When Padmé Amidala reigned as queen of the planet Naboo, her handmaidens donned robes of a flame-like hue. These robes, conceived by the handmaiden Yané, were crafted to harmonize with the queen's diverse outfits, allowing the handmaidens to blend into the background. Throughout Amidala's tenure as Queen of Naboo, the handmaidens wore them, notably during the Invasion of Naboo, when Amidala made her escape, concealed among her attendants.
The robes persisted as a recognizable article of clothing: handmaidens of Amidala wore similar robes during her time as a senator in the Galactic Republic Senate. Additionally, the handmaidens of a later Naboo queen, Sosha Soruna, also sported robes of the same design. The flame-colored robes were captured in artworks depicting Amidala post-queenship, and their image extended beyond Naboo via pin-up posters displayed in cantinas, barracks, and other public locations spanning from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim Territories.
These flame-colored robes showcased an ombré effect, transitioning from yellow to orange on the outer robe, layered over an orange under-robe fashioned from Karlini silk. The lighter under-robe was implemented to mitigate sweat stains, given the outer robe's cleaning challenges. The ensemble included a two-part hood, obscuring the wearer's hair and neck, while casting shadows on the face. Completing the attire, a sash, matching the orange under-robe, was broadly wrapped around the back, crossed, and tucked into the front waist, resembling petal-like shapes over the hips. The robes' sunrise-like aesthetic symbolized the rebirth of the Mid Rim Territories planet Naboo.
In 32 BBY, Yané, a handmaiden, created the flame-colored robes for the handmaidens of Padmé Amidala during her initial term as queen of Naboo. The handmaidens frequently wore hoods, sparking a trend among the Naboo people for similar hooded garments, rendering the flame-colored robes unremarkable in silhouette. However, flame rapidly became the handmaidens' signature color, with its saturated hues diverting attention from the individual wearer.
The handmaidens typically donned coordinating robes, selected to complement the queen's chosen outfit from her extensive wardrobe. During Amidala's first term, the flame-colored robes were paired with at least two distinct gowns: they provided a stark contrast with a black raveling gown and matching feathered headdress, and they complemented the rich hues of a somber dark purple traveling dress.
During its invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY, the Trade Federation occupied Theed, a city, aiming to coerce the queen into signing a treaty. Upon noticing the situation, Quarsh Panaka, Amidala's Head of Security, prompted the handmaiden Saché to use the pre-arranged code "flame," signaling the handmaidens to assemble in the throne room of the Theed Royal Palace, clad in flame-colored robes.
Subsequently, concealed among her handmaidens, Amidala escaped the planet and the Federation, utilizing the robes as a disguise. She maintained the guise of "Padmé" while aboard the royal starship, accompanied by her handmaidens Rabé and Eirtaé, while Sabé impersonated the queen. The robes also proved valuable when Yané and Saché were confined in the Trade Federation's prison camp; Yané shredded their under-robes, employing them to weave coded messages. Utilizing a pattern based on a comm code commonly learned by Naboo children, the colorful silk threads delineated guard rotations and pivotal strategic locations for the resistance against the Trade Federation.
Following the Invasion, the flame-colored robes continued to be utilized. When the Gungan Jar Jar Binks informed Queen Amidala of a map leading to a powerful Gungan relic, her handmaidens were once again adorned in the flame-colored robes.
A stained glass window in the Theed Royal Palace, commissioned during the reign of Réillata, Amidala's successor, depicted Amidala participating in a royal procession, surrounded by numerous handmaidens wearing flame-colored, hooded outfits. By the time of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the palace also featured a stained glass window showcasing a solitary figure in profile, clad in the flame-colored robe, alongside a painting portraying a group of eight figures dressed in flame-colored robes traversing a courtyard.
A pin-up poster featuring a woman wearing the robes was commonly found throughout the galaxy during the Clone Wars. Copies of the poster were displayed in locations as diverse as a cantina on the lower levels of Coruscant, a city-world in the Core Worlds, and locales in the Outer Rim Territories, such as a Weequay pirate lair on Florrum, Republic clone trooper barracks on Christophsis, and the exterior of a building on Iego.
During Amidala's tenure as a senator in the Republic's Senate, shortly after the Clone Wars began, Sabé donned the outfit once more to greet Amidala upon her return from Hebekrr Minor and assist her in preparing for bed. Sabé also revealed her knowledge of Amidala's secret marriage to Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, and shared her decision to leave her position as Amidala's handmaiden, feeling unable to keep pace with Amidala's evolving life and desiring to forge her own identity.
The disguise was exploited against Amidala when Cato Parasitti, a Clawdite bounty hunter, shapeshifted into Amidala's handmaiden Karté, attempting to disrupt a delicate negotiation with the Arthurian delegates. When Amidala and her friend, Ahsoka Tano, a Jedi Padawan, uncovered the deception and repelled the bounty hunter, Parasitti was clad in a flame-colored robe to complete her handmaiden disguise. Handmaidens in flame-colored robes also accompanied Amidala when she met with Skywalker for a mission.
The retinue of at least one other Naboo queen also wore similar robes. In 4 ABY, an agent of the remnant Galactic Empire initiated Operation: Cinder on Naboo, activating a climate disruption array that triggered hurricanes and perilous electrical storms across the planet. As Queen Sosha Soruna prepared to counterattack, she was assisted by two handmaidens wearing robes akin to those worn by Amidala's handmaidens.
The flame-colored robes were created for the prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which premiered on May 19, 1999. Within the Star Wars Legends continuity, they appeared before the film in its novelization, penned by Terry Brooks and published on April 21, 1999.
The film did not name the robes. However, the Legends junior novelization, authored by Patricia C. Wrede and released on May 3 of that year, identified them as "flame-colored robes." This name was first adopted into current Star Wars canon in the 2017 reference book, Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia. From 2015 to 2018, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service displayed the costume as "Handmaiden, Ombréd Travel Gown" in Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume.
When designing for the handmaidens, Iain McCaig, a concept artist, opted for simpler hairstyles, aiming to evoke a Pre-Raphaelite or art nouveau aesthetic, diverging from the queen's more elaborate costumes. His Naboo costume designs intentionally obscured details such as size, shape, and age, as they were intended for disguise. Collaborating with McCaig, costume designer Trisha Biggar translated the sketches into functional onscreen outfits. Biggar envisioned a dress code and a distinct style for ceremonial regalia for queens and handmaidens, incorporating shared silhouettes and motifs. Furthermore, Biggar sought to maintain the handmaidens in petite, vertical costumes to contrast with Amidala's larger, diagonal ensembles. The handmaidens' outfits were dyed to complement the queen's ensembles.
The hooded dresses were initially crafted from white silk and viscose velvet, subsequently disassembled, and ombré-dyed to ensure color consistency when the handmaidens stood together. The red sashes, sleeves, and inner hoods were sewn from bias-cut silk crepe. Antique guipure lace motifs were dyed to match and used to trim the sleeves.