Is your wardrobe inspired by the Empire or the Rebel Alliance? May The Fourth Be With You #StarWars #Maythefourth .

There are certain movies that are so often cited by fashion designers that they border on cliche (Il Gattopardo, The Great Gatsby, A Single Man), but it’s not often we find ourselves waiting for a catwalk show and hear a colleague quip, “Yeesh, look what the Wookiee dragged in.” That, quite frankly, is a shame, because _Star Wars _and fashion have had a curious symbiotic relationship over the years. Take the costumes for the original 1977 movie, which were designed by Mr John Mollo. The influence of emerging Asian designers, such as Ms Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and Issey Miyake, can clearly be seen in his work. Think of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s rough-spun robes, or Luke Skywalker’s white karate-style tunic. And there’s more. Below, we discuss three ways Star Wars’ intergalactic style can (loosely speaking) provide a bit of sartorial inspiration this May the fourth.

In Solo, we can see, perhaps, the clearest indication of Oscar-winning costume director Mr Mollo’s background as a specialist in military uniform. With its large flap pockets, his vest (which grew sleeves for Episode V) has echoes of a US army field jacket, while his trousers bear a distinctive “blood stripe” along the outside seam, a detail typically found on the dress uniform of the US Marine Corps (and a trend for AW16). Worn with military boots and an off-white, open-neck tunic (called a Custer shirt, it’s found in many Western clothing stores and subtly references the Wild West), it lends him the appearance of a space captain gone rogue. No wonder everyone wants to be Han Solo.

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Before Luke Skywalker learns the way of the Force and dons the robes of a Jedi knight, he is but a simple farm boy on the desert planet of Tatooine. In his loose belted robe he could pass for a Tibetan monk, but his accessories – a floating car, a sword made out of lasers dangling at his waist – remind you that he’s anything but. There’s a timelessness to the art direction of this movie that was somewhat lost in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, both of which contain costumes that look like they’re straight out of the early 1980s. Unsurprisingly, then, it’s Episode IV that you’re more likely to see playing an influence on the catwalk today (see Balmain SS16).

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Not sure whether a certain character is good, evil or somewhere in the middle? Just look at the colour of their clothes. Take Anakin Skywalker, who first showed up in Episode I wearing the unthreatening colour palette of off-white, brown and beige. By the time he was apprenticed to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode II, however, his wardrobe had taken a serious turn towards the dark side. His dark brown robes, black leather tabard and grumpy scowl acted as a timely reminder for anyone who might have forgotten that he was about to turn into (spoiler alert!) Darth Vader in Episode III. The Star Wars saga might not have invented the link between the colour black and evil, but it has certainly helped to propagate it. Oh, and if you’re interested in channelling the style of the dark side – because we all know bad guys wear the best clothes, right? – then fashion’s very own Sith Lord, Mr Rick Owens, is your man.

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