Imperial military uniforms Various uniforms were worn by the officers and technician s of the martial forces of the Galactic Empire . Officer s wore a gaberwool uniform consisting of a double - breasted tunic with a round collar and matching trousers , a pair of black boots , a belt and often times a command cap . Due to the nature of technicians ' work , they wore more lightweight boilersuits , again with a belt and command cap . While free of medals and battle ribbons , officer ' s uniforms could feature a rank insignia plaque and up to four code cylinder s in specifically designed pockets on the front of the tunic . Both uniforms could have officer ' s disk s on both the belt buckle and command cap . They were designed as a replacement for the uniforms that had carried over from the previous government , the Galactic Republic . These designs remained in use for over two decades , but were eventually replaced when the Empire transitioned into the First Order . History . At the conclusion of the Clone Wars , Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine abolished the democratic Republic he presided over , reorganizing it into a First Galactic Empire with him as absolute ruler . As the massive Grand Army of the Republic was progressively transformed into the Imperial Military , the uniform originally created for the Republic officer s remained in use during the first couple of years of Emperor Palpatine ' s reign . However , in or around the year 18 BBY , the scientist Galen Walton Erso and Orson Callan Krennic wore the new uniform when they were in meeting on Imperial Centre , the Empire ' s capital world . However , the uniform still wasn ' t in widespread use by as late as 14 BBY . Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , a decorated Imperial governor from Eriadu , made final adjustments to his personal uniform this year . When Grand Vizier Mas Amedda summoned Tarkin to Imperial Centre , Admiral Nils Tenant commented his surprise at seeing Tarkin wearing the new uniform , having not seen it before . Design . Officers ' uniforms . The uniform jacket was a short skirted double breasted tunic made of gaberwool that fastened with snap closures on the inside . The tunic featured a round choker collar and its skirt extended halfway between the hip and the knee . When closed , the tunic had a vertical left over right closure , when its Clone Wars predecessor extended across the chest on one side and across the midsection on the other . Additionally , the Imperial tunic generally lacked shoulder boards and epaulettes , as Emperor Palpatine believed that the use of such put more emphasis on status as opposed to duty . Contrarily to the straight - legged Clone Wars - era trousers , the redesigned ones were flared in the hips and thighs , narrowing at the cuffs so they could be more easily tucked into their wearers ' boots . There were laces and lace holes at the lower leg . Officers wore a pair of black , durasteel - toed knee boots with turndown topside cuffs ; as Tarkin had stressed the importance of the boots fitting the wearer while designing the uniform , citing the significant distances he had walked while aboard Star Destroyer s . Common additions to the uniform could include a brimmed command cap and a belt , both featuring an officer ' s disk . Rank could be indicated by a Rank insignia plaque affixed to the tunic ' s left breast and a number of code cylinder s could be carried in narrow pockets just below each shoulder . Beneath their uniform , officers wore an off - white shirt . Sometimes , the collar and sleeve cuffs of that shirt were slightly visible , protruding