Happy Birthday to Carrie Fisher, most famous for having starred as Princess Leia in three Star Wars films.From an article discussing the slave-girl costume from Return of the Jedi:
The costume department made a mold of Fisher's torso for a custom fit, and Rodgers says there were multiple versions of the outfit to accommodate different scenes. "One was a hard metal piece that (Fisher) wore when she was not doing any stunts, and one was a rubber piece that we formed so that she would be comfortable when doing stunts," she says. "It was lined with leather so it wouldn't chafe her body."
Within weeks of the movie's premiere, fan-made versions of the costume began appearing at science fiction conventions.
It could have been a completely different costume. "I wanted 25 yards of fabric to be flowing through the scene," Rodgers says of her original conception. "But we couldnt make that work."
"Most of the crew are men, and they really enjoyed being on the set," Rodgers adds.
She says the costume was inspired by the work of artist Frank Frazetta. "He really loved (the female) form," she says. "The fact that (Leia's costume is) such a female sensual costume, I think is terrific."
Her advice for fans who want to make their own? "There's a lot of stretchy fabric out there. I would use rubberized material from anywhere. And hand stitch it so there are no big explosions when you're walking about."
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