Although Princess Leia wears several outfits in the Star Wars movies, two have taken on an iconic status, making them standout from the others: the white Princess Leia costume that Carrie Fisher wears in the original Star Wars movie, and the metal bikini or slave outfit that was worn in several scenes in Return of the Jedi.

If you are going to dress up as Princess Leia, it is probably a good idea to go for one of these costumes for two reasons. First, they are both instantly associated with Princess Leia. And second, they are readily available from online stores and local fancy dress companies. Let’s look at these Star Wars costumes in more detail.

The classic Leia costume consists of a long white dress (often with a hood – remember the way she removes her hood in the message that is transmitted to Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker?), a white belt, white boots and, of course, the classic Leia wig (often described as being in the style of headphones or a pair of cinnamon buns). Some costumes also include a replica Star Wars blaster gun.

A more raunchy costume, and one guaranteed to make you the center of attention, is the Princes Leia slave costume. Worn by Carrie Fisher when she was portraying Leia as the slave of Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi, this outfit has gained a massive cult following. There is even an annual meeting of fans of the Leia’s metal bikini costume. This adult Princess Leia  costume consists of a brown bikini set with gold metal trim, a skimpy long red skirt and various pieces of gold metal jewelery. Because this outfit is so well-loved, there are lots of costumes on the market. Some recreate Princess Leia’s costume accurately down to the smallest detail, and obviously cost a great deal as a result. Other Princess Leia slave fancy dress costumes, adopt a more impressionistic approach. The costume is in the style of Leia’s slave outfit, but isn’t spot on. These costumes are more affordable.

Because Princess Leia is such a well-known movie character, costumes based on her are appropriate, not only for Star Wars costume parties, but for those with a sci-fi or movie theme, too. In fact, you’d probably be able to wear one at a fancy dress party with a general theme. If you are quite cheeky, and you’d have to be to wear the costume, you might get away with wearing the star wars princess leia slave adult costume to an 80s fancy dress costume party, because Return of the Jedi was released in that decade.

If you are female, and you want to dress up as a female Star Wars character, then your choice is somewhat restricted as there are many more male characters in the Star Wars movies than female ones. Obviously a Princess Leia costume is an obvious choice. Her two most iconic outfits in the movies were the white, flowing suit she wore in a New Hope, and the slave outfit she wore in Return of the Jedi when she was a prisoner of Jabba the Hutt. Both of these Star Wars fancy dress costumes are exceedingly popular. Lots of companies produce a Princess Leia slave costume, and several also manufacture the white Leia suit (complete with fancy dress wig to recreate the headphone hairstyle she sported in the original movie). The other obvious choice of women’s Star Wars fancy dress is an Amidala costume. You could elect to wear the sumptuous robes of a Queen Amidala costume, or instead go for a Padme Amidala costume (comprising of jumpsuit). Again, both of these Star Wars fancy dress costumes are easily obtainable, both online and via your local fancy dress shop or store.

If you are male, the range of costumes is massive. Some of the most common outfits are as follows: Han Solo costumes, Luke Skywalker costumes, Anakin Skywalker costumes, Obi Wan Kenobi costumes and Darth Vader costumes. All of these Star Wars outfits are produced by fancy dress companies, therefore it is down to personal choice as to which you elect to go for. It is worth considering the type of fancy dress party you are attending. If it’s a Star Wars party, you can probably get away with going for a more obscure outfit, a Star Wars clone trooper costume for example, but if it is a movie themed party, you might be better off sticking with one of the more instantly recognisable figures, such as a Yoda costume.

If you are intending to wear a Star Wars outfit to a Halloween party, it might be worth considering dressing up as one of the more sinister and scary characters. A Darth Maul costume, an Emperor costume or a Count Dooku costume would certainly fit in with the Halloween spirit.

There are so many different Star Wars costumes available, both for children and adults, that you will always be able to find one that suits your preferences and the the type of party you have been invited to. If for some reason you can’t find the ideal Star Wars costume, you could always elect to make your own, piecing together your Star Wars fancy dress from parts of other costumes.