5c/5e/81/5c5e81290287b0edff4889996d55792a.jpg and https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/doblaje/images/2/2d/BERU_LARS_STAR_WARS.png/revision/latest?cb=20170930191700&path-prefix=es Beru’s most colorful clothes are in RotS and, even then, it’s two relatively small pieces of clothing, a maybe hip-length nubby - with other colors in its weave - open sort of dull indigo or indigo-violet jacket with evidently almost not quite full-length long sleeves, and a slightly shorter dull light medium blue shirt with visibly longer sleeves https://rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/EpIIIBeru.jpg that’s almost certainly the same blue shirt from AotC, just slightly faded, as if from wear/use] is in neutral tan-greys and light earth tones; her medium-dark bright blue tunic and sash - with its fancy beading and buckle evidently set with a large, eye-catching red stone - are entirely too vividly colorful and rich; her hair is much too elaborately arranged and is clearly not something that could be done by one person at all easily or in anything like a reasonable amount of time; the way that her sleeveless grey overtunic is layered with the long-sleeved undertunic/shirt doesn’t really match the way that Tatooine locals layer their clothing, which looks much more like how the Jedi layer their tunics; and, though the wrappings along the bottom of her pants look fairly close to how the locals - or at least Anakin and his friends, etc. - seem to wear their pants, her shoes look like they have visible eyelets of some kind, which would definitely not be comfortable/safe in the sand. Plus, the way her long sleeves - which are clearly those ubiquitously Nabooian bishop sleeves https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Bishops_sleeve.jpg that also show up on Mon Mothma https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/c8/14/85c814f18a6af3c7c915ca730ee5e7d8.jpg in RotS and on Finis Valorum https://live.staticflickr.com/3082/2884101290_6232bded3b_o.jpg in TPM - are wrapped with grey bands partway up the forearms makes a sort of loose double puff that’s very mid-1800s Victorian. The whole outfit feels/looks very European, whereas most of the people shown to live on Tatooine are wearing things that look like slightly modified - somewhat less heavily layered, with wraps to keeps sand from getting up one’s sleeves/up one’s pants/in one’s shoes or boots - versions of basic Jedi robes). In any case, Padmé clearly has no idea how to dress for Tatooine in TPM and, in AotC, doesn’t seem to truly care if she’s dressed at all correctly for Tatooine, even though she’s insisted on taking Anakin there to try to check on his mother and knows they’ll have to walk from wherever they park their ship to try to find her.
To be fair, discounting a couple of Padmé’s nightgowns (on Coruscant http://www.padawansguide.com/nightgown.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/sleep.php especially, but the one on Naboo http://www.padawansguide.com/nightdress.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/nightgown.php isn’t too bad, either, even if the robe she wears over it looks awfully heavy. In AotC, Dormé’s nightgown and robe on Coruscant http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens3.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme2.php also look like a functional nightgown and robe) in AotC (there aren’t any sleeping clothes shown in TPM and Padmé’s in RotS are all ridiculously excessive and look impossible to actually comfortably sleep in http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/lavender.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/lavender.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/aqua.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/lightblue.shtml especially with the ridiculous jewelry/headbands she’s wearing with them. Anakin, at least, seems to be sleeping in normal, loose, silky black pajama pants https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3e/06/2c/3e062ced5fdb239a7297fc4e4700d371.jpg that have a matching black silky short/thigh-length robe that he pulls on without belting https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/b/b7/ChestMaleHuman.png/revision/latest?cb=20130211071757 and https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EoqBsNGXIAc6vNs.jpg in the scene in RotS where he wakes up https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EUtJHCNU8AAGNok.jpg:large from nightmares, the effect being very much of a pared down, lighter weight, more comfortable version of his normal Jedi clothes), Padmé has about three purely practical outfits in the entirety of the three prequel films.
