Best 10 Purple Costumes in Fantasy/Sci-Fi Movies
In times past, purple was a color of royalty. This was because making the dye was expensive so only the ruling class could afford such a luxury.
In addition to its royal and luxury associations, purple can mean creatively, wisdom, power, ambition and a touch of fantasy/magic. It can also be both simulating and calming because it mixes the energy of red with the serenity of blue.
The combination of red and blue does create an interesting issue: is purple warm or cool? It’s both depending on the combination of amount pigment used so purple colors are all about shades and tones.
This page looks at warmer purples from Fantasy/Sci-fi/Superhero/supernatural/etc movies. The shades include that has a a higher combination of red values to blue like magenta, fuchsia, eggplant, some lilac, some lavenders, jam, boysenberry and so on.
Period and Modern movie costumes have their own list and so cooler shades of purple.
Articles of clothing, like undergarments, cover-ups, sleepwear, outerwear etc are not included.
The costumes are ranked by aesthetics, memorability and how it suits the character/film.
List is subject to change
Spoilers
10. Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
Designer: Jenny Beaven
Arguably this is not a great movie on the story front but the sets and costumes are very imaginative and fun.
Owing to her name, The Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley) wears a fantastical costume that resembles a tutu. The bodice has a sweetheart neckline with draped shoulder straps. The bodice has pleated details along with silvery lace at the center front.
The skirt is made of hundreds individual pleated pieces of fabric in the shape of fans. The volume of these fan components really gives this skirt a tutu look along with the fullness of the skirt and hemline just barely coming to the floor.
There is also a matching detachable collar piece that goes around her neck. The collar stands up and is made from the same pleated fabric as the fans of the skirt.
9. Clara Clayton from Back to the Future III (1990)
Designer: Joanna Johnston
This costume could easily be categorized in the period film section and it would not be wrongly placed there. However, Back to the Future III is a fun sci-fi adventure so it’s here.
At the climax of the movie, school mistress, Clara (Mary Steenburgen,) wears a very popular style of dress from the 1880s. It features a jam-purple shade high neckline jacket garment with a darker contrasting mulberry purple fabric that makes up the center front. Button makes up the closure down the front.
The overskirt has horizontal gathers at the front. At the back of the overskirt there is a bustle. The underskirt and overskirt are made from the same fabric as the jacket.
She pairs this look with a smart hat and gloves.
This style of dress was very in style but the touch of silver in the buttons and trim on the bodice is a slight nod to the sci-fi genre.
8. Morgana le Fay from Excalibur (1981)
Designer: Bob Ringwood
A cult classic based on the Arthurian legend. The costumes that Morgana (Helen Mirren) are all so wonderful and fantasy charged, because they are certainly not going for any semblance of historical context.
This costume that Morgana wears highlights her being evil “hiding in plain sight” mystic. It’s a very dark purple almost black and the neckline of the bodice make it look very angular which denotes more nefarious connotations.
The rest of the look has a tribal somewhat nomadic appearance which further separates her amongst the chivalry Arthurian court. The most notable piece of her costume is her saree-like veil. This gives her a seductive and bewitching beguile to her which is just perfection.
7. Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games (2012)
Designer: Judianna Makovsky
We meet Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) at the reaping at the beginning of the first installment of the franchise, it’s the first time the audience is introduced to the grandiose fashion of the capital which is a far cry to the misery and poverty of the 12th district.
For the reaping Effie wears a Victorian-esque inspired suit. The jam color jacket has long leg-o-mutton sleeves with rosette trim. To add a little fair there is a bit of peplum that has a ruffle at the back which harkens to a bustle-like structure. The darker purple tone pencil skirt has horizontal gathering.
Large flowers at the neck and in her expertly coiffed hair pull this look more into the over-the-top realm.
The rich color of the costume is offset by the white color of her hair and make-up
Admittedly this isn’t even on Effie’s craziest look but it sets the tone for the Capital look especially with regard to the hair and overall styling though the pancake make-up makes her look unearthly. It’s iconic.
6. The Lilac Fairy from Donkey Skin (1970)
Designer: Gitt Magrini
Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, Donkey Skin is a 1970 French musical. Many of the costumes in this movie are beyond over the top and grand. They are in the same vein as the 1946 La Belle et la Bete’s costume.
The Lilac Fairy (Delphine Seyrig) functionally is the princess’s godmother who is trying to help the princess not marry her father, the King. She does this by telling the princess to ask for impossible garments that the King somehow managed to produce.
While the crazy gowns that Lilac Fairy tells the Princess to demands from her father as means for refusing a marriage are all amazing, the Lilac fairy’s costume itself is enchanting.
It’s definitely a lot simpler than some of the other costumes. As befits her name, it is a lilac colored dress with a large standing collar with crystal beads standing up from it. She has long sheer sleeves that are also made from a lilac color. Also used with this sheer fabric is a ruffle detail that runs down the frog center of the dress.
