How to Make Princess Leia's Belly Dance Costume
Of all of the costumes in the fan-favorite "Star Wars" film franchise, the most popular is the sexy, revealing belly-dance costume worn by Princess Leia in "The Return of the Jedi." This costume is also one of the more difficult to make and wear, as it requires working with both lingerie-sewing techniques and armor costume-crafting techniques. It is well-known among fans as the "Slave Leia" costume, named for the situation in which the costume appears in the film.
Things You'll Need
- Costume reference pictures
- Muslin fabric
- Scissors
- Wonderflex
- Utility knife
- Bucket
- Drill
- Gesso
- Puffy paint
- Pliers
- Craft foam
- Glue
- Gold leaf acrylic paint
- Antique gold or brown paint
- Antique silver paint
- Glossy clear spray sealer
- Paintbrushes
- Suede fabric (maroon)
- Maroon cord
- Plain shoes
- Sewing equipment and supplies
Instructions
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The Top
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1
Make detailed sketches of the top and bottom of the Princess Leia belly-dancing costume, using many reference pictures from as many angles as you can find. You may also want to sketch while watching the film, so you can pause at any moments where you see parts of the costume not captured in your reference images. Make sure that you sketch the costume from the front, sides and back.
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2
Create a pattern for the armored detailing in the top of the costume. Take a piece of muslin and, with a friend's help, drape it against the front of your body while you are in your bra. Tape the muslin to your skin if necessary. Trim the muslin to the general shape of the overall bra-top front, making sure to cut the center and bottom curves. Using a fabric pencil or marker, draw in the armored parts of the bra. Mark these parts generally; you do not have to be too exact. Remove the muslin from your skin and lay it flat against a surface, then re-draw and neaten all of the lines, making sure that both sides are symmetrical. Trim the muslin so that you have the shape of only the armored part of the bra.
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3
Lay your muslin pattern on top of the Wonderflex and trace around it, then cut shape from the Wonderflex. Dip the Wonderflex piece into a bucket of boiling water for a minute, so it becomes flexible. While it is flexible, mold the Wonderflex around your body until you are satisfied with the fit. You may have to make the top of the bra in several pieces, then bond them together either by heating or gluing. Drill holes into the sides and top, where the cording is to be attached.
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4
Texturize the Wonderflex by imitating the details on the costume in your reference pictures. Use gesso and puffy paint to create raised dots and other details, and carve any indents using a pair of pliers.
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5
Paint the Wonderflex with a combination of gold leaf, antique gold, brown and antique silver paint to create a deep, aged effect. When it's dry, spray the paint with a clear sealer and loop the cording through the holes, crisscrossing them in the back. Cut fabric panels the size of the bra cups and hot glue them to the inside of the Wonderflex.
The Bottom
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6
Cut two long, rectangular panels from your muslin and hold them up at your hips in the front and back to gauge the size you will need. Cut the panels to the size that is closest to your references and also the most visually flattering on you. Use the muslin as pattern pieces and cut the panels from your fabric, finishing the raw edges at your discretion. Put these aside.
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7
Craft the bottom armored pieces, using the same method that you used for the top of the costume. Make a pattern from the muslin, then flatten and trace it onto the Wonderflex in as many separate pieces as you find necessary. Most likely, you will need only one piece for the front, one for each side and one for the back. Add the raised decorations by gluing craft foam to the Wonderflex. Add other decorations with gesso and puffy paint, and paint the entire structure with acrylics, mimicking your earlier work.
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8
Hot-glue the fabric panels to the inside of the bottom Wonderflex pieces. For underwear, you can either hot-glue a bikini-bottom front and back to the inside of the Wonderflex, or wear a flesh-toned string-bikini pair of underwear underneath the costume. Make sure that there is no chance of the underwear piece falling off.
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9
Create the arm band, bracelet, neck collar and hair ties out of Wonderflex, in the same way that you made the bra top and bottom. Make the length of chain from a set of linking baby toys, painted in the same colors as the rest of your costume.
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10
Make the boots from thicker suede fabric. Use a pair of plain, flat shoes as a base, and glue a boot cover to the sole of the shoes. At the top of the boots, affix a few pieces of Wonderflex cut into the shapes seen in your reference pictures. Use glue to attach the Wonderflex to the boots.
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