Every one of us is familiar with the famous Star Wars series. Having watched these movies, none of us is unfamiliar with the Sith and Jedi rivalry. The movies, and Sith and Jedi rivalry have been entertaining us for decades now. Like the series itself, the costumes of both the rivals are attractive and appealing.
Despite Jedi being the main protagonists of the Star Wars series, Sith are equally famous. This fame is mostly observed in the cosplay community as the costumes are the most attractive ones around. Although they are not cheap to purchase from the market, people still try to get their hands on them.
However, there is no need to worry about the price of these costumes in the market if don’t want to spend much on a costume. We give you a complete guide on how to dress up in a Sith costume on a budget!
How are the Sith dressed up?
The way Sith are dressed up and the style they follow showcases strength and power. The dark theme of their dressing is what conveys the message of power and strength to the rivals and allies alike. Their costumes are similar to those of the Jedi. However, they are dark in color because Sith portray the opposite of discipline and order of life. These costumes show the rebellious nature of the Sith while opposing the Jedi.
What is included in a Sith costume?
A Sith costume is not simple. There are multiple components of this costume and they can all be expensive to purchase from the market. There has to be a way out to dress up like a Sith and that too on a budget. But first, we need to know what makes up a Sith costume.
Robes
Robes are the most important part of a Sith lord costume. They are the outermost garment of the Sith costume and apparel. They are generally dark in color as per the theme of the Sith costume. These robes can never be ignored if you want to dress up like a Sith lord.
Tunics
Tunics are also an important part of the Sith costume. They are the first and second innermost layers of the costume. They lay the base of the costume and are equally important as the other layers of this costume.
Tabards
Tabards rest on the shoulders and they protect the shoulders and chest. They are designed and carried in such a way that they cover the inner and outer tunics and appear as a protective layer. They are usually made of leather.
Obi
Obi is a fabric strip that holds the outer tunic and tabard flaps in place as they hang to knee length. This piece of fabric is tied around the waist to serve its purpose of holding other garment pieces in place.
Belt
A leather belt that is tied over obi, the fabric strip tied around the waist. This belt has several pouches attached to it. These pouches hold different belongings and necessities such as food capsules.
Pants
Pants are a must-wear part of the costume. They are usually normal pants that we all wear in our daily life.
Boots
We have observed both the Jedi and Sith wearing boots most of the time and this suggests that boots are an important part of the costume. Almost every one of us has these boots in our wardrobe.
Light-saber
A light-saber can be a weapon or a prop, whatever you want to call it. It is the most important and significant component of the Star Wars franchise and series. Almost every Star Wars character possesses this weapon and uses it as a sword during the wars and battles.
How to dress up in a Sith costume on a budget?
Now that we know all about the components of a Sith costume, let’s discuss budgets. Not everyone has that much to money to spend hundreds of dollars on a cosplay costume. Thereby this is a guide to wear an attractive Sith costume without spending a lot of money on it.
Whenever we talk about saving money, the best way is to try and make the product at home using the items available already. If you have to purchase something from the market, you should go to a budget store for to find an affordable alternative. Almost every component of the Sith costume can be made at home except the robe and the light-saber, and this problem can be tackled as well.
Let’s begin with the innermost layer of the costume i.e. the inner tunics. A regular V-neck T-shirt can be used as the inner tunic. This shirt is hidden under the upper layers of the costume and a V-neck t-shirt can make a perfect tunic if you’re on a budget. A long sleeves shirt is suggested in this case to cover your arms completely. The sleeves should also match those of the outer tunic as they are an important part of it.
The outer tunic, as it is evident from its name and the costume appearance, is the second layer of the costume. A regular fabric piece can be used to make it look like a complete outer tunic. It should be folded and carried in such a way that it doesn’t slip out of its place from under the tabards. It would be great if it is sewn to the T-shirt underneath so that it stays in place and doesn’t lose its shape.
Tabards may be worrisome to purchase when you are on a budget as they are made of leather and quality leather products are not so cheap. One way of making the tabards is from a leather overcoat. If you already have an overcoat made of leather, you can cut it down and modify it to make it look like the tabards. If this doesn’t sound like a good idea, you can make this layer of the costume by using pieces of artificial leather or pleather available in the market. There are tutorials available online on how to make tabards.
People who don’t want to spend money on artificial leather as well can use fabric. This is the cheapest way of making tabards. The fabric should also be cut in a similar shape to make the perfect tabard layers. A creative hack to make the fabric look like faux leather is to paint it with acrylic paints in any color you want. There are countless tutorials available for giving fabric a faux leather feel and touch.
Up next comes the obi. It is a simple fabric piece that is wrapped around your waist to keep the outer tunic and tabard layers in place. This can be simply made from a plain fabric piece. The obi has a leather belt tied up over it. This leather belt is used to attach pouches to carry essentials. Both of these components are easily available at home. We have spare fabric pieces and leather belts at home that we use every day. You don’t have to spend a penny on these items.
Pants and boots are also present in almost every house. These are the basic dressing items. Plain pants and leather boots are to be used as parts of this costume. If you don’t have long boots, you can also use ordinary ankle boots made from leather that match the costume. Ankle boots just look as good as long boots, so don’t worry!
Next, we come to the two most important parts of the costume i.e. robe and light-saber. They are both not easily available at home and are not easy to make if you are not a professional craftsman. You would have to purchase both of these form the market. To save money, you can go to a budget shop and get these items at a low price. The light-saber must be chosen wisely so that it doesn’t break easily and serves as a cheap but suitable prop.
A Sith or Jedi costume is not complete without a light-saber. As far as the robe is concerned, it can be missed. You can choose Anakin to cosplay. Doing so would eliminate the need for a robe as an essential part of the Sith costume. This would surely save you money.
Furthermore, the Sith costume has another essential part and that is their headgear or the helmet. It is almost impossible to make that helmet at home and it is not available in the market for a low price. Anakin, in this scenario, is a smart choice as he doesn’t wear that headgear as well. Choosing his costume to cosplay would save you money in many ways. Thereby, choose wisely to save money if you want to dress up as a Sith on a budget and still want to impress others. It surely can be done!