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Sith apparel

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The Dark Lords Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Darth Sidious

"You wear the trappings of the Sith, you fight like the Sith… but this can be imitated, however."

―Dooku, to Asajj Ventress^[1]

A type ofapparel was the generalattire of members of theSith Order in all its forms, with mostSith wearingSith robes Unlike the Jedi who did not believe in material possession, the position ofSith Lord was highly individualized and the personal attire of each Dark Lord reflected this.

Although similar to theclothing and armor worn by theJedi Knights of theGalactic Republic, Sith apparel was in fact much more personalized to the wearer than itsJedi counterparts; for manySith, their armor and robes were an integral part of their identity. For users of thedark side, their clothing and armor usually involved some measure of physical protection, such as traditional armor plates,cortosis, or even self-contained life support systems. Many Sith were most easily recognized by their distinctive garb and often used this to further intimidate or impress their foes and allies alike.

History[]

The Old Sith Empire[]

"Marka Ragnos, great Dark Lord, wear this victory helmet during your battles in the afterlife."

―Ludo Kressh^[2]

The personalized Sith armor worn by Naga Sadow

The firstSith Lords werefallen Jedi who enslaved theSith,^[3] aspecies hailing from theStygian Caldera.^[4] This resulted in a mixed-race population with mixed cultural traits.^[3] The apparel of theSith Order combined inspirations from both the Jedi, the guardians of justice and freedom in theGalactic Republic,^[5] and the Sith.^[6]

Unlike their Jedi forefathers, the Sith Lords enjoyed flaunting riches and outstanding signs of their wealth.^[7] They adopted a fastuous fashion full of brightcolors such as green, light red or purple, with ornamented parts ofgolden armor. They also favored extravagant headdresses, war helmets and capes accented with eccentric necklines.Naga Sadow andLudo Kressh were good examples of this.^[6] Most Sith Lords would feel pleasure and a sensation of power through the jealousy and greed their material possession aroused among their peers. This attitude was still present amongst the Sith millennia later—MasterQordis was known to wear only the finest silks and most expensive jewelry, and he possessed luxurious apartments onKorriban.^[7]

Robes worn by Sith were known as Sith robes.^[7] Many Sith robes wereForce-imbued in the making, so that they could be used to enhance or assist one's ability to channel thedark side of the Force and call upon more strength or wisdom than they naturally would. Some of those artifacts were still intact and usable at the time of theOld Sith Wars, such asAleema Keto's orCrado's robes,^[8] and the dreadedHelm of Dathka Graush.^[9] Around5000 BBY, some of theMassassi warriors who accompanied Naga Sadow onYavin 4 were also known to sportspecialized combat gear that allowed them maximum agility in dense jungle environments.^[10]

Battle armor[]

"Yes, you shall wear the armor."

―Unidentified Sith spirit, to Warb Null^[11]

Warb Null built his own set of Sith armor.

The Sith Lords of theOld Empire each wore personalized battlearmor designed to strike fear into their enemies.^[12] EachSith Lord tended to have their unique set of armor, thoughstandard models were known to exist.^[13] The Sith armors traditionally consisted of metal plates worn over dark robes, and were usually covered in sharp spines to be used as weapons. Some time prior to3998 BBY, the youngOnderonian metallurgist Shas Dovos made his own suit of Sith armor out of steel plates, following the instruction of an ancient book. Dovos later merged with his armor, turning him into a new and powerful being known as Warb Null.^[11]

Millennia later,Darth Vader's heavy suit would follow this tradition of donning intimidating and fearsome-looking protective coverings.^[12] If the latter followed closely the making process of the ancient armors, it's quite possible they were made through the use ofSith Alchemy, in order to augment the user's physical strength and vitality.^[14]

The Old Sith Wars[]

After the Dark LordsExar Kun andUlic Qel-Droma established theirBrotherhood of the Sith, the first order to their new students was theSith uprising, in which the apprentices were commanded to strike down their Jedi masters. As such, very few of them had the chance to change their Jedi garments which led to a yet less uniformed Sith Order.

Kun went on with the tradition of the battle armor, as he himself woreone.Sith warriors wore robes designed with a hood which could conceal the wearer's face, keeping them from being identified. Some Sith Robes also came fitted with basic armor made of cortosis. These robes shared some similar fashion features with theJedi Adventure Robe and theCeremonial Jedi Robes.

Revan's Sith Empire[]

Darth Malak wore a skintight crimson bodysuit that showed off his powerful physique.

At the time where Revan founded his new empire, the Sith likely chose to get more practical robes. The technology itself had known fundamental improvements in the previous decades, and gave a more austere and high-tech look to the whole Galaxy. This is probably why individuals such asDarth Bandon,Darth Malak or even Revan himself wore such unadorned sets of clothes.Darth Revan himself owned a special set of armored robes, including afull helmet of Mandalorian design. The many renegadeDark Jedi who joined Revan simply clung toJedi garment style, adapted to the dark shades of their new allegiance. The Sith Empire also had huge numbers of minions at its command, including theSith assault troopers and theSith Assassins, whose outfits were highly specialized.

In the aftermath of theMandalorian War, theRepublic officers who served underRevan turned and joined the new Sith Empire. They replaced their red and yellow uniforms with azure blue/gray jumpsuits, with higher ranking officers wearing caps. This uniform also came to be worn by the trainees at theSith Academy.

The Great War[]

Sometime after theGreat War, a Sith robe was a popular choice of garment for Sith serving theSith Empire and theSith Emperor during theCold War between the Sith and theRepublic. It was heavier than what Sith usually wore before and after the events of the Great War and the Cold War. TheJedi developed a similargarment which was equipped by their military forces. They also had a special type of gauntlet, calledWarrior's gloves, that they wore during the Cold War.