There’s the pilot disguise http://www.padawansguide.com/flightsuit.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/pilot.php she wears at the very beginning of AotC, which, aside from the colors of her pants and shirt, is very reminiscent of what Bail’s wearing in RotS http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/1.png when he tries to investigate the burning of the Jedi Temple), the battle costume she wears to Geonosis http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/arena.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/white.shtml towards the end of AotC, which is basically just a belted, snugly fitting, fairly modern take on a jumpsuit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumpsuit that’s somewhat evocative of a catsuit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catsuit with a cloak-like wrap and a hood for added protection (since, in ’verse, it’s likely all made of blast-dampening material. The hood and wrap can also do double duty by way of obscuring her face and the shape of her body and, thus, could possibly help to mask her identity) and sturdy-looking, heavily reinforced boots (which is also another costume meant to remind of Leia, specifically her white Hoth attire in ESB, and fairly modern - late 20th century to contemporary - in feel), and also the sleeveless outfit she wears to Mustafar http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/sleeveless.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/sleeveless.shtml towards the end of RotS (comprised of a sort of late 20th century to contemporary A-line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-line_(clothing) tunic or very short tent dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_dress, very modern looking leggings/pants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leggings that seem to have some stretch to them, tall, likely sturdy boots, and long/opera length https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_glove fingerless gloves, for ease of movement for her - as she’s heavily pregnant by this point - and added protection, since, again, at least part of the outfit is likely meant to be blast-dampening, in ’verse). Possibly there’s also another one that’s sort of practical, even though the neck arguably is not a very good idea (her hospital gown http://www.padawansguide.com/hospital.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/hospital.php when she gives birth to the twins, near the end of RotS. The high collar frankly seems like a choking hazard in circumstances like these. Plus, how would they get a line in her, if they needed to, with so much of her covered up by this floor-length, long-sleeved gown? The sleeves look loose, rather than cuffed tight to the arms, but that might not be enough for ease of access and it would doubtlessly slow down medical aid in situations where potentially every moment might count), and one that is probably somewhat practical in ’verse (her battle costume http://www.padawansguide.com/amidala_battle.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/battle.php in TPM, which, in ’verse, is doubtlessly made out of some kind of blast-dampening material, which is probably why the battle outfit include a long overcoat as well as some kind of long-sleeved shirt and pants), even though the velvet that the overcoat and pants are made of doesn’t look particularly practical (it would be hot and heavy for someone running around, trying to fight) here on Earth.
And I’ve likely strayed somewhat from my original point, but what I’m trying to get at, here, is that, even though many (arguably almost all, especially if one discounts the typical clothing worn by most of the Jedi of the Coruscanti Temple) of the costumes in the prequels have clearly have been influenced/inspired by more than one culture and/or more than one of the generally widely accepted eras/types of clothing/fashion, there are still clear similarities for many of the costumes for characters from Alderaan/Delaya, Chandrila, and Naboo (and even, to an extent, Coruscant/the Core, whether one counts the Jedi or not).
Again, 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 find it interesting that most of the more clearly formal/elaborate Nabooian costumes that are more obviously influenced/inspired by East Asian/Southeast Asian fashions are things worn by either one or another of the Queens of Naboo (whose traditional makeup, again, https://pm1.narvii.com/7114/ce8d71afdcc9b4f8240ba6f2fe522cc22c73a26br1-1280-720v2_hq.jpg and https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Scar_of_remembrance/Legends and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naboo#Royal_traditions is also clearly inspired thus, being very geisha-like https://wiseshe.com/all-about-geisha-makeup-history/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha and, as I’ve mentioned before, tend to be accompanied by hairstyles/headdresses that are also very clearly influenced 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) - Amidala’s red throne room gown and also her hairstyle/headdress (and traditional makeup) http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/throneroom.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/red_invasion.shtml at the beginning of TPM; the gown and headdress/hairstyle (and traditional makeup) Amidala wears on Coruscant, to speak to Senator Palpatine http://www.padawansguide.com/coruscant_kimono.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/presenate.php before going before the Senate in TPM; Amidala’s Senate http://www.padawansguide.com/senate.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/senate.php cloak and gown and her hairstyle/headdress (and traditional makeup); the battle dress and headdress/hairstyle (and traditional makeup) for “Amidala” http://www.padawansguide.com/decoy_theed.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/sabe.php (actually the Queen’s main decoy, Sabé, disguised as Amidala); the hairstyle with the “aurate fan capped with jeweled finials” https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Parade_gown (along with her traditional makeup) and also arguably the tabard-like shape of the attached “banner” on the actual dress of Amidala’s parade costume http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/parade.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/parade.shtml; Jamillia’s (traditional makeup and also her) hairstyle/headdress (if not her actual gown) http://www.padawansguide.com/jamillia.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/jamillia.php in AotC (if you look at the promotional pictures of her from the side, though, her hair forms much the same shape as is traditionally worn with/formed by Laotian xout lao https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xout_lao and it also closely resembles a traditional headdress or crown found in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, the makuṭa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maku%E1%B9%ADa or makuta, mahkota, magaik, mokot, mongkut, chada [though instead of actually wearing such a crown, her hair seems deliberately styled to mimic the shape of that kind of crown]); and Apailana’s gown and headdress/hairstyle (and also her traditional makeup, though what she’s wearing has been somewhat modified - the red changed to indigo, etc. - to show that she’s in mourning) http://www.padawansguide.com/apailana.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/apailana.php for Amidala’s funeral in RotS.
