Wealth, Power, and Magic
Due to the huge expense of producing purple dyes the color was reserved for royalty or the excessively wealthy. This is why purple has connotations with royalty and luxury. It also has meaning involving creativity, wisdom, power, ambition as well as fantasy and magic. Because it combines red and blue, the color is both simulating and serene or warm or cool depending on the amount of pigments used.
This list is for shades of purple costume from fantasy/sci-fi/etc. movies that appear cooler. These shades include colors like Violet, Periwinkle, Indigo and so on. Violet costumes from period and modern movies have their ranking as do costumes that are warmer redder-purples. 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. My own subjective opinions do influence the order as it’s my list. I do try and be objective as I can but it’s hard
List subject to change.
10. Violet Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood
The 2004 film adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events which adapted the first three books in the series. The film studios thought it would be a film series but that didn’t happen and instead in 2014 Netflix announced a show adaptation.
The movie adaptation had a great look that blended a sense of modernity with a timeless and sophisticated quality. The eldest of Baudelaire children is Violet (Emily Browning) who is a brilliant inventor. In addition to being smart she is also charming and resourceful.
Her costume does conjure a gothic steampunk look which definitely suits the style of film and her personality. The costume consists of a few fabrics. The body is made from a sheer gray fabric that has black stripes. It is layered over a cool mid-tone of purple.
The bodice is a lace-up at the center front which gives it a Medieval look while the sleeves look more Victorian inspired. The upper part of the sleeves are sheer gray over the purple and are double puffed that is trimmed with purple. The length of the sleeves is made from a wide grid mesh fabric and comes to a fitted point.
The skirt has a low to high hem front to back and goes mid calf to the ankles in back. The sheer fabric has a curved pattern in the lower part and there is a pointed edge on the hemline. This costume is Violet’s most iconic look which began in 2017.
9. Clara from The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
Costume Designer: Jenny Beaven
The best one can say about The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is that it’s a fun Holiday movie with some great costumes. The protagonist, Clara (Mackenzie Foy) stumbles into the world of the Four Realms more less invoking the imagery of Narnia.
The costume she is wearing when she discovers herself in a strange new land is a bright light tone blue-purple evening gown. It has a very prim and delicate look to it which is perfect for Clara’s youth. The fabric is lightweight and has some draping in the bust and sleeves. A white lace trim edges the rounded neckline.
There is a matching structured corset that makes up the bodice which has a matching fabric flower. The overskirt, as well as the bustle, is made from some lightweight sheer fabric of the sleeves. The hemline hits around the ankle and has a gathered ruffle at the edge which just further adds to the soft innocent appearance to the costume.
8. The Princess from The Thief of Baghdad (1940)
Costume Designers: John Armstrong, Oliver Messel, and Marcel Vertès
The 1940 version of The Thief of Baghdad is a remake of the 1924 Douglas Fairbanks version. It served as some inspiration for Disney’s animated Aladdin. The movie starts in the middle of the story and a good chuck is told as a flashback. It works in the movie. The princess is under a sleeping spell that can only be broken by being reunited by her beloved who has gone blind because of the villain.
During these scenes which include the Princess (June Duprez) waking up, she wears this very interesting costume. There is an element of the fancy dress vibe here. It’s by no means trying to go for historical accuracy but rather leaning into that look of late 30s style mixed with what they thought went with the setting. It’s still quite a look and the Princess’ costumes are similar to that design choice but this one is the most strange.
It’s a mix of purple tone with gold elements on the bodice and on the detracted long sleeves. There is a wide waistband with an open split skirt. Underneath are pale lavender leggings with gold vertical stripes.
7. Vanessa from The Little Mermaid (2023)
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood
As part of Disney’s Live-Action remake trend the studio remade the 1989 animated classic The Little Mermaid in 2023. A choice that the Live Action remake made was to ground the story in a real location and fashion period. This location was the Caribbean in the 1830s. Therefore all the costume suited the setting with voluminious balloon or gigot sleeves in light-weight materials.
One of the costumes that was successful in adhering to the design aesthetic as well as being an extension of the character is the sea-witch Ursula in a human disguise as Vanessa (Jessica Alexander.)
Instead of wedding this version has the Ariel Vanessa third day confrontation at an engagement party where Vanessa wears a rather sticking purple dress. The color purple is to reflect Ursula’s color palette. The purple is sheer and layered over a silverly whitish fabric. The sleeves are voluminous gigot (leg-of-mutton) this type of sleeve has extreme volume near the shoulder before tapering to a narrow long sleeve. This look is embellished with purple beading at the neckline and down the bodice. She also sports a corset wore over the dress which seem to the fashion for this setting.
Vanessa/Ursula completes the look with her signature shell necklace which holds Ariel’s voice.
6. Glinda from Wicked: For Good (2025)
Costume Designer: Paul Tazewell
Based on the musical based on the book based off the 1939 movie based off the series books from the early 1900s,
Wicked Part 1 is the original story of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba and her roommate turned best friend Galinda a.k.a Glinda (Ariana Grande.)
The sequel Wicked: For Good picks off after the events of the first movie and serves to adapt the second act of the musical.
Toward the end of the movie Glinda sings “The Girl in the Bubble” which is an original song for the movie and is meant to convey Glinda’s inner-workings. Her costume is a very sparky glittery full gown in a combination of blue-ish purples, periwinkles, and lavenders meant to invoke her introductory costume from the stage musical. The bodice has wide v-neckline has has swirling beaded, glitter and sequin pattern that looks very much like light coming off a floating bubble.
The skirt is full and also have swirls of sequins along with a light-weight sheer over-layer.
