Optimism, Ambition, and Freedom
Orange has all the energies of red along with the happiness of yellow. It is an optimistic color that also promotes creativity and ambition. As it’s a warm color it draws attention to the wearer without the overpowering attributes of a red. It can invoke fun and freedom as well as warnings. Since it can be a tough color to pull off, Orange is not seen a lot for movie costumes, but when it does it makes a bold statement.
This page ranks the best orange costumes from Fantasy/Sci-fi movies. Orange costumes from Period and Modern movies have their own rankings. Orange can range from super bright, like a traffic cone, to dark rust, copper, even pinkish/peach tones.
The costumes are ranked by aesthetics, memorability and how well it suits the character/film. Undergarments, cover- ups, sleepwear, outerwear, swimwear etc. are not included. This means Lucy’s Nightgown from Bram Stoker’s Dracula got cut, even though it’s weirdly fun. Also, Mrs. Coulter’s gown skewed orange in pictures, but in the film it appears brownish gold.
List Is subject to change
10. Katrina from Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood
Based on Washington Irving’s classic short story, the 1999 film adaptation mingles supernatural elements with 18th century aesthetics. The overlook of Sleepy Hollow is monochromatic with small pops of color. This approach is an homage to horror movies of the 50s and 70s.
Sleepy Hollow’s costumes are rooted in the 1780s instead of the fashion of the film’s setting of 1799. This helps to make the residents of the small rural town look out of style and a bit fantastical too. When she is first introduced Katrina (Christina Ricci) wears a two piece costume that is a soft orange color that is like wheat mixed with a peach tone. The material is patterned with a pinkish orange floral motif.
Around the neckline, bodice, and cuff is a muted orange scallop trim with floral lace. She wears a sheer white fichu looking piece around the neckline. The back is lace-up which would have looked a bit dated even for the period, more of a late 16th century closure method but it is a fantasy. The bodice is pointed and the seaming at the back has some simple decorative stitching. The skirt has pleating at the back with ruffled trim at the bottom.
9. Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
Costume Designer: Isis Mussenden
Set 1300 years after the events of the first movie , The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian sees the Pevensies return to a much changed Narnia. After exploring the ruins of their former castle, Cair Parvel, Lucy (Georgie Henley) gets a more fantasy appropriate outfit from her former life as a Narnian queen.
Her bodice is made from a gray silk with a green leaf pattern. Her long bell sleeves are made from burnt orange velvet. They are made in two parts as there is a seam just above the elbows with a gold braided trim.
Her over-skirt is also a burnt orange color and looks to be made from pure dupioni silk. It’s split up the center front revealing the under layer which looks like white silk. The under layer can also also be seen at the scooped neckline of the bodice with a rounded notch. This costume showcases Lucy’s courage and valor while maintaining a good balance between her youth and regality
8. Princess Jasmine from Aladdin (2019)
Costume Designer: Michael Wilkinson
In 2019, Disney remade two live-action remake of two of their Renaissance movies; Aladdin and The Lion King. As former is a movie with a popular Disney princess this gave them excuse to give their leading princess a lot of costumes.
While Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) does wear quite a bit of turquoise in the movie as an homage to her original costume from the animated movie, her color palette was broadened to reflect her inner character as bold and confident.
When Aladdin enters Agrabah as Prince Ali and awkwardly present himself to her and her father, Jasmine wears a formal orange outfit with gold embellishments, with lime green underskirt. The orange fabric has a subtle floral pattern.
One point of interest is the lower portion of her sleeves are made from sheer white fabric which are also quite voluminous. It’s odd in a very interesting unique way and does work with the design aesthetic that the movie aims for.
She wears gold and turquoise jewelry set, which is her signature.
7. Madame Blanc from Suspiria (2018)
Costume Designer: Giulia Piersanti
2018’s Suspiria is a remake of the movie of the same names from 1977. It’s a psychological supernatural horror movie with dance, creativity, and witches to tell a weird tale.
Tilda Swinton plays three roles with being Madame Vera Blanc who is the dancing teaching at the Tanz Dance Academy. Her iconic dark orange outfit is a loose-fitting flowing long garment. The sleeves are vert dramatic and made of the same piece as the main section of the dress. The sleeves are formed with strategic ruching.
The effect of this costume is imposing, refined, effortless and graceful. It’s speaks to a restrained sense of magic.
6. Athena from Immortals (2011)
Costume Designer: Eiko Ishioka
2011’s Immortal is a highly stylized take on Greek mythology, mostly the myth of Theseus. In this film the Gods defy Zeus and help the mortals as the stakes are high. One of these Gods is Athena (Isabel Lucas) goddess of Wisdom.
In a scene where she and Zeus go into immortal form, Athena drapes herself in her cape which Zeus also has in his costume. Though she casually throws it over herself it resembles a loose fitting one shoulder chiton. The fabric is copper with golden swirls and flowers. The wrong side of the fabric is shown, which is the inverse colors
5. Zuul/Dana from Ghostbusters (1984)
Costume Designer: Theoni V. Aldredge
In the first Ghostbusters movie, Zuul, the Gatekeeper, is a demigod who has to possess Dana (Sigourney Weaver) in her search for the Keymaster so that they can mate to awaken their master. The dress that Zuul wears when she is possessing Dana seems to have been conjured by Zuul herself and not one of Dana’s outfits.