I also find it interesting that (discounting the Neimoidians https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Neimoidian/Legends of course, but then, this piece is specifically focused on Alderaan, Chandrila, Naboo, and, to an extent, Coruscant/the Core, so there’s no logical reason to discuss/include analysis of the costumes worn by the Colonies-based relatives of the Duros species https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Duros/Legends here. Also, I’m trying to avoid getting my blood pressure up and thinking about the amount of racist stereotyping in Neimoidian design tends to do that to me quite a lot) the one other elaborate/seemingly quite formal costume in the prequels that’s clearly inspired/influenced by Western Asia (specifically Transcaucasia of the Caucasus Region or the South Caucasus) is worn by Senator Amidala as her travel gown/refugee disguise (as a matron of the Thousand Moons system https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Thousand_Moons_system/Legends in the Circarpous sector https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Circarpous_sector/Legends of the Slice https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Slice/Legends portion of the Expansion Region https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Expansion_Region/Legends which would seem to hint that Naboo has some kind of trade ties with this area or an alliance with the system - or perhaps Padmé has, at some point, been involved in trying to provide relief for whatever disaster is causing there to be refugees from the system? - for Padmé to evidently already have such a costume in her possession, at hand on Coruscant and ready to use in case of an emergency requiring her to wear a disguise) http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/refugee.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/gold.shtml in AotC (the outfit is clearly modelled on a masquerade costume for the 1903 Ball in the Winter Palace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1903_ball_in_the_Winter_Palace of the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia [née princess Beloselsky-Belozwersky] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Xenia_Alexandrovna_of_Russia as a Boyarina https://i.pinimg.com/originals/57/d1/71/57d17140a07a81b44e9f64e0daf12e48.jpg and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/1903_ball_-_Xenia_Alexandrovna_of_Russia.jpg and also on the sort of traditional Russian costume https://theculturetrip.com/europe/russia/articles/a-brief-guide-to-traditional-russian-dress/ and https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/334144-folk-costume-russian-empire that includes a kokoshnik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoshnik and a sarafan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarafan though the layer of Amidala’s dress meant to evoke a sarafan is not precisely sleeveless). (It seems a little strange that this clearly heavily Russian influenced costume should be attributed to another system, far away in the Expansion Region, that never even gets mentioned anywhere else in the prequels again, when there are multiple instances of items from other costumes - both for characters from Alderaan and characters from Naboo - that arguably at least in part draw inspiration from Medieval Rus and/or Medieval Slavic kaftans.)
On the other hand, at least two of Padmé’s more informal/casual outfits in AotC, two different two-piece dresses in different shades of blue that she wears under elaborate cloaks at first when she goes to visit her family in Theed http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/home.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/secondblue.shtml and then when she first arrives on Tatooine with Anakin (and first meets the Lars family) http://www.padawansguide.com/cape.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tatooine.php seem to be at least somewhat influenced/inspired by both the South Asian sari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari (traditionally worn in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, with a fitted bodice commonly called a choli [or ravike or kuppasa in Southern India or cholo in Nepal] and sometimes also a half-slip or petticoat called a ghargra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghagra_choli or parkar or ul-pavadai) and choli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choli and also an item of clothing worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Western Asian (among several other locations) and known as the sarong or sarung https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarong The skirt of the two-piece outfit (a color somewhere between a fairly pale blue and a light turquoise) is clearly a sarong - the separation between the two edges of fabric are clearly visible in scenes where she’s walking - so the outfit looks rather as if it were made to literally combine three different cultures (Western/South/Southeast Asia with South Asia - the top, which has some fancy iridescent beading and a beaded clip at the front center of the bottom hem, closely resembles a fairly typical long-sleeved, midriff-baring, deep-backed choli - and Europe, by way of the elaborate, deeply hooded, full-length, panné velvet cloak, ivory over a blue backing, which looks oddly modern, with its elaborate burnout patterns, since burnout or devoré https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devor%C3%A9 is an invention from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries which made a comeback in the 1990s, not too long before the prequel films were made) with a hairstyle that simply looks modern (spiral curls pulled back from the face by a very wide headband made to match the sarong and choli).
