No other sci-fi faction has been more stylish yet easy to imitate than Star Wars' resident space monk social club, the Jedi Order. The lightsabers, when paired with telekinetic powers and long flowing robes, give Star Wars' Jedi an enigmatic and reputable appearance. Well, it's usually the lightsabers that do the bulk of the work but the robes are an underrated element of their culture.
For one, it's what sets them apart from the other factions in the Star Wars universe. Something so simple has become so iconic these days that the robes are everywhere be it on Halloween night or costume parties. Most people tend to take them for granted, but they actually have finer historical details in them — some of which are weird as far as monk attire goes.
8 Samurai Robes Were Their Primary Inspiration
It's no secret anymore that Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's creations were what George Lucas had in mind when he created Star Wars. In particular, he also borrowed quite a lot from the film Seven Samurai when designing the Jedi robes. They were mostly inspired by the traditional samurai attire as depicted in the Seven Samurai film.
It was so obvious that even some of the actors started considering their characters as space samurai. Liam Neeson, in particular, regarded and his character, Qui-Gon Jinn as such. It did help that Qui-Gon was sporting a samurai man-bun wig. In any case, it did help build up the Jedi image of highly-disciplined and typically unemotional warriors.
7 They're Not Supposed To Be Stylish
While it was mentioned above that they're one of the most aesthetically pleasing sci-fi costumes in history, they were oft considered as plain in Star Wars. One has to keep in mind that Star Wars has some extravagant and odd-looking creatures and clothing. Hence, something as basic as a robe with a hood isn't supposed to turn heads.
This also keeps in line with the Jedi Code and philosophy. Their faction isn't supposed to indulge themselves with individualist fashion (though that's still allowed) and they prefer to be conservative rather than provocative. That's why most Jedi robes only come in a few colors: brown, beige, or white. Some outliers do exist.
6 Some Jedi Wore It As Fashion Statements, Others For Practicality
With that said, there are rebellious or individualistic Jedi in the ranks that still practiced a bit of autonomy when it comes to the dress code. Qui-Gon Jinn, again, is one of the most notable examples of this. While he does wear the standard robes, his is rather unkempt, loose, or misaligned. This is to signify his cheeky defiance of the Jedi Council as well as his wayward behavior despite his status as a Jedi Master.
Meanwhile, Jedi Knights such as Ahsoka Tano prefer their robes without sleeves for ease of movement since she sometimes tends to be a dual-wielder. Aayla Secura, on the other hand, trades her robes for a breezier outfit. Then there's Anakin who either likes intentional black or keeps abstaining to wash off the battlefield soot from his blackened robes.
5 The Hood Supposedly Gives Them Anonymity
The biggest and most overbearing part of the Jedi robe outfit is the sleeved cloak with a hood. Again, this keeps in line with the Jedi tradition of being discrete and somewhat neutral. Supposedly, they don't like to show their faces in order to represent their order better and reduce the racial or cultural barrier.
Moreover, the hood also acts as a way to hide the Jedi's face and identity. That's quite ironic as far as the robe's purpose goes since it ends up achieving the opposite effect. The Jedi are definitely more conspicuous with the hood on, which is why the Galactic Empire had an easy time hunting them down.
4 The Jedi Masters Didn't Like Anakin's Dark Robes
While Anakin also practiced a bit of dress code defiance, his preferred Jedi robe is more unsettling for the Jedi Council. That's because, by the time of the Clone Wars up to the Revenge of the Sith, Anakin sports a darker shade of Jedi robes. Such was his notable transformation after Count Dooku humiliated him.
This does make Anakin stand out and plot-wise, it was a blatant foreshadowing of his descent into the dark side of the Force. That's also one of the reasons why the Jedi Council found Anakin's choice of attire rather disturbing or worrying. Too bad they didn't do much about that.
3 Long Sleeves And Tunic Were Intended To Distract Opponents
One might wonder why the sleeves on the Jedi robes seemed to have exaggerated bagginess to them. That has an additional tactical purpose other than just aesthetics or comfort. Apparently, it was made way in order to distract the opponents. The additional flowy nature of the sleeves is meant to catch an enemy's attention.
Meanwhile, the tunic part of the Jedi robe or the shirt that they wear underneath the sleeved cloak also has excessive length and almost looks like a skirt. This has the same purpose. They believe that the tunic's additional sway will also help as a defensive measure in combat.
2 The Film's Robes Were Made From WWII Blankets
In order to capture an aged and rustic look for the Jedi robes, the film crew and costume designers had to outsource a special kind of material for the cloth. They had to bulk-order some vintage British WWII blankets. These were made out of wool and don't look too contemporary.
This did pose some problems in the set though as the wool kept getting easily wet and absorbing too much water. That's why they had many different backups for each of the Jedi robes. Hence, each new character's appearance in a scene has them in a fresh new pair of Jedi robes.
1 There's No Strict Color-Coding
As mentioned above, the typical colors for the Jedi robes are white, beige, or brown. They also do not mean anything to their wearer. If anything, the robes are worn as a way to make everyone seem equal. As such, the Jedi robe is not an indication of rank.
It's just that the Jedi Council members wear them because they're more pre-disposed to adhere to the Jedi Code and philosophy and take them to heart. Jedi of lower rank usually don't police themselves too much about the code so they're more liberal in choosing their clothing.