General Hux Costume Research Thread

Hey Everyone, I've been sitting doing some research on General Hux, and his outfit from TFA, and seeing as I wasn't able to find any on the board, I decided it'd be best to start one, so that anyone who's interested in the character or costume could discuss/research/help each other with regards to identifying construction, material, parts etc of him.

To start off, I believe I may have tracked down the type of fabric used for the construction of the Uniform, look at the hi-res version of the following image, you can see some good detail on the weave/texture of the fabric.



Detail Image


From what I've been able to research/gather, the uniform appears to be made out of Grosgrain, which I managed to find:



This grosgrain is pure rayon - I had thought that the uniform was perhaps a silk, due to the shine of the fabric, however, upon stumbling over this fabric and looking at it vs the reference image, I think it's the correct fabric, as opposed to a Silk Faille (which is another fabric I had thought could be correct), or even a Silk Grosgrain (I say this as the only silk grosgrain I could actually find, whilst having the corded appearance, seems to look like it's made of small squares when looked at closer, as seen here


I currently have a swatch of the Grosgrain Rayon en route fro ma supplier, so I can see in hand what it's like in regards to weight, drape and cord wale.

As for construction of the Uniform, the tunic has Princess seams across the front, with a centre opening, and I think a pair of jetted pockets, one on either side:







For the closure of the tunic, from what I can guess, the collar is a strap that goes across the front middle opening, and snaps closed underneath the fold down collar at the side, for a cleaner look.



Whilst watching the film, I think I spotted the closure system in the centre seam/parting area, and to me, it looked like a busk style closure system, like you'd see on a corset.

He has Large cuffs on the tunic, mirroring those of his Greatcoat, as can be seen here:



On the Left sleeve of both his Tunic and Greatcoat, he bears his Rank Insignia, consisting of two black bands, each with a thin white band at the top and bottom, as shown:



The Shoulders of his tunic look very odd to me, as if there is an epaulet extending out of the top of the sleeve going right across the shoulder, but it may well be a trick of the light, until there are better quality images of his costume available we wouldn't be able to say, I don't think.





His gloves are totally plain black leather gloves.

The breeches are made of the same fabric as the Tunic, and have large flared hips:







As can be seen in the detail images, the flared hip doesn't just smooth into the rest of the breeches along the seam, instead they are wrapped across the front of the leg and tucked into the boot.

His Greatcoat, like his Tunic has Princess Seams up the front, and Jetted pockets. It also has the First Order Insignia on the left arm, in the form of a patch:



The lapels of the greatcoat, appear to be some sort of combination of Notch, Peak and Shawl, with the seam like the notch, but attached all the way to the tip without splitting like the shawl, and the point like a peak but without the bottom part of the lapel extending outside the top.

From the look of the coat in this image, I believe it to be something along the lines of a cashmere, or wool/cashmere mix, since it seems to give a rich sheen when the light hits it - but I'm not sure on this, and suspect I may very well be wrong.

His boots are knee high, shiny black leather, reminiscent of riding boots, but with a band across the top, with side seams:



I'm unsure if these will have been production made, or if they purchased off the shelf boots to be used, as they did for a few other costumes/characters.

His hat is very reminiscent of the Imperial Caps:



Made of a black fabric (I don't believe the same fabric as the tunic & breeches though), with a black leather peak/brim and metal First Order insignia.

The back of these caps can be seen in the trailer:


This is about all the research I've personally done into the costume so far, so I hope there's interest from other Denizens of the RPF, so that we can figure everything out and find any pre-existing parts and figure out fabrics etc.

Damn thank you for putting all the time and research into this. Looking to build this costume and this helps a ton!

Looks like the same boots as Kylo, minus the straps

funkman said:

Looks like the same boots looks like as Kylo, minus the strapsView attachment 570688

Click to expand...

They do look similar, but when you look a bit closer at the details around the ankle, you can see that Kylo's boots have a lot more detail than the new FO Officer boots (more than just the piping and straps up the front I mean)



You can see there's a seam right at the ankle running down to, I think, the sole which isn't present on the FO Officer boots, unfortunately

LOVE the work you have started! This is my MAIN project for the New Year!

The fabric has been the most frustrating. My initial thought was that they were Wool Sateen, which is a woven wool fabric with a sheen to it. Your idea does hold merit! And Grosgrain is not only cheaper, but easier to find!

I would "assume" the hats to be made of the same fabric though, like the Empire's. But I could be wrong! LOL

I also noticed the silver bits the seem to keep the jackets closed. I couldn't tell if it was a hook/eye closure, or if it was just a metal zipper catching the light.

Has anyone thought to contact Mr. Kaplan and ask what the fabrics are? Or am I being too naive? LOL

Also, initially I thought these uniforms to be black, but the Visual Dictionary lists them as Dark Gray.....Hmmmm.

Here's another fabric possibility I just found: Ottoman

What do you think of this? (I realize the color is wrong)

http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/prod...d=24&collId=&shaid=&sort=&itemId=32834&phaid=

Another possibility?

https://www.onlinefabricstore.net/j...BCSr3Fm8A-pjATsCl5HIFB6jZCEq44TBjkaAgtN8P8HAQ

I received the fabric sample I ordered of the Rayon Grosgrain today, and whilst it does seem to have the correct texture to it, I'm not sure on the sheen of the fabric, I've photographed it under flash and without flash in natural light, as well as a close up photo with a ruler to give a sense of scale to the cording on the fabric.