The skirt (some have mistaken it for very wide/loose trousers - likely because the extra panel down the center front of the skirt that looks like some kind of attached sash or draped overlap causes folds in the fabric that are extremely deceptive, especially when she’s moving - but photos from the back clearly show that it’s actually a skirt) on Padmé’s second two-piece, very pale blue (with fancy silver/grey designs on part of the top and strings of beads over what looks like a knot [but is clearly sewn on/sewn down, since exhibit pictures of the costume make it clear that what looks like an attached sash/overlay is actually just an extra gore or panel of the skirt gathered in front, centered on that false knot with the decorative beadwork] at the lowest part/at the middle of the waistband of the skirt) outfit http://www.padawansguide.com/cape.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tatooine.php might be based on a sarong or perhaps on the idea of a sari without enough material to form the typical drape up across the body to then hang down in front, sometimes going over the head, or it might’ve simply been made to look something like both of them http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/mythmaking.jpg (it’s difficult to tell just from photos, but honestly it looks more like it’s been constructed to evoke the idea of a skirt made from a single piece of fabric wound around the waist and knotted to hold it in place), but the top, though baring the midriff and fitting tight to upper body like a choli http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/tatooine/tatooine10.jpg has sleeves that, from mainly front on, look like either vaguely High Medieval sleeves or else 1970s bell sleeves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_sleeve that, when she turns around, clearly actually somehow contrive to join/help form the edges of an odd sort of half-cape/capelet across her back (with a hem that’s noticeably slightly longer at the center of her back) that has an extremely deep/wide looking hood or cowl http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/padme_cape_back.jpg somehow attached to it all. If viewed when Padmé’s in motion in a certain matter, though, from the side http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/forbidden_cape.jpg it appears that the seemingly bell-like sleeves and capelet are, in fact, all one piece - the cape or capelet literally loops around Padmé’s arms to form the appearance of loose/wide/bell-like sleeves. This fabric wraps actually around her continuously, so that the capelet/cape has two layers of fabric to it and, underneath that, her midriff-baring top has second set of long sleeves that fit tight to the body (more like with a choli) and normally don’t show beneath the long oversleeves that are actually almost shaped like angel sleeves https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/angel_sleeve (to the point where they resemble full circle sleeves/angel sleeves of the kind worn in the 1970s, like Brian May’s sleeves at the far right of the picture here https://lostmediawiki.com/images/8/8c/Queen_on_TopPop.jpg and Freddie Mercury’s sleeves on the upper right-hand side of the four-photo collage https://www.cleveland.com/resizer/YrZNwXpFDg0YRzieKI4LL7qpuRI=/1280x0/smart/advancelocal-adapter-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/expo.advance.net/img/0d73f2d3c4/width2048/901_collagequeenmacoska.jpeg here).
The outfit, which, surprisingly enough, includes a sort of headdress that looks very much like the ornate silver metallic headdress/crown https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/mon-mothma-3-retina_d142ca96.jpeg?region=0%2C0%2C1200%2C509 with connected round, domed shapes low on the sides suggesting a Medieval reticulated headdress https://world4.eu/reticulated-headdress/ and https://rosaliegilbert.com/headdresses.html known as a crespine or crispinette or cauls https://sartorialadventure.tumblr.com/post/188436114831/the-crispinette-or-caul-came-into-fashion-in-the and http://seducedbyhistory.blogspot.com/2009/09/head-coverings-of-medieval-english.html and http://bloshka.info/2020/09/26/crespine/ that Mon Mothma is wearing with one of her two costumes in RotS, during a meeting of concerned Senators from the Loyalist Committee - specifically the one in Bail’s office, where Padmé is wearing an elaborate purple/burgundy velvet gown http://www.padawansguide.com/revelation.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/revelation.php and Mon Mothma can be seen clearly among the other Senators in several of the stills and behind the scenes photos - only the round shapes aren’t domed but rather hollow, allowing them to fit over/around a bun on either side of her head http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/tatooine/tatooinescreen27.jpg and http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/dag1.jpg that looks as if they’re made out braided or tightly twisted sections of her curly hair (the rest of which is pulled back low over her neck, so she has curls hanging down the center of her back), leading to an effect that (from the front and the sides) is even more like the Medieval hairstyle that uses a crespine or crispinette or cauls.
The outfit also involves yet another deeply hooded, full-length, cloak in indigo and a sort of light lavender that looks like velvet devoré https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devor%C3%A9 (that almost resembles a cat’s spotted coat from a distance but from closer on looks more Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco in a way that almost seems contrived to hint at spirals or looping knots) on film and in photos but has been described by Trisha Biggar on page 185 of her Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars as “a pressed-velvet cloak [with] an enveloping hood” (and has also been reported as having been silk screened or painted with what’s meant to be a version of stylized renditions of Amidala’s symbol or the Naboo emblem https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo_emblem so it seems possible that the pattern pressed into the velvet might have been painted over by way of silk screening, to make the pressed pattern more visible/keep the pattern set, though the pattern doesn’t particularly look all that much like Amidala’s frankly flower-like symbol/the Naboo emblem https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo_emblem stylized or not), and, though there’s clearly a tight caul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caul_(headgear) underneath the deep/full [much more loosely fitting, shaped more like the hood of a Jedi’s robe/overrobe] cowl of the cloak http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ref_clasp_factfile3.jpg and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/images/tatooine/tatooine12.jpg in the scenes where she’s wearing the cloak, but this tight caul apparently is removable (and removed whenever she takes the cloak off), as the hood clearly visible from the back, attached to the top of her two-piece dress http://www.padawansguide.com/padme/cape/padme_cape_back.jpg is obviously neither the right shape nor the right kind of material to be this caul. The tight caul in combination with the looser/larger hood of cloak http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ref_hood_new3.jpg gives an effect rather like an Islamic hijab https://royalhandmaidens.tumblr.com/post/665573530281328640 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab in the two-piece al-Amira https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_hijab and https://royalhandmaidens.tumblr.com/post/634912973936279552/heres-the-original-photo-btw-just-in-case-anyone style, which as a look has been around since at least the 600s at least and is still required by law in certain countries.
