Solo: A Fashion Story

I was very excited to see the new "Solo: A Star Wars Story" movie last weekend. Having grown up in the '70s and '80s, the original trilogy is near and dear to my heart, as are all the characters in it. So it was exciting to get to see a glimpse of the backstory of a few of them. And the best part of the decades-long wait since the original is that the crew members involved with the film are also people who grew up watching and loving the films and the characters. They GET it. The original Star Wars era was THEIR era. So I was particularly intrigued to read this article from Nerdist.com and this one from starwars.com, which include interviews with the costume designers of "Solo," discussing their inspirations for the costumes in the film - which, in my humble opinion, were extremely well done and true to the characters as well as the overall style of the film.

Now, if you haven't yet seen the film and want to remain completely pristine and unspoiled, you should probably stop reading right now. If you haven't seen it but you don't mind a few mild hints, go ahead and read on. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, although I will (out of necessity) include a few character descriptions and, of course, some photos. So if you're still with me, let's take a look!

Where else to begin than with Solo himself? In the original films, Han Solo (as played by Harrison Ford) wore a loose white shirt with a black vest and later a black canvas jacket, and in the most recent films he was seen sporting a similar cropped military-style black leather jacket.

In "Solo," the title character is portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich. At the beginning, the film is quite dark, in a very literal sense. Most of the clothing we see well into the story is blacks and browns and grays. So Han's cropped brown jacket with black yoke is worn over a black shirt rather than a white one, and paired with black pants. The jacket has a wonderful worn look to it: the leather is wrinkled at the elbows, the stand-up style collar has begun to wilt a bit at the front, the black yoke has a dusty look to it. This jacket - and presumably Han along with it - has seen some action. 

But let's look at another familiar character, whose style is completely different from Han's: Lando Calrissian. Portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in the originals, Lando was flashy and colorful. He wore bright colors with fancy trims, and carefully coordinated accessories - including a collection of magnificent capes. 

Not surprisingly, the younger version of Lando, played by Donald Glover, also wears flashy colors and styles. In fact, Lando's flashy wardrobe is such a part of his character that we actually get to see his closet, full of brightly-colored shirts, an entire collection of capes, fur and leather coats, and accessories, accessories, accessories. 

This bright yellow shirt with its wide cuffs and black flap is eye-catching enough, but when you add a black cape with a stand-up collar and blue satin lining...this is a man who knows his sartorial stuff. One of my favorite details is a bit of an Easter egg: the print on Lando's black scarf is actually a still from the scene in A New Hope where Luke and Leia swing across the chasm in the Death Star. 

Now let's move on to some of the new characters, starting with Tobias Beckett, played by Woody Harrelson. 

Beckett is a kind of mercenary, out-for-himself outlaw, much like Han is at the beginning of A New Hope. His wardrobe is more cowboy than military, with a long loose hooded coat worn over a practical work shirt and a bandana-like scarf at his throat. The pale canvas coat blends with his sandy hair and beard and helps him fade into the background, which is very convenient when carrying out a stealth job.

Beckett's literal and figurative partner in crime is Val, played by Thandie Newton.

Val is pragmatic, tough, smart, suspicious, and fearless. Her clothing a designed for practicality and toughness. Like Han, the condition of her clothes prove that she's seen some adventures. She wears a harness with all kinds of tools and gadgets, so she's prepared for anything, and although she takes risks, her helmet, boots, and gear shows she doesn't take unnecessary chances. I love this little pop of rich burgundy at the neck, breaking up the stealthy black of the rest of her outfit. She may be practical, but she's still a woman with style. And yes, she has a cape.

So if Han is the hero, Beckett and Val are the gray areas (are they good guys, bad guys, or willing to side with whomever benefits them the most?), there must be a villain. Oh, but there is, and such a villain he is.

Played with magnificent panache by Paul Bettany, our first glimpse of Dryden Vos is [SPOILER ALERT!!!] as he is killing a subordinate with a glowing red bladed weapon. His face contorts in fury and the long scars running from his forehead down his cheeks darken to a deep red, then fade along with his fury into an even more frightening calm. Dryden's psychotic, murderous nature is all the more terrifying due to his elegant, cultured demeanor. His suits are perfectly tailored, with an open-necked white shirt under an impeccably-cut black suit completed with a single-shoulder cape that sweeps dramatically about as he moves (shades of Darth Vader, anyone?). His accessories include expensive jewelry. Clearly, this is not a man to be trifled with.

Another marvelous (and well-dressed) new character in this film is Emilia Clark's Qi'ra. I won't spoil her character with too much backstory other than to say that she is a love interest for Han, a friend from his youth who now has dangerous ties to Dryden. Qi'ra moves effortlessly from femme fatale to action hero. When Han first meets her after again after leaving Corellia, she is wearing a gorgeously sexy 1940s-inspired black gown reminiscent of Lauren Bacall or Rita Hayworth. The gown has simple flared sleeves and a plunging neckline that sets off a large gold necklace - which we later discover proclaims her ties to Dryden's syndicate. When she sets off with Han on their "mission" (avoiding spoilers!!), she changes to a more practical yet somehow equally sexy cropped, fitted tan jacket with fur lining, flared black leather skirt, and tall boots. Later, she adds a magnificent red cape with black yoke and collar (which she no doubt nicked from Lando's closet), giving her an impressive air of authority and nobility.

Another interesting comparison of the various characters comes with comparing their various fur coats, which nearly all the characters wear at some point or another.

Han leaves his fur coat open, because he's tough, and wears his gun belt over his coat, because he's also smart and wary. Lando's is noticeably better quality than Han's, and with its beautiful lines and artistically-placed zippers, it's clearly meant for both fashion and comfort. Qi'ra's coat is more like an elegant shrug  or capelet, with variegated colors of fur and graceful diagonal lines, still feminine and flattering despite its bulk. Val's coat is practical leather with just a hint of fur at the neck, likely both because she couldn't afford a full coat and because fur is too bulky for practicality. Beckett doesn't bother with fur at all, because he's Beckett and probably hasn't taken off that tan canvas coat in years. And Chewbacca, of course, has his own built-in fur coat.

As a costume designer myself, I love seeing how professional designers create and enhance characters using clothing and accessories, and in this case I think it was done extremely well. Kudos to the costume crew!