Dressing a Galaxy: The Costume of Star Wars Limited Edition with DVD [DELUXE EDITION] (Hardcover)

~ Trish Biggar (Author), George Lucas (Preface), Natalie Portman (Introduction), Rick McCallum (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

· While the Star Wars saga is famous for its elaborate sets and for revolutionary visual effects, it also features some of the most unique and ornate costumes in modern film. In this exquisite volume, the intricate and beautiful fashions that have appeared in all six Star Wars films are on display-from military gear to royal gowns and the iconic garbs of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Every costume is brilliantly displayed in intimate detail, from preproduction sketches to the final creations. Actors, including Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson, provide commentary on their experiences during principal photography, while writer-director George Lucas and producer Rick McCallum contribute their thoughts on this exploration of Star Wars costume design. Accompanied by an exhibition at the The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) Museum & Galleries at FIDM in Los Angeles, this unique visual treat is a must-have for any Star Wars fan. This limited-edition run of this book will be released with lavish gatefolds, fabric swatches, a special dvd, and a cast replica of a Wookiee belt-buckle, sure to be the ultimate Star Wars collectible.

Limited Edition Special Features

Hardcover with French-fold jacket encased in an elegant clamshell box with an Obi Wrap cloth overlay. Special features include six bound-in booklets and eight 6-page gatefolds, a costume index by character for all six films in the Star Wars Saga, 16 additional pages of color photographs and fabric swatches cut from the same bolts as the Saga's actual costume material originating from the Lucasfilm archives including swatches made from the same fabric used for Darth Vader's cape as well as a cast replica "Wookiee Belt-Buckle" symbolizing the valor and loyalty of these ferocious warriors. Also includes a Certificate of Authenticity for the Wookiee Belt Buckle replica and Costume Swatches.

Package Features
*Clamshell box wrapped in Japanese silk
*Wookie beltbuckle replica
*Darth Vader cape material
*Fabric samples (includes piece of Darth Vader's cape)

*Limited Edition Lucasfilm DVD

Edition Features
*Gatefolds (Six 6-page gatefolds)
*1. Jedi council
*2. Royalty: fabric details (embroidery, edgings, beading, sewn-in embroidery sheet)
*3. Military (featuring the Wookiees)
*4. Senators incl. Padmé outfit
*5. Rogues Gallery (Jawas, Ewoks, Cantina, Jabba's place)
*6. Farmers: Padmé outfit

Additional Signature
* Costume Archeology" (antique fabrics and pieces) | "Trisha's Scrapbook" of her travels w/passport stamps; 16 additional pages. Special Insert (accordion-fold )

"Building 37" - workroom, inspirations, pictures of JAK folders, pictures of fabric samples, etc. of top 20 costumes, fabric samples. This special insert depicts costume evolution inside Trisha Biggar's workshop.

Eight (8) Bound-in Booklets and Inserts (loose)


1. Headresses
2. Classic character costumes
3. CG "Costume Booklet"
4. Footwear (in silhouette)
5. "Dressing Bail Organa"
6. Costume breakdown with transparent overlays
7. Jewelry
8. Darth Vader

About the Author

Trisha Biggar is the costume designer of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. After training at the Wimbledon School of Art, she worked with several British theater companies, and then moved into designing costumes for films such as Silent Scream and Wild West. Her television drama credits include Moll Flanders and The Missing Postman. She designed the costumes for the BBC films Saigon Baby and Truth or Dare as well as the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Love Hurts.

George Lucas is the creator of the phenomenally successful Star Wars saga and Indiana Jones series. He has been writing and directing for more than 25 years.

Rick McCallum produced the widely popular Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition (DVD), in addition to producing the newest Star Wars movie trilogy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."; Limited Edition edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081095964X
• ISBN-13: 978-0810959644
• Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14.4 x 3.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #717,349 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pricey, but a great book!, November 18, 2005

By	Adi (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

First off, everything about this book is just beautiful! The box it comes in is beautiful, the silk obi its wrapped in is beautiful, and more importantly, the pictures in the book are gorgeous. There are just tons and tons of beautiful shots of hundreds of costumes and costume details. And the pictures are so large you feel so close to the costumes; it's amazing!