In any case, it doesn’t match the metal headdress and hairstyle Padmé has underneath it (which, again, are clearly suggestive of a Medieval hairstyle and headdress known as a crespine or crispinette or cauls), nor does it particularly seem to go with the style of the two-piece dress she’s wearing with it, which, if not at least loosely based on an Asian/Southern Asian sari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari and choli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choli could pretty much only be based on the midriff-baring crop tops https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_top of the 1980s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_fashion and later (if with a Medieval twist to the sleeves), and a long, fairly slim skirt based on/made to look something like a wrap skirt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skirt Frankly, the outfit as a whole ends up seeming like such a mishmash of disparate styles that it mainly comes off as weirdly modern and contrived, more like someone’s idea of an eye-catching and romantic costume for a fantastical space opera film than anything that would either be very practical for the punishing heat/sandy terrain/extremely dry climate Padmé deliberately intended to visit and knew she would need to be able to move around in (on Tatooine) or else seem to fit with the lush terrain/watery climate/seemingly mildly warm temperatures she’s come from (on Naboo) and the kinds of clothing already established as being typical (or at least traditional) for people from there. (To be fair, a lot of other costumes on characters from Naboo are also a hodgepodge of different fashions and influences, but usually either more in the sense that inspiration has been taken from the styles of a couple of different decades or eras of fashion or else in the sense that one thing from a different culture has been added to a costume that otherwise is largely inspired by some other culture/people entirely.) After all, a full-length velvet cloak (of any kind) does not seem like a very smart choice for the desert - it would be heavy and hot and, depending on what kind of fabric the velvet’s made out of, it might not breathe very well (which would inhibit the body’s natural cooling mechanisms) or it might breathe entirely too much for comfort, given all the dust/sand/grit likely constantly blowing around - and a cloak made out of a fabric that evidently has been treated in such a fashion (in order to make a visible/permanent pattern in its pile) that it would almost certainly weaken/damage a large part of the fabric would also probably not be adequate for keeping out sand/grit being driven by wind. Plus, a bared midriff in the desert frankly seems like a very bad idea, without some way to quickly and adequately cover it up if the weather turns nasty.
Padmé is trapped at the Skywalker residence for an unspecified length of time during TPM because of a sandstorm: she really ought to know better. Without the (quite possibly inadequate to truly provide protection from violently blowing sand) velvet cloak, unless it’s possible for the entire top layer of the oversleeves/capelet thing on her midriff-baring top to lift up over the deep hood draped over it and so transform into something more like a poncho that would still allow her to use the hood/cowl, Padmé would have no way to protect the skin of her stomach from the sand, out in the open. Given that she definitely knows that Tatooine has sandstorms and that the sandstorms can last a long time and be dangerous enough to trap people indoors for as long as the sandstorm is ongoing, the fact that Padmé’s chosen this particular outfit to wear to Tatooine seems either like a grave misjudgment on her part or else awfully arrogant. It does look fairly similar in style to the outfit she wears to her Theed family home, on Naboo, and the extremely elaborately patterned, full-length, pressed velvet (and possibly also silk screened) cloak for the outfit does fit with the overall Naboo aesthetic fairly well, much like the extremely elaborately patterned, full-length, panné velvet burnout cloak she wears when visiting her family in Theed - the richly opulent velvets are fairly par for the course for Naboo and the patterns formed on them by the burnout treatment and the pressed velvet (and possible silk screening) look like a cross between Art Deco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco designs and stylized Celtic knotwork - but that doesn’t mean that the second outfit is at all fit for the environment Padmé decides to wear it in (Tatooine, after all, is a desert planet with two suns: it’s extremely different from Naboo, which has an awful lot of water and looks like a temperate biome). Moreover, Padmé spends more time with the cloaks off than she does with them on and the rest of those two particular outfits seems strikingly different from everything else we see on film, either on Naboo or on characters known to be from Naboo.
