Dune Part 1: Costume Analysis and Review

Dune is an American epic science fiction film by Quebec director Denis Villeneuve. The movie is based upon the 1965 novel of the same name written by American author Frank Herbert and features an ensemble cast of heavy hitters. Dune is set to have its American theatrical release on October 22nd. Learn more about the Dune Costumes.
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This review is based upon my viewing of Dune in IMAX at TIFF in Toronto, Canada.

Warning, mild spoilers!

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[oberonyronwood]

That yellow dress that lady Jessica wears is breathtakingly beautiful, heck, I wanna get married in it lol!

[pedrocarvalho]

I'm obsessed with that scene of Lady Jessica with the golden dress and the yellow veil swinging in the air when she arrives on Arrakis, so beautiful. Can't wait to see it at the theater

[Ellestra]

I'm pretty certain Atreideis wear armour when they land on Dune as a show of military strength to the Imperial observers. This is their first moment on the planet and official hand-off so they have to do the whole pomp and ceremony so all the men are in battle armour and Jessica and her handmaids are in intricate gowns to show wealth.

[tylerward]

A lot of the different Bene Gesserit garb looked more like Eastern Orthodox nuns, and the brocade worn by the Guild and Judge of the Change was Byzantine style Phelonia

[o-wolf]

The armour they wore made perfect sense both in ceremonial terms &the fact that they were embarking upon a new planet &were very cautious of the reception theyd receive hence the security detail &his mentat making sure they were clear to take off etc

Also more specifically shields drive the great worms crazy so they HAD to use "normal" armour at the space port

[KhalideKashmiri]

Lady Jessica's hooded cape somewhat more closely resembles Padmè Narberrie's hooded cape with abstract animalistic print worn in episode 2 in shape, size and draping. That costume piece was also worn in a desert setting)))

[gozerthegozarian]

A Star Wars-inspired costume in a Dune film is only logical, since George Lucas ripped off a lot of ideas and concepts from Dune for Star Wars. It's only fair to turn this into a mutual exchange, no?

[Alkvaarder]

Love those dark green near to black jackets. I want to buy one. In the book House Atreides is a minor house in the Landsraad. A simple style of clothing, nothing opulent. Functional for the water cold climate. Caladan is shot in Norway and that makes sense.

[chrisherne]

I think we should be careful about assuming that in the far future, costumes will be radically different simply due to technology; with the story of Dune, this is even more important because of the story's imagined history in respect of the culture's relationship to technology. Throughout history, fashions have reimagined themselves and most of it is a reworking of retro styles and designs, just as it is today. Those people have highly effective personal shields and would probably go for comfort which means one thing to an aristocrat and another to a desert dweller. Form follows function in this case. They also have strong taboos against computerisation and AI, hence the very advanced development of mental and physical attributes like the mentats, the Bene Gesserit, and other groups. The costumes in the both Lynch and the Villeneuve movies are excellent. Nothing to complain about there.

[jdnelms]

Regarding the Sardaukar battlefield colors, I got this from the DuneWiki page.

During the Harkonnen attack on planet Arrakis when it was under the control of House Atreides, Sardaukar troops were provided by Emperor Shaddam IV to assist the Harkonnens. Even though the Sardaukar forces were disguised in Harkonnen livery, the Atreides managed to recognize the Sardaukar by their combat style and often hawk-like features.

I hope that helps, but it might have been just a style choice made by Denis Villeneuve.

[jeniallenby]

I've only seen the film once at this point so may not be 100% on this but I thought the armour only appeared in one scene when they arrived on Dune. I assumed it was being worn for ceremonial purposes. As were Jessica and Paul's outfits in that scene. Jessica's was exquisite but so impractical. But then I remembered how important protocol and ceremony was to Jessica's character and gave the director another silent thank you for getting the small details right.

[appa]

4:11 There's no way you're telling me Jessica looks like Leia there. If anything, she's dressed like a fucking sith lord.

[Ultraelectromagnetic]

I haven't seen the film yet but based on what we have so far, I personally love the costume design overall. But IMO the Noble Houses could've used more subtle bits of color. I imagined their respective house heraldry and colors to be more present in their uniforms and armor (but without going overboard), especially since they expect a lot of close quarters combat and in those situations friend and foe need to be easily recognizable. Thinking about how the film's already knightly-looking Atreides battle armor could be even more distinct with some dark green and red accents, maybe a hawk symbol on there as well. Then for the Harkonnens, some blue to break-up the monotony of their all-black armor. I feel like their team could've made it work while sticking to the muted, minimalist look that Denis Villeneuve is going for.

I feel a bit harsh for writing this much but I swear these just are minor nitpicks. I still love the designs. And I can't wait to see the film!

[Aurora]

I have observed that Villeneuve and his art department did acknowledge many of the classic dune illustrations ... which i think was a great choice! Herbert himself praised John Schoenherrs Works very highly.

[AUPackmule]

Probably will be the only movie I see in the theatres. Even after getting the vaccine and having Covid after that I don’t want to encourage indoor gatherings. The reason I’m so excited is that it has been given the attention this book deserves. The fact that Frank Herbert is from Tacoma WA has a little to do with it too.

[skoomamuch]

Dune is in a post technological era. Where outfits are made not from factory machinery but from humans hands since all machine that resemble logic are banned. Thats just my interpretation

[SuperSkopje]

DUNE has been part of my life since i was 6 years old, cant wait IMAX experience for me.

[desmadeities]

ah! I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE LADY JESSICA'S CHAIN VEIL AND GOLD DRESS <33 I've been obsessed since I saw the trailer !!

[kevinhaynes]

Great review, great content. The costumes for me were stand out, and the scene depicting the arrival of House Atreides on Arrakis was simply stunning. I particular liked Lady Jessica's Moorish inspired outfit. Please excuse the correction, but at 6:18, I think you meant paramilitary, not parliamentary...

[TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

Thanks for the link in your Dune part 2 video as I missed this video the first time around.