A Quick Guide To Jedi Robes

Star Wars

May 23

It’s common knowledge that George Lucas took a lot of the inspiration for Star Wars from samurai movies, especially those made by Akira Kurosawa. The robes are no different, with the inspiration coming from traditional samurai clothing, and Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. Many elements make a Jedi. They are keepers of the peace and follow many different rules. They are also most identifiable by the lightsabers they wield. However, another important element is their robes. Jedi sometimes can be differentiated by the clothes they wear.

The Jedi order did not have any set uniforms, but all the clothes tended to follow the same pattern, and stayed this way until the Great Jedi Purge. The basic Jedi robe consists of an overtunic and a tabard which had two symmetric hanging pieces in the front that were sewn at the waist and stopped around the knees. However, the overtunic could be shorter than knee length, or even as long as ankle length, which became more popular during the Rebellion era. The garments further consisted of loose-fitting trousers and an obi. The obi matched in color with the overtunic. Sometimes they also included an undershirt, which would contrast in color to the overtunic. The leather utility belts were also an essential part of the outfit, as they carried anything a Jedi might need out in the field. Diplomatic Jedi wore soft boots, and those out in the field tended to wear sturdier boots with a ridged sole.

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The robes tended to be more Earth tones, even though some did wear darker colors. Even though the robes looked restrictive, they were quite comfortable and allowed for greater freedom of movement. The robes with their long sleeves, helped create a “swirling effect” that could be used to distract their opponent in battle. They also protected against severe weather conditions, which makes them perfect for planets like Kamino or desert planets.

The Jedi order permitted Jedi to wear robes from their home planets, like Barriss Offee who wore a hybrid Mirilana-Jedi robes, and Count Dooku who wore robes from his homeworld of Serenno. Jedi’s from the planet of Corellia tended to wear more greens, so they would easily be differentiated and to stand out from the rest of the Order. Some Jedi also didn’t wear traditional robes and all. Even though most Jedi decided to wear the traditional Jedi outfit, some decided to change it up and wear something else. Ayala Secura wore fitted clothes that allowed for complete freedom of movement, and Ahsoka Tano wore a bandeau top and skirt during her days as a Padawan. Later, she acquired an outfit that covered more of her skin, but still allowed for freedom of movement. The Wookie Padawan Gungi wore nothing but a sash, belt, and bandolier for his clothing. The High Republic era Jedi added a little flair to their robes, with gold inlay, and various patterns.

Sometimes the robes a Jedi wore were used as foreshadowing. The most obvious case of this foreshadowing is with Anakin Skywalker. Anakin decides to wear very dark browns and eventually black. This was quite disturbing to the Jedi Council, and they did not approve of this decision. This foretold Anakin’s return to the Darkside. However, we can also apply this foreshadowing to his son, Luke Skywalker. When Luke is first trained in the Jedi arts, he is wearing the classic Earth tones many Jedi wear. When we see him again in Return Of The Jedi he is wearing all black, something that foreshadows his possible turn to the Darkside and his fight with Darth Vader and Palpatine. The next time we Luke Skywalker, he is much older but is also wearing very light gray, almost white robes, which signifies that he essentially came full circle, and didn’t succumb to the Darkside.

Jedi robes are very diverse and unique to the wearer. While we’re used to seeing the basic robes on Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu, some other Jedi decide to have a bit more freedom with it. Even though their clothing is important, the robes aren’t what makes them Jedi at the end of the day.

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