It’s a loose fitting sheer orange over gold lamé. The neckline is very wide and drapes off one shoulder. The sleeves are wide and have a batwing type shape but they do not get tight, they stay wide.
A belt helps keep the look on as well as adds interest to the waist. There is also a very high slit up the skirt. A perfect look for an ancient demigod seduction for utter destruction.
4. Padmé from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Costume Designer: Trisha Biggar
Throughout the first episode of Star Wars, Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) disguises herself as one her handmaiden as a form of protection and she goes by her given name.
The main costume that the handmaidens wear, as well as Padme in a few scenes, is an orange to yellow ombre velvet hooded robe dress. The outer sleeves are long flowing and split revealing the inner sleeves which are long and fitted.
They are a reddish dark orange bias cut silk crepe with a lace motif at the wrist. The sleeves match the inner layer of the hood as well as the waist scarf.
The idea behind this design is to have a vertical line to contrast Queen Amidala’s costumes that are more horizontal. These costumes are called “The Flame-Colored Robes.”
3. Queen Amidala from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Costume Designer: Trisha Biggar
The first episode of Star Wars introduces us to Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) who is the young newly elected Queen as well as the mother to Luke and Leia.
Episode I finds her dealing with an invasion that was orchestrated by her representative in the galactic senate for a power grab. As she is Queen all her formal attire is meant to communicate power and importance. This is achieved by making her costumes take up horizontal space as it takes up a frame which suggests power and dominance.
When she pleads her case before the senate she wears one of her stranger costumes from the movie. The costume has clear Mongolian inspiration, especially given the headpiece, which is called Esocoffiate which used real gold. The outer layer of the costume is dark orange with a green weave silk velvet with embroidered rosettes. At the shoulders and lower part of the robe is ruched.
The underdress is made from a vintage orange silk taffeta with a green weave. The panels of the material were sunray pleated and then tiered to form the dress. Pieces of beaded antique lace were used adore the high neckline as well as cascade down the center.
For her senate appearance another robe was added. This one black with high peaked shoulders. This costume is rich, magnificent and commanding all while being very unique even for Star Wars.
2. Effie Trinket from Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Costume Designers: Trish Summerville with dress by Alexander McQueen and shoes by Iris van Herpen
In the second Hunger Games movie, Effie (Elizabeth Banks) goes through an internal struggle with her feelings of her capital life and the oppression they inflict on their citizens along with her feelings for her district’s tributes. To showcase this struggle her costumes are all meant to look and be uncomfortable and constrictive. It meant to convey her guilt and penance for her part.
Her Reaping outfit for the 75th Hunger Games showcases her transformation becoming disillusioned with the capital as she must draw names from the past district’s winners, throwing people she cares deeply about back into danger.
Her dress is an archived Alexander McQueen from the spring/summer 2011 collection. It looks like it was made from butterflies. Butterflies are traditionally associated with transformation as they go through a metamorphosis to their adult forms. The dress is actually made from painted feathers to resemble butterflies. This was replicated to add butterflies at her shoulders and in her hair.
The short sleeveless dress has a high neckline and has some width in the hips. She wears black sheer wrist gloves along with black Iris van Herpen ankle boots that have teeth-like spikes as heels. The juxtaposition of the soft feathery butterflies with harsh jagged shoes make the perfect visual composition of Effie’s inner turmoil at this reaping.
1. Queen Clementianna from Mirror Mirror (2012)
Costume Designer: Eiko Ishioka
2012’s Mirror Mirror is a bright jovial take on Snow White that keeps the tenets of the overall tale as well as some modern liberties. The Evil Queen (Julia Roberts) is vain, shallow and demands to be the center of all attention. All her costumes are very large and very ornate.
Her first costume as she is playing human chess while reclining on her gilded throne is no exception. Her impressive gown is made from a high sheen peachy-mango color with gold and white details. All over the costume is gold embroidery with white appliqués in star and leaf patterns with crystal details.
The neckline is a Queen Anne. The shoulders are puffed with long sleeves. All the way down the sleeves are gold 3d elements. They look to be made from a stiff fabric and adorned with rhinestones and crystals. The bodice has an angular stiff peplum that sits just above the hips and goes to the back, where there are two double-puffed bustles.
Like many of her costumes the skirt is very full, wide and voluminous. This costume brilliantly captures her perceived sense of elitism and taste for luxury and excess. It’s beyond opulent and the choice of color sets her as attention seeking grandiose show off, it’s perfect for setting the tone.
Honorable Mention: Famulus from Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Costume Designer: Kym Barrett
2015’s Jupiter Ascending is rags-to-riches, cinderella-type story with a lot of discussions about inheritance mixed with the quest for immortality. The movie is not considered one of the great examples of the genre but the costumes are fun.
Famulus (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is an assistant to one of the antagonists. She is a spliced deer. One of her looks is a sleeveless copper gown made with square sequins. The neckline is high with the collar at the neck and there’s a drape that goes up to the shoulder creating a cold shoulder effect. The large cut-outs at the sides add drama, though there’s a nude layer of fabric. The floor length skirt is a sheath silhouette with a train at the back.
