The ambassadorial reception location was elegant, refined -- and huge!

The challeges were to fill it with enough bodies...

...and to make sure that the costumes stood up to the background

Sarah, Dawn, and other costumers made some new pieces

Existing costume pieces from our own wardrobes as well as many loaner items

On location, we set up a large wardrobe room and get ready to put everybody into costume

Each piece is assigned to a specific costume/extra and is hung and tagged

Production assistants help each extra into costume

Three late Renaissance doublets, accessorized and layered to create new looks

A parti-colored coat, an Italian Ren tunic, and a long medieval tunic and surcoat fit into the Star Wars universe with little modification

Two Italian Ren overdresses, with the laced-up bodices turned inside to give the fronts straight edges -- the first has new sleeves pinned in to match the veil, while on the second, one of its sleeves becomes a hood

A long chemise, a men's doublet, and a long lace mantilla become a stunning all-white ensemble, while a classic medieval dress, accessorised with contrasting obi and drape, recall Amidala's handmaidens

A lucky find in the back of Gina's closet -- this wonderful suede cape, complete with cut-work border

A Cossak-inspired shirt, paired with a wide black skirt and a silver chain belt, make for a sophisticated savage, while the blue and gold ensemble suggests a privateer culture

A "Mothma" style open robe and a head wrap lend weight to a simple white chemise, while a deep purple overdress is pinned back to create a frame for the vibrant gold gown

Contrasting sleeves and obis give richness and detail

His "skirt" is a length of fabric tied sarong-style, a matching obi belts the Renaissance tunic, and a long gold chain drapes from shoulder to waist

Collaborative costuming -- the dress is from one costumer, the cape from another, the headdress from a third, and the jewelry from a fourth

Lace and fine mesh make interesting drapes

Layers, layers, layers! Few characters in TPM and AOTC fail to layer their clothing

Don't forget to add a hat or head wrap!

Mixing cultural elements heightens the alien effect

For this featured extra, we added leggings, a full-length tunic, two obis and an ascot to an existing kimono

The embellishments -- a sheer, gold-embroidered ribbon and four-row strands of faux pearls -- were hand-sewn onto the obi for this costume (a 5 hour effort!)

Costumed extras gather in the craft services room, waiting for their call

These two characters always make an impression with their costume choices

At least we didn't have to costume one of the extras!