(The basic outline of the two outfits is fairly similar to another one that Padmé wears in AotC, the infamous dinner scene http://www.padawansguide.com/corset.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dinner.php gown, with the same sort of tight bodice, defined/emphasized waist, seemingly slim-fitting skirt that goes to the floor and either has a bit of flare towards the bottom or has pleats or gores that allow for more movement than would seem possible at a glance, a cloak or cape/capelet that can be removed, etc. But the corseted, mermaid dress is ridiculously modern. Technically, the forerunners of fishtail gowns or mermaid dresses first appeared in 1877, though French designer Marcel Rochas made them famous as haute couture in the 1930s and several Hollywood actresses made them iconic in the 1950s https://www.yolancris.com/mermaid-dress-history-and-inspiration/ Frankly, the outfit is blatantly obviously based on/inspired by a vintage 1960-1964 “Solo in the Spotlight” Barbie doll https://www.fashion-doll-guide.com/Vintage-Barbie-Solo-In-The-Spotlight.html and https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3d/16/2b/3d162b892b2a4e195f695ad8159bd723.jpg https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1960-vintage-mattel-barbie-solo-1871535026 that was reproduced in 1995 - and which almost certainly heavily influenced/inspired the creation of the 2001 “Society Girl Barbie” https://www.amazon.com/Society-Girl-Barbie-Collectors-Mattel/dp/B00005Y1CS that might have been out early enough to directly influence the style of Padmé’s costume, with its black over silver/grey mermaid skirt, tightly laced black leather corset top, fingerless black leather gloves that are about as long as opera length or evening gloves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_glove can go, and black choker necklace with attached faceted black beaded strings that waterfall down her front and reach to without about a hands width of the bottom of her skirt - that’s been slightly updated/modified to look edgier. I have heard entirely too many people refer to this costume as the dominatrix Barbie gown: it’s an idiotically, jarringly modern look that does not match the scene in which it’s worn - Padmé is, after all, having dinner with someone who she is then going to try to let Anakin down easily by explaining why they couldn’t ever have a relationship without it destroying them - and, in fact, seems so contradictory to the scene that it all but breaks the fourth wall, knocking viewers right out of the story; it does not match the previously established character of the person wearing it [as it makes her look either deliberately cruel or else overwhelmingly stupid and/or blatantly a hypocrite]; and it appears to have been designed for no other purpose than to make the person wearing it look sexy. There’s really no sense in trying to explain it, when it’s there solely to blatantly objectify Padmé.)
Now, to be fair, these two similar two-piece dresses are presented as more “casual” outfits for Padmé (rather than more formal costumes for Queen Amidala/Senator Amidala) and, otherwise, the prequel films don’t exactly show a whole lot of casually dressed Nabooian women (and they definitely don’t show a lot of casually dressed women on/from Naboo who’re fairly young but old enough either to thinking about marriage or else seriously courting/dating with an eye towards marrying soon, as Padmé - in her early mid-twenties - seems to be, according to her older sister, Sola, who seems determined to push the idea of Padmé dating Anakin even before Padmé and Anakin can quite manage to have a discussion about it). Variations on sari (and choli) and sarongs could easily be fairly normal, as more casual clothing (perhaps particularly as casual clothing for young women of a certain age), and, since it seems strange that sarongs and sari and choli would be the only items of clothing from traditional South Asian fashions that would’ve inspired or influenced clothing worn by the Naboo, there could also easily be other styles of clothing similarly somewhat influenced/inspired by other traditional South Asian fashions (shalwar kameez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalwar_kameez with or without a dupatta; ghagra choli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghagra_choli and saris; lehenga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehenga style saris; Anarkali https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarkali_Salwar_Suit suits; Punjabi ghagra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_ghagra_suit suits; kurta suruwal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal#Clothing and https://handicraftsinnepal.com/nepali-traditional-dress; osariya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari#Sri_Lanka; etc.) and perhaps worn as more casual or everyday clothing by Nabooians. (It seems very odd that more traditional sari and choli should be wholly relegated to “casual” clothing when goodness knows that they are endlessly capable of being extremely elaborate and far too gorgeous seemingly for everyday wear, but then, perhaps versions with a sari long enough to act not just as a skirt but to wrap/drape the upper body, too, are considered more formal and the fact that we’ve only got the three live-action prequel films and hardly ever seen Queen Jamillia or Queen Apailana largely accounts for why we never get to see a royal version of them.)
