Check out Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Slave Leia concept art by Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Aggie Rodgers!
Click on the images to enlarge
It's "Flashback Friday" and 25 years ago today on May 25, 1983 "Return of the Jedi" premiered in the U.S. In honor of that occasion I'm sharing artwork and designed for the iconic "Slave Leia bikini".
In "Return of the Jedi", Carrie Fisher is kidnapped by Jabba the Hutt and forced to wear a metal bikini style outfit. Costume designers Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Aggie Rodgers designed the costume.
Nilo Rodis-Jamero was the assistant art director of visual effects for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, and costume designer on Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Aggie Rodgers is a professional costume designer who worked on Hollywood projects like Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Rent (2005), and Willow (1988)
George Lucas told them he wanted something similar to the work of fantasy artist Frank Frazetta. He made an iconic cover for Edgar Rice Burroughs' book "A Princess of Mars" in 1917 that has a woman in an outfit very similar to Princess Leia's.
They created a number of costumes for different scenes that she and stuntwoman Tracy Eddon could wear comfortably.
Here's the final costume:
Here are the early designs
You can see they wanted a much more ornate costume with flowing lines and fabric, but technical difficulties forced to simplify it. The costume still looks lovely.
Click on the links if you want to see more of Nilo Rodis-Jamero's work or Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi artwork on my blog.
What do you think of the concept art? If you've seen Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi what do you think of the look?
© Copyright 1983 LucasFilm. All rights reserved.
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