I just wanted something very feminine and very unexpected for Holdo, playing away from what you would expect: an iron gray, locked-down general coming in to butt heads with Poe. And so everything about the costume was, “Let’s make it beautiful.” Laura’s build is gorgeous and statuesque and slender. So playing to that felt like the way to go. I was calling Holdo “Hard-ass.” That’s true. Ironically, that was exactly the thing that I was trying to play against, in terms of the visual element. – Rian Johnson
I just assumed Holdo was going to be in an officer’s uniform. I knew she would look great because Laura Dern has amazing posture and a great figure. Then Rian said, “No, I want her in something much more feminine, some kind of gown, something that feels different from everyone else.” He used the word “balletic,” and she does have that kind of posture. He wanted to see her body language. He wanted her to look a little flirtatious in some of the scenes with Poe, yet he wanted her to look dignified. She has a comb in her hair. It’s like a halo. – Michael Kaplan, Costume Designer
– The Unsinkable Leia Organa, The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Note: bottom photo is early concept art of General Hard-ass aka Holdo.
