50 Most Iconic Star Wars Costumes

From A New Hope (1977). Image via Lucasfilm/Disney/20th Century Fox.

3. Han Solo

Smuggler, scoundrel, scruffy-looking nerf herder, rogue, occasional love interest, and a main character of the original trilogy who barely changes his silhouette and just puts on a jacket sometimes if it’s cold outside. Hello, Han Solo.

We’ve briefly mentioned that Han’s wearing black helps him stand out, and that’s very true. Luke, Leia, and Obi-Wan keep it to the whites and neutrals, and Han has a neutral-toned shirt as well. However, when you first see him, your eyes are drawn to the black of his vest (possibly followed closely by the chest hair exposed by his neckline, if you’re into that sort of thing). He fits with them all, but he doesn’t fit at the same time, reflecting his outsider status.

Han’s also the most obviously armed, because there’s nothing like a good blaster at your side, kid, to paraphrase him from ANH.

ANH actually features what John Mollo calls a “Custer shirt”, and Solo’s Corellian bloodstripes down his trousers also come from U.S. military and cavalry influences (Dressing a Galaxy 154). (He has both the first and second-degree stripes.)

As we get further into the original trilogy, his clothes get more of an overt military influence, including a flak jacket and a camo duster in TESB and ROTJ, reflecting his growing connection to the Rebellion. However, he never loses his black or his bloodstripes.