Throne room gown

Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo wore the throne room gown for official functions and when present in her throne room at Theed Royal Palace. This attire stood out as one of her most opulent and striking outfits, designed to impress visiting dignitaries while communicating the dignity and hope of the Naboo. Constructed from red silk, the gown featured elaborate gold embroidered designs on a decorative tabard covering her chest and shoulders, accented by black trim created from the fur of creatures known as potolli. The expansive skirt was embellished with self-illuminating sein jewels in shades of yellow and orange that appeared to glow from within.

When appearing as Queen rather than in her private persona, Amidala's hair was elaborately styled. It was tightly braided, pinned securely on top of her head, and then treated with gels to prevent itching and to firmly hold a wig that matched the color of her natural hair. The headdress designed for the throne room gown featured sculpted hair arranged in a wide arch around her face, supported by a padded frame, along with the Jewel of Zenda positioned on her forehead and gold face-framing elements lined with red. Additional strands of hair cascaded down her back to her waist, and her fingernails were painted white. Her traditional royal makeup consisted of white foundation, red dots placed on her cheeks beneath her eyes, and a scar of remembrance. A red stripe was painted on her lower lip to represent the suffering the Naboo people endured before the coming of the Great Time of Peace.

In the year 32 BBY, Padmé Naberrie was elected and began her royal wardrobe as Queen Amidala. The throne room gown was originally designed with a circular frame to support the hem and was worn with an underdress to manage its considerable weight. Amidala wore this gown as she bid farewell to dignitaries who had attended the Chommell sector summit that she had organized to encourage cooperation among planets within the Chommell sector. As they departed, Amidala noticed something unusual in the sky and overheard concerning comlink communications; the Trade Federation had initiated their planetary invasion. The glowing sein jewels would make her visible to ships, but the gown made swift movement difficult, hindering her ability to quickly reach safety indoors.

Subsequently, Yané, one of her handmaiden, modified the gown so that it could support its own weight, making the entire outfit lighter and allowing for easier movement. This alteration transformed it into Amidala's most practical regal attire. She wore it again during her communications with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray and the Naboo Royal Advisory Council during the invasion.

Following her death, depictions of Amidala often featured her wearing the gown. During the Imperial Era, a mural in the city of Theed portrayed her in this attire; when her daughter, Leia Organa, saw it, she felt as though the figure in the mural moved to look at her. Stained glass windows in the royal palace also showcased Amidala in the gown. In death, a monumental statue of her wearing the gown stood guard at her tomb. A statue of Amidala in the gown also graced the gardens of the Royal Palace of Alderaan.

The throne room gown worn by Padmé Amidala was created for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which was part of the prequel trilogy. Artist Iain McCaig developed the initial design concept in 1997, and costume designer Trisha Biggar and her team brought the finished costume to life. The film's marketing materials prominently featured the costume.

McCaig recounted that when he incorporated lanterns into the hem of the costume during the design phase, George Lucas initially expressed skepticism and challenged him to create detailed schematics demonstrating how the lanterns would function. McCaig successfully met the challenge, and Lucas approved the concept. Biggar described the design's cultural and historical influences as having a "Chinese Imperial feel."

Biggar regarded the costume as one of the most intricate and challenging to produce. The process began nearly eight weeks in advance with the design of an undergarment to ensure a flawless fit for actress Natalie Portman. This undergarment, which Biggar compared to an inverted ice cream cone, was constructed from multiple canvas panels reinforced by steel crinoline rings around the hem to maintain a rigid shape and bear the weight of the gown's fabric. The rings and multiple layers of fabric were also essential for supporting the lights and the wires that connected them to batteries for power. Maintaining the hem's shape allowed it to glide smoothly along the floor, creating the impression that Amidala was floating or gliding. However, Biggar noted that walking in Amidala's costumes presented a significant challenge. The lights themselves were housed in vac-formed Perspex with a color wash of French enamel varnish.

While Biggar initially considered using velvet for the dress, she realized that film lighting would highlight the reversal of the velvet pile in sections cut on the cross. As a result, she opted for silk-satin cord mounted on densely woven silk. Each panel was self-piped, and the dress incorporated approximately twenty-five panels, with fifteen panels in each sleeve. Faux fur was used for the edges and lining of the collar, sleeves, and the hanging center-front piece, which was adorned with gold buillion embroidery.