She also has a silver choker with purple stones that matches her wand.
5. Susan Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
Designer: Isis Mussenden
The second installment of the Narnia franchise sees the Pevensie children returning to Narnia. And while a mere year has passed for them in England, 1300 years has passed in Narnia.
As the Pevensies explore the ruins of their former castle, Cair Parvel, Susan (Anna Popplewell) unearths this purple costume from a trunk along with some relics though not her horn.
The costume consists of a jerkin-like bodice with a gold sigil on the center front with a square neckline. The sleeves, outer skirt and waist tabs are all made from a tonal striped purple fabric. The under skirt is light blue. This costume also seems to be the basis for the battle ensemble that Susan wears at the film’s climax where she switched the jerkin and sleeves for some very cool red leather armor.
This costumes the perfect blend of Susan’s Queenly status and her action role with the film.
4. Serafina Pekkala from The Golden Compass (2007)
Designer: Ruth Myers
The Golden Compass was the first film of what was meant to be a franchise of the His Dark Material trilogy. Unfortunately one movie was made and then the trilogy was rebooted into a TV show format in 2019.
Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green) is the enigmatic Queen of the Lake Enara Clan Witches. As she is a Queen it is only right that she wears a shade of dark purple. This outfit has a very Grecian inspired feeling to it. It looks to be made from a gossamer lightweight fabric which is ideal as she flies. The neckline is a deep wide v-neckline. The sleeves are wide and floor length which adds to the magical airy floating feel. There are two twist fabric waist bands. There is also a slightly heavier textured looking fabric draped on the waist at the center front and at the side.
This costume looks powerful and delicate and bewitching.
3. Queen Amidala from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Designer: Trisha Biggar
In The first episode of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Queen Amidala’s costumes are all very grandiose and large. This is used as a means of conveying her authority and importance not just in the context of the movie but to the audience. In film language taking up space in the frame shows dominance.
This costume is referred to as The Traveling gown as Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) wears it when she travels back to Naboo to take matters in her own hands. She can also be seen wearing it later in the movie at Qui-Gon Jinn’s funeral.
This costume looks simple in its construction but it’s not. The high neckline outer layer of the costume is made from a textured velvet. This component comes down to the pointed hem over the full skirt. The underskirt looks to be a very dark purple color and looks to have a pleated-like texture. The sleeves are very complex in terms of construction. The outer velvet layer of sleeve is split at the top and you can see the silk layer of the sleeves poking through much like a slashed sleeves. There are some fabric cover buttons keeping the velvet together. The outer layer hangs down low and has a bell shape which is lined with a gray-ish purple silk. The part of the sleeves with the most visual impact is the mid-tone purple silk layer. This silk layer is pulled, gathered and tucked in such a way that it gives the sleeves an inflated effect. There is then a tight black knit inner sleeve poking out covering her wrists and palms.
Completing the look is a rather unique purple veiled headpiece. The headpiece has dangling elements that have been called hair pockets but they do look reminiscent of pendilia which are the dangling ornaments of crowns. This dangling part has a criss-crossing beaded trim. The headpiece has a gold gown with the veil standing up with some wire creating a curved cascading down her back.
This look is very textural even if all the details aren’t well showcased in the movie.
2. Queen Ramonda from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Designer: Ruth E. Carter
Early in the sequel to Black Panther, Queen Ramonda addresses the UN. Her costume is a brillant communication of her majesty and authority.
Queen Ramonda’s costume in a gorgeous and regal purple gown. The use purple for the costume is meant to represent the royal family. The gown looks like it was made from velvet. It’s detailed with gold embellishments that have clear African roots. The gown is a halter neck with gold collar which also has green stones.
She look ever picture of royal regal queen but way of African-futurism.
1. Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Cursed of the Black Pearl (2003)
Designer: Penny Rose
In the first installment of The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) is taken on board the titular pirate ship The Black Pearl which is cursed.
Prior to the reveal of the curse she is given this rich plum colored dress to wear when she dines with the captain. This gown was used a lot in the film’s promotion and is still one of her most iconic costumes from the franchise.
Compared to her other costumes this costume looks to be an older style. Though there seems to be some mixing of the 18th century decade in terms of fashion styles going on in this movie.
The gown has large sleeves that are gathered at the elbow with turned-back white lace cuffs, which is very likely the shift under layer. Along the gathering there is trim with a gold detail with a frog knot at the cuff. Another frog knot closure is at the center front of the bodice. It has a double layer open neckline with floral embroidery along the inside of the purple layer. The second exposed layer is black and under that is the shift layer.
This layer repeats in the skirt portion where the outer purple layer the inside floral embroidery and trim with a black middle skirt layer and then the shift under-layer.
The costume is both opulent and relaxed. It lacks any sense of pretension or fuss which is ideal for a fun pirate movie.