But then, you can touch the costumes too, thanks to the fabric swatches! While the swatches are mainly from Revenge of the Sith, they represent a wide range of characters and it's really neat to have pieces of the actual fabric! And all the other booklets and fold-outs are great, too. Overall, there is just a wealth of beautiful pictures and interesting information!

The one downside is the DVD, unfortunately. All it is are five short documentaries that have been available online for years and are on the prequel DVD's. There is nothing new which is disappointing.

Despite that one downside (and the hefty price), Dressing a Galaxy is a wonderfully impressive, beautiful book which gives the reader a much greater appreciation for the amazing work of Trisha Biggar.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Costumers Dream!, December 5, 2005

By	Misty K. Turner (VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The whole packaging of the book is exquisite. The cover is fabric, and an elegant fabric strap allows you access to the contents. Inside the contents are split into two sections - the special inserts - a replica of one of the wookie belt buckles, a certificate of authenticity, a dvd on the costumes - and a piece of Darth Vader's cape material. The real deal. There's something that awes you, as a life-long fan, to touch that. It's touching something from a galaxy far, far away.

The actual book inside is also a work of art, well worth the price without the special features, and is located in an inset on the other side of the larger package book. I am blessed with a generous husband - my copy is signed, # 274, by Trisha Biggar herself, the woman who is responsible for the Prequel Trilogy costumes. But this doesn't just cover those. This anthology covers all costumes, from all movies (including a visual index of every single costume that ever appeared on a character in the movies), close ups, detailed booklets outlining Darth Vader's costumes, Amidala's costumes and the various headdresses and more. Close-ups and pictures, and more close-ups - this book is a must have for any star wars costumers. It really, truly is the bible as it relates to star wars costuming. I have never seen anything that is its equal.

When I looked under the book - there it was. Fabric swatches. Honest to goodness PIECES of fabric from the costumes from the movies. Not only could I see up close the fabric on many of the more popular costumes, but for most of them I could feel them - texture, weight, drape. All of it - right at my fingertips. I honestly could not have asked for more out of a special edition of this book. It was right then and there that the price - somewhat outrageous for this edition - was completely justified.

Underneath even that was a smaller book, a guide to the digital costumes of the movies. Even Jar Jar gets a mention, in addition to all of the other CGI costumes created.

I could not recommend this book more. If nothing else, the stand alone book. But if you can possibly swing it - the special edition is amazing. Breathtaking.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pricey, yes, but it's a stunning book., December 8, 2005

By	Mr Ghostface (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I was beginning to think this book wouldn't come, because the release was put back twice and then it seemed to be unavailable. Well, I guess with limited editions of this price band it's understandable. I was kind of starting to not care, because at this price I was starting to think I should save my money. Then today, my other half called me at work to say this huge parcel had been delivered. Yes!
I got home an hour ago and, well, it IS huge. Extremely well packed, a box inside another box, and then the fabric-covered clamshell box with the fastended silk wrap. Lovely. I almost didn't want to unseal it any further, but carefully I did. The fresh print smell hit me first, and within seconds I got a headache from it. Opening the box gave me that geeky excitement I haven't had since, I don't know when. I'd made sure to wash my hands first. Then I opened it. The book is outwardly the same as the regular version, set into the right-hand side of the clamshell with a red silk pull underneath to help lift it out. On the other side, there was the replica wookie belt buckle, a certificate of authenticity, a companion DVD, and a special sealed sample of Vader's cloak fabric. All looked pretty good.

I lifted out the book with the pull, and noticed it's thicker than the regular version, with lots of the special inserts I'd read about. Nice and weighty, I put it aside, because underneath is a gatefold supplement containing a dozen or more fabric samples from the costumes pictured next to them. Lovely. Really lovely. And then, underneath that, a thicker booklet showcasing digital creatures from the prequels and their costumes. I then opened the main book to find the limited edition number. There are 2,500 of these books, and I got number 2,479. I think I was lucky getting this!

So often these collectors pieces are disappointing, but I have to be completely honest with this. It's a beautiful book, and I haven't even started reading it yet, which isn't going to make a lot of difference because of the quality of the whole package. If you can get hold of a copy, do it. I know it's pricey, but you'll get over that soon enough, and you'll have what I think is one of the best pieces of Star Wars memorabilia ever made.