There's no colour correction or the like done to the photos, so that's why the colour looks a bit off in the non flash photo, I think I'd require a larger piece of fabric to get a full idea of the actual sheen of the fabric, but as I say, I'm not 100% on how it shines, it does have some luster to it, especially under photographs, but in person it doesn't really have that high shine to it hat it does in the photographs, unless it's getting direct light on it, I think perhaps a true silk grosgrain would shine more though?

This is going to be a fun one to see completed.

This interview with Michael Kaplan mentions that the First Order costumes used "polished wools and synthetics" as opposed to the natural fibers of the Resistance. You might be on to something with the wool sateen.

Jaxxa said:

This is going to be a fun one to see completed.

This interview with Michael Kaplan mentions that the First Order costumes used "polished wools and synthetics" as opposed to the natural fibers of the Resistance. You might be on to something with the wool sateen.

Click to expand...

I had seen someone link to this interview over on the IOC, and it does give credence to the use of something like a Rayon Grosgain also, I'd think.

He describes using "polished" wools, but it's not a terms I'm familiar with when it comes to wool, and my searching for information has been fruitless, I wonder if he means that production did something to wool to polish it, or he simply means it looked polished, like it was worsted?

So many details! Thanks for all your researchs

huuuuuge thanks for this thread! i'm definitely looking to do a "female version" of this costume, and this research is insanely helpful!

I'd love to have that over coat!

Posted this over on the IOC, thought I'd throw it up here too, a nice highish res pic of Hux I've not come across before



So, the Boots, I think are something that really wants a lot of research, as there is a very real chance they're off the rack, what with Rey's and Poe's boots being from PoZu, as well as the snowtrooper and X-Wing pilot boots being off the rack too.

What we know about the boots:
•Single piece sole, thickening towards the back, like a tradition heel lifts on riding boots
•Large trim detail on top of boots (I estimate this to be about 4" tall, but it's only an estimation)
•Zip on the inside of the leg, hidden by a leather flap
•Completely plain Vamp, with rectangular tongue with rounded corners
•Square/Rectangular Hell Counter, flat top creating a seam into the boot shaft, and straight edge on the side of the feet ending at the zip area on the inside, and showing as a seam onto the vamp on the outside.
•All seams are sewn with a double row of stitching

There also seems to be a stiffer leather, or perhaps some form of interfacing (not sure of the correct term for footwear) which causes a much stiffer shape around the foot, almost as if the boots are built over a pair of shoes, as can be see in this photo:




So, with this information, I think it may be a good base to begin looking for a pre-existing boot, now just to figure out where to even begin looking, or how!

Thank you for starting this WIP. I'll be following...and will be making this whole costume sometime during this year. Right now I'm searching for patters for the coat. As for the main jacket and pants? These look VERY similar to the Imperial Officer costumes, with only some minor differences (namely the cut, length, fit and collar). The fabric? I've seen some silk/wool blends that look very similar to how I'm interpreting the fabric from the film. Regardless, of those fabrics mentioned, I think all are likely suitable. The outer coat, however, is very likely a wool (something like the peacoat wool used for real life military coats...mostly from WWII and before).

Bengaline is primarily used for lining fabric - it is too light for making suits.

For the suit, you might check wool elastique. It is a twilled wool/poly blend and the US armed services tend to use it frequently for uniforms. (It was also used on the Star Trek (original cast) movies. It has a slight sheen when photographed.

Riding boots tend to have a separate heel - to keep your foot in the stirrup. Hux's boots have a one piece sole.

Hi, this is fantastic and has been really helpful. I even managed to get some black grosgrain and I live in a very small town in New Zealand! The photos have been really helpful and I have found a pattern which I can readjust. It has the same style collar and does up at the front just like GenereL Hux's , if it is helpful to anyone it is Burda 2471 it is actually a costume for Napoleon.

https://mega.nz/#!UwlSQCyR!-pPM6Bz6VOoGTmyWC6X--QrGH_wiEM3tYOUUWpDcr6o

I made this First Order insignia to use in the hat. I hope to be helpful.

adevf13 said:

View attachment 575905
https://mega.nz/#!UwlSQCyR!-pPM6Bz6VOoGTmyWC6X--QrGH_wiEM3tYOUUWpDcr6o

I made this First Order insignia to use in the hat. I hope to be helpful.

Click to expand...

Looks great!

I went and re-watched TFA today in IMAX, and made sure to keep my eyes peeled for the fleeting glimpses of the tunic fastening devices, and whilst I had before thought they were fastenings like part of a corset busk - upon seeing them again I think they may be hook and bar closures, or something like a clasp with a pin in the middle, sort of like a hinge. Annoyingly, my recollection keeps fading, but from what I remember, they were very blocky, and I think had some line detail on them, but annoyingly, until there's a nice high res video source of the film, I think it'll be hard to track anything down.

After having seen the fabric, I think that Ottoman could be a great choice. The play on light is very alike what can be seen, not that flat, but not shiny, just the right reflectiveness.
Also, the "lines" are reasonnably visible from distance, with a width of about 1mm.