She also have sparking standing shoulder ruffles in a sheer white fabric that look almost wing-like. The same fabric is used for the long sheer glittery sleeves. She also wears this outfit with her iconic tall crown.
5. Padme Amidala from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Costume Designer: Trisha Biggar
In a pivotal moment in the third installment of the Skywalker Saga, the republic becomes the galactic empire. Padme (Natalie Portman) in her capacity as a senator is a witness to this moment in the film.
During this scene Padme is dressed for her official duties as representing her homeworld in the Senate. As she has been concealing her pregnancy through the movie most of her costume are wide bell-shaped silhouettes. The colors of this costume are textural tones of dark royal purples reflects that not only her status but also suit the somber tone of what is happening in the film
The costumes consist of at least two layers of a burn-out velvet robe garment with wide flared out sleeves. There is a subtle swirl like organic embroidery at the edges. This layer also looks like it has some panels of the fabric from the under-layer at the lower sides. The under-layer looks like it has some kind texture. This component has puffed sleeves that are longer than the outer layer so they can be seen. It also has a standing collar with velvet piping edging the sides and has a pink jewel closure.
Around the shoulder is a stole that is made from the same fabric as the under-layer and it has been tightly fathered. It fastened with three silver brooches two of while are very similar to one she wore in Episode II. Her hair is adorned with a silver crescent-shaped hair accessory.
4. Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Costume Designer: Trish Summerville
In the second movie in The Hunger Games franchise, Katniss goes on her victory tour. It is also mandated that she keep up with the love story between her and Peeta as a way to quell rebellions. As rep for District 12 Effie (Elizabeth Banks) is there to help navigate the two winners.
On the tour Efflie accompanies Katniss and Peeta to a party at the Presidential palace. Effie’s costume is one her more iconic and memorable looks from the entire franchise. Her knee-lenght dress is made from a muted lavender tulle sewn in rows of ruffles to form the dress along with a face-framing standing collar. With sparkly hosery and matched ruffled tulle sock-like items to balance everything.
It’s such a great example of outlandish capital fashion as it’s bizarre, other-worldly, and yet high-fashion. Only Effie could make this work.
3. Sister Evelyn from The Fall (2006)
Costume Designer: Eiko Ishioka
The Fall is a feast for the eyes. The amount of visual spectacle and storytelling is over-whelming. Its narrative is imaginative and evocative as it makes suggestions about how stories are told, why they are told and how they are perceived.
The costumes fit with the scope of the visual language especially in the fantasy parts of the movie, as a little imagines the story being told to her with her friends in far off lands. One of the costumes that Evelyn (Justine Waddell) wears for the longest period of time is a soft and very delicate costume that is swaths of lace and ombre dyed sheer fabric.
The costume has elements that look inspired by Victorian fashion. The sharply pointed bodice which is made from floral lace. The lace is different shades of purple. Along the neckline and down the front are 3 dimensional lace flowers. The skirt-like part is made from a sheer fabric that has been dyed in purple to white ombre. It is gathered in the back so that is reminiscent of a bustle. She wears a gold locket that has significance in the movie.
2. Arwen from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Costume Designer: Ngila Dickson
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is very highly regarded for nearly every aspect of its filmmaking and approach to adapting its source material. The costumes have long been part of this praise as they are all so beautifully and very thoughtfully crafted. Even costumes that were deleted and then later added back in extended cuts are still as lovely as the ones that were in scenes that were kept in theatrical cut.
Arwen (Liv Tyler) appears in Aragon’s dream in The Two Towers. Since it is a dream it’s a double fantasy costume as well as a very romantic scene between the two lovers. Arwen wears a diaphanous grecian style gown. It’s soft lightweight lavender with a draped cowl neckline and long floor-length floaty wing-like sleeve drapes. It has some very subtle organic silver embroidery as well that add to ethereal quality of the costume.
Shout out to the other purple costumes of Arwen that were cut from the theatrical cut of the movies.
1. Padme Amidala from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
Costume Designer: Trisha Biggar
At the beginning of Star Wars: Episode II we the audience at reintroduced to Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) ten years after the events of the first episode in her new role as a senator. She is the target in an assassination plot and thus must be protected by some Jedis that happens to already know, hijinks and forbidden love ensues.
The costume she is wearing when she has a senate related meeting and being reintroduced to Anakin and Obi-Wan is a deep rich dark royal purple gown. The inspiration for this look is rooted in the Elizabethan. The costume has an outer coat made from burn-out velvet with long hanging sleeves. The edges on the coat-like layer are done with a matching piping.
The under dress has a pointed bodice that is heavily beaded with silver at the bust. The long bell sleeves are also beaded with mix a purple and darker silver beading. This beading is also done on a panel over the skirt. There is also another inner layer to the sleeves that tight fitted and extends over the palm.
The gown is contrasted by the African-style headdress and necklace which are brass colored and made from stripes and rows of metal. The contrast of style inspiration helps to anchor the movie into sci-fi/fantasy. Like so many of Padme’s costumes across the trilogy it is not only memorable but it’s intricate, glamorous, regal and beautiful.
Honorable Mention: Jupiter Jones from Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Costume Designer: Kym Barrett
Jupiter Ascending is an over-ambitious space-opera that mixes sci-fi and fairy tale elements. It also mixes the Cinderella archetype with inheritance drama, interesting combination. However the costumes are fun and sometimes super over-the-top grandiose.
This gown that Jupiter (Mila Kunis) is made to wear when she arrives in space is made up of light purple ruffles sewn all over a nude fabric. The ruffles are omitted from the side of the bodice creating a cut-out look. Small white crystals are sewn onto the nude fabric for visual interest. The gown is floor length, sleeveless and has a wide low v-neckline.
