Galactic Style Guide – Shirts III

Welcome back to the Galactic Style Guide, the monthly series where we break down the ‘Star Wars aesthetic’ in order to help you create a more accurate ‘outer persona’! For this installment, we’re wrapping up a few upper-body stragglers which are both easy ways to add a little unconventional GFFA style to your own wardrobe.

Note that examples 1&2 both come from the planet Ahakista, and almost half of these use a right-over-left ‘womens’ closure!
For the reenactor with some basic sewing know-how, this is a very easy style to replicate. Because of Western fashion’s silly gender-specific closure rules, if you buy a button-down shirt of the opposite gender, you can flip-flop the front sides and get a closure without buttonholes on top. Then just add a strip of Velcro down both fronts. If you want Fel’s Mandarin collar style, it’s likewise easy to remove the fall from a shirt’s collar to leave the stand (this will still have a buttonhole at the top, however; you may be able to cannibalize the removed material to make a new, buttonhole-less stand).

Thus far, I’ve only come across one example of this style in my research, but if you know of another, please let me know in the comments!

No, your eyes do not deceive you, that is Dass Jennir (in A Spark Remains) wearing what appears to be a plain, unadorned, knit Turtleneck. Note, however, that he at least adds some GFFA style by combining the sweater with wrapped forearms. It would definitely look better under a vest or jacket, but for a casual dinner after a battle, I’ll let it slide. When I see cosplayers wear modern, synthetic, stretchy, activewear as part of an outfit, these garments tend to stick out due to the shiny nature of their material – and because they tend to be bold colors (white, black, navy blue, etc). Jennir’s top keeps things in-universe because it is a Galaxy-appropriate earthtone, and is fitted but not completely skin-tight. Again, paired with another layer and you can probably pull it off with no complaints.

Because the galactic ‘look’ involves layering, it is often hard to tell what an individual’s main garments may be. However, I hope that the Galactic Style Guide has shown that there are plenty of options out there beyond simply copying a handful of face characters, any of which will add authentic Star Wars style to your ‘soft kit’–whether that be for everyday wear, an ‘OC’ cosplay, or a reenacting/living-history impression.
I still have future posts planned for jackets and footwear, plus ‘hard kit’ items like backpacks and comlinks, as well as extra examples of things like vests and more wide shoulders!
Are there any other examples or styles that I should add to future installments of the Style Guide? Drop your ideas in the comments below (or come discuss with us at the SWLH facebook community) and MTFBWY!

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