Unfortunately, almost all the sapient biologically-based (i.e., not counting the droids) beings we see in the films (with the exception of the Jedi and Jango and the clones, including Boba) are either politically powerful or working for the politically powerful, clearly very rich or extremely comfortably well-to-do, or else they’re almost certainly dressed in some of their very best finery for an important occasion (like the celebration/parade, at the end of TPM, and the funeral of a former Queen and Senator [so beloved that her people had actually tried to change their laws so they could keep her as their Queen past the legal limits of her two terms], Padmé Amidala, towards the end of RotS). Aside from Tatooine (in all three films), Obi-Wan’s visit to Dex’s Diner in AotC, and a brief foray into the underlevels of Coruscant (when Anakin and Obi-Wan are chasing down one of Padmé’s would-be assassins, who turns out to be Zam Wesell https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Zam_Wesell/Legends) in AotC, there really aren’t any “casual” locations in the films (the Naberrie family home in Theed https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naberrie_family_house [see also multiple images of the building and inside the building here http://starwars.rossiters.com/aotc_uf51-60.html] might be more casual than the Palace, but it’s clearly still the home of a clearly highly privileged, wealthy/extremely well-to-do. The same also holds true for Varykino/the Lake Retreat https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/f/f3/Dinner_at_Varykino.png/revision/latest?cb=20180218200431 and https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Varykino_Villa/Legends and https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Varykino and https://www.villavarykino.com/varykino/ which, if anything, is clearly even more elaborate and openly affluent/sumptuous/ornate/extravagant than even the Naberrie home in Theed) and, of those three, someone from Naboo visits exactly one of them (Tatooine).
Discounting R2-D2, Padmé’s the only being from Naboo who’s shown going into a Tatooine settlement in the prequels: she’s clearly not even pretending to try to fit in with the locals, in AotC (even with the outfit she’s wearing when Anakin returns with Shmi’s body http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/tusken.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/blue.shtml she is not in any way blending in with the locals. Her hair’s too loose, which could be dangerous in the desert in a high wind with sand already likely cutting down on visibility, her clothing is way too vividly colored, shows a little too much skin, lacks a hood or anything that could be used to protect the face/head from flying sand, in an emergency, the Delphos-like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphos_gown dress she has on underneath that weird poncho-like overtunic thing [it definitely has sleeves, so it’s not really a poncho, even though fandom seems determined to call it one] looks too fragile to protect her lower legs and too long to safely/easily run in, and it’s impossible to tell if she has on footwear sturdy enough to give her feet/legs any kind of protection, since her dress is so long it’s pooling around her feet even when she’s standing up straight); and, though she’s probably attempting to blend in/appear unremarkable, in TPM http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/peasant.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/tatooine_disguise.shtml she falls quite short of succeeding (her probably black - if not black than a navy blue so dark that they look black - pants are way too dark for a desert planet, especially given that almost everyone else [except Beru, who we don’t see until AotC. Even then, Beru’s blue shirt is a lighter/more muted than Padmé’s much more vividly bright and darker saturated blue undertunic or shirt in TPM and is mostly hidden by the nubby tan/sand-colored jacket that’s worn in a crisscross manner over it and belted almost like a tunic https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5c/5e/81/5c5e81290287b0edff4889996d55792a.jpg and https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/doblaje/images/2/2d/BERU_LARS_STAR_WARS.png/revision/latest?cb=20170930191700&path-prefix=es Beru’s most colorful clothes are in RotS and, even then, it’s two relatively small pieces of clothing, a maybe hip-length nubby - with other colors in its weave - open sort of dull indigo or indigo-violet jacket with evidently almost not quite full-length long sleeves, and a slightly shorter dull light medium blue shirt with visibly longer sleeves https://rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/EpIIIBeru.jpg that’s almost certainly the same blue shirt from AotC, just slightly faded, as if from wear/use] is in neutral tan-greys and light earth tones; her medium-dark bright blue tunic and sash - with its fancy beading and buckle evidently set with a large, eye-catching red stone - are entirely too vividly colorful and rich; her hair is much too elaborately arranged and is clearly not something that could be done by one person at all easily or in anything like a reasonable amount of time; the way that her sleeveless grey overtunic is layered with the long-sleeved undertunic/shirt doesn’t really match the way that Tatooine locals layer their clothing, which looks much more like how the Jedi layer their tunics; and, though the wrappings along the bottom of her pants look fairly close to how the locals - or at least Anakin and his friends, etc. - seem to wear their pants, her shoes look like they have visible eyelets of some kind, which would definitely not be comfortable/safe in the sand. Plus, the way her long sleeves - which are clearly those ubiquitously Nabooian bishop sleeves https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Bishops_sleeve.jpg that also show up on Mon Mothma https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/c8/14/85c814f18a6af3c7c915ca730ee5e7d8.jpg in RotS and on Finis Valorum https://live.staticflickr.com/3082/2884101290_6232bded3b_o.jpg in TPM - are wrapped with grey bands partway up the forearms makes a sort of loose double puff that’s very mid-1800s Victorian. The whole outfit feels/looks very European, whereas most of the people shown to live on Tatooine are wearing things that look like slightly modified - somewhat less heavily layered, with wraps to keeps sand from getting up one’s sleeves/up one’s pants/in one’s shoes or boots - versions of basic Jedi robes). In any case, Padmé clearly has no idea how to dress for Tatooine in TPM and, in AotC, doesn’t seem to truly care if she’s dressed at all correctly for Tatooine, even though she’s insisted on taking Anakin there to try to check on his mother and knows they’ll have to walk from wherever they park their ship to try to find her.
