In light of our new Star Wars movie dreams coming to fruition, we thought it only appropriate to indulge in a ménage trois of our greatest loves: fashion, the nostalgia of Legos, and the epic space opera franchise. Thankfully, we stumbled across Dale May, a New York-based photographer who has been creating stylized, character-driven, conceptual images for over 18 years. Behold—V3PO Vuitton, CoCo Vader, Chewy Burch, and Tiffany Trooper:
MC: What inspired you to create this?
DM: The fashion series was inspired by a limited edition gold foil figure that I purchased on eBay for $190. That's a lot of money for a tiny piece of plastic, and I remember saying, "This must be the Louis Vuitton of Lego figures."
MC: If you could dress Princess Leia in any designer, who would it be and why?
DM: If I was dressing the original Leia, I might pick Jean Paul Gaultier. He has sense of whimsy that would lend itself to the lightheartedness of the first few films. But if I were to reimagine Princess Leia, hands down it would be Alexander McQueen. It's so sad his genius is no longer with us. His clothes were wildly imaginative, incredibly sexy, and definitely fit for a queen.
MC: How are these pieces important to women?
DM: The thing I'm most proud of is that this artwork has bridged generations and people of all ages. Whether someone is buying a piece for their child's room, or they feel a sense of nostalgia and want to hang it in their living room or office building, the work is something that the whole family can appreciate and talk about together. Yes, I think women are drawn to the fashion pieces, but I think, anytime a mother can have a connection with their child through a common interest, it's a powerful thing.
MC: Were you more addicted to Star Wars or Legos growing up?
DM: That's a tough one. I was addicted to Legos for as long as I could remember but when Star Wars Episode 4 came out, I think my head exploded!
MC: When did you get into fashion?
DM: Highschool. I had such a need to be different, that I started altering my own clothes. I had a pair of jeans that I hand painted all of the Simpson's characters on. Some of my more rock n' roll inspired looks, I asked my grandmother to make for me. We were a good team! But at that time in my life, living in Chadds Ford, PA, my only exposure to fashion was album covers and MTV.
MC: You chose really iconic brands to represent characters of the movie…how do each of those brands align with the characters?
DM: "V3PO" (Louis Vuitton) has the richness of gold and a distinguished, sophistication like the C3PO character. "Chewy Burch" (Tory Burch) was inspired by the preppy-bohemian style of Tory Burch and also a fun play on the names. But seriously, tell me that my "CoCo Vader" (Chanel) doesn't remind you of Karl Lagerfeld. The black clothing, those sophisticated silhouettes, and they both wear the same sunglasses!
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Images via Dale May