The New Sith Wars[]

"If this is all we have to stand against Lord Hoth, we may as was well burn our black robes and start practicing the Jedi Code."

―Kopecz^[7]

Throughout theNew Sith Wars, the style of the Sith apparel evolved into a more sober form, though it still had a touch of the old elaborate fashion of the ancient Sith Lords. Brighter colors were left behind in favor of different shades of black, dark purple and gray. The Sith would generally wear black capes with cuirasses and multi-pouched belts with buckles featuring symbols similar toSith tattoos. LordSkere Kaan andDarth Bane themselves were often seen dressed that way, and Bane even wore an armored pauldron and a vambrace to protect his left arm.^[15]Darth Bane later wore biological armor made from hard-shelledorbalisks which, through a symbiotic relationship, increased his Force abilities.^[16]

Order of the Sith Lords[]

"Why are you hiding inside the cowl of your cloak?"
"It is the clothing of my Order, Viceroy."

―Nute Gunray and Sidious^[17]

Darth Sidious wore dark, concealing Sith robes.

The Sith Lords that came after the establishment of theRule of Two were in hiding and generally favored simpler black garments. Their concealing black robes made them appear as if they were creatures of the night.^[18]

Darth Sidious favored monk-like robes made of harshzeyd-cloth.^[19] His prefered robe was black, with a raised waffle pattern on it and long sleeves that reached to just below the wrists.^[20]^[21] This gave the illusion, by the time of4 ABY, that Palpatine, the alter-ego of Sidious, had merely been a simple man.^[22]^[23] Along with his black robe, Palpatine possessed several sets of Sith robes. One set was similar to his favored black robes but was made of a burgandy material.^[24] Another was made in a burgundy velvet-like fabric, ornamented with Sith symbols. Palpatine publicly wore it in front of theSenate when he addressed hisDeclaration of a New Order.^[20] Indeed, he knew nobody in therotunda would recognize the origin of these clothes, and he estimated the time of hiding had come to an end for the Sith.^[25] Another was a gray robe with a large hood, a black velvet capelet and puffed sleeves as seen when he battledYoda.^[20] When the reborn Sidious went on a trip toKorriban in11 ABY, he adorned a shorter, more practical variant of his well-known black cape, complete with capelet and a long, straight walking stick.^[26]

Sith apprentices wore special training gear during theirtraining to become Sith Lords. An example of such training gear was worn byDarth Maul, and consisted of an uniquely tailored vest. Once Maul acquired the rank ofSith Lord, he wore the black garb of theSith Order. In a more elaborate fashion than the standard zeyd-cloth cloaks,Darth Maul wore black robes and loose-fitting desert-like garb, and a collared coat belted at the waist. The very large hood would drape down the back while the sleeves were elongated and almost touched the ground. Where the sleeves attached to the main body of the robe, two slits were cut, through which Maul could put his arms.^[27]

Though in his original Jedi attire, Darth Vader's robes share a similarity to the hooded cloaks of the Sith.

Darth Tyranus, Sidious' second apprentice, retained the traditional garb of theCounts ofSerenno. It consisted of a dark brown double-breastedVjun tunic, a pair of horse-riding pants and anarmorweave cape—the shape of which would enlarge the Count's silhouette. He also wore blackboots made of rarerancor leather, reaching just below the knees.^[28]

ThoughAsajj Ventress wasn't a Sith per se, she wore "the trappings of the Sith", as Dooku himself noted. Her gear consisted of high-collared tight-fitting black and white shirt and leggings under a flowing black skirt. The skirt was easily removable by simply tucking thesash away.^[29]

WhenDarth Vader needed to be put in the suit that he would later be known for, Darth Sidious insisted on creating an intimidating look and completed the design with a cape and tabard reminiscent of the traditional Sith garb.^[30]^[31] Vader himself provided hisSecret Apprentice with an Imperial uniform that he mended himself many times over his lifetime. Starkiller's training gear was both simple and versatile seeing as it survived numerous training sessions and volatile missions. Starkiller used variants of his basic gear, such as the homemade Heavy training gear which provided protection in toxic and polluted environments. Another was the Light training gear which was suited for use in humid environments.^[32]

One Sith[]

Sith of Darth Krayt's Order wore armor of various designs.Darth Krayt himself wore animposing form of armor created by theYuuzhan Vong that was designed to instill fear into the hearts of his enemies.Darth Wyyrlok wore a set of combat armor over his robes, whileDarth Nihl wore a strange set of armor designed to intimidate enemies.

Behind the scenes[]

Sith robes production design

As George Lucas envisioned the Sith as the dark counterpart of the Jedi, their robes were mainly designed as black versions of the Jedi apparel. The under-robes for the costume of Palpatine as an Emperor were in fact a Japanese kimono of black raw silk, as revealed inStar Wars: The Magic of Myth book. Ben Kenobi's inner robes were also made of the same material, but in a beige version.Darth Maul's attire was sewn from a hand woven fabric called Indian Homespun which had been dyed black by costume designer Trisha Biggar.

Tales of the Jedi design

Though the timespan covered by the Tales of the Jedi stories kind of fits "Star Wars' Middle Age", the style of the costumes rather reflects Antiquity. As for the Sith, they seem to be widely inspired by ancient Babylonian or Egyptian fashion; for example, Naga Sadow's and Darth Andeddu's headdress are quite similar to Pharaonicdeshret andkhepresh crowns. Also, rather than be limited to dark colors, the robes of these ancient Sith were quite vibrantly colored, extremely opulent.