To be fair, discounting a couple of Padmé’s nightgowns (on Coruscant http://www.padawansguide.com/nightgown.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/sleep.php especially, but the one on Naboo http://www.padawansguide.com/nightdress.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/nightgown.php isn’t too bad, either, even if the robe she wears over it looks awfully heavy. In AotC, Dormé’s nightgown and robe on Coruscant http://www.padawansguide.com/aotc_handmaidens3.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/dorme2.php also look like a functional nightgown and robe) in AotC (there aren’t any sleeping clothes shown in TPM and Padmé’s in RotS are all ridiculously excessive and look impossible to actually comfortably sleep in http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/lavender.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/lavender.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/aqua.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/lightblue.shtml especially with the ridiculous jewelry/headbands she’s wearing with them. Anakin, at least, seems to be sleeping in normal, loose, silky black pajama pants https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3e/06/2c/3e062ced5fdb239a7297fc4e4700d371.jpg that have a matching black silky short/thigh-length robe that he pulls on without belting https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/b/b7/ChestMaleHuman.png/revision/latest?cb=20130211071757 and https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EoqBsNGXIAc6vNs.jpg in the scene in RotS where he wakes up https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EUtJHCNU8AAGNok.jpg:large from nightmares, the effect being very much of a pared down, lighter weight, more comfortable version of his normal Jedi clothes), Padmé has about three purely practical outfits in the entirety of the three prequel films.
There’s the pilot disguise http://www.padawansguide.com/flightsuit.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/pilot.php she wears at the very beginning of AotC, which, aside from the colors of her pants and shirt, is very reminiscent of what Bail’s wearing in RotS http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/1.png when he tries to investigate the burning of the Jedi Temple), the battle costume she wears to Geonosis http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/arena.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/white.shtml towards the end of AotC, which is basically just a belted, snugly fitting, fairly modern take on a jumpsuit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumpsuit that’s somewhat evocative of a catsuit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catsuit with a cloak-like wrap and a hood for added protection (since, in ’verse, it’s likely all made of blast-dampening material. The hood and wrap can also do double duty by way of obscuring her face and the shape of her body and, thus, could possibly help to mask her identity) and sturdy-looking, heavily reinforced boots (which is also another costume meant to remind of Leia, specifically her white Hoth attire in ESB, and fairly modern - late 20th century to contemporary - in feel), and also the sleeveless outfit she wears to Mustafar http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/sleeveless.php and http://www.padawansguide.com/sleeveless.shtml towards the end of RotS (comprised of a sort of late 20th century to contemporary A-line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-line_(clothing) tunic or very short tent dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_dress, very modern looking leggings/pants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leggings that seem to have some stretch to them, tall, likely sturdy boots, and long/opera length https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_glove fingerless gloves, for ease of movement for her - as she’s heavily pregnant by this point - and added protection, since, again, at least part of the outfit is likely meant to be blast-dampening, in ’verse). Possibly there’s also another one that’s sort of practical, even though the neck arguably is not a very good idea (her hospital gown http://www.padawansguide.com/hospital.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/hospital.php when she gives birth to the twins, near the end of RotS. The high collar frankly seems like a choking hazard in circumstances like these. Plus, how would they get a line in her, if they needed to, with so much of her covered up by this floor-length, long-sleeved gown? The sleeves look loose, rather than cuffed tight to the arms, but that might not be enough for ease of access and it would doubtlessly slow down medical aid in situations where potentially every moment might count), and one that is probably somewhat practical in ’verse (her battle costume http://www.padawansguide.com/amidala_battle.shtml and http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ/battle.php in TPM, which, in ’verse, is doubtlessly made out of some kind of blast-dampening material, which is probably why the battle outfit include a long overcoat as well as some kind of long-sleeved shirt and pants), even though the velvet that the overcoat and pants are made of doesn’t look particularly practical (it would be hot and heavy for someone running around, trying to fight) here on Earth.
And I’ve likely strayed somewhat from my original point, but what I’m trying to get at, here, is that, even though many (arguably almost all, especially if one discounts the typical clothing worn by most of the Jedi of the Coruscanti Temple) of the costumes in the prequels have clearly have been influenced/inspired by more than one culture and/or more than one of the generally widely accepted eras/types of clothing/fashion, there are still clear similarities for many of the costumes for characters from Alderaan/Delaya, Chandrila, and Naboo (and even, to an extent, Coruscant/the Core, whether one counts the Jedi or not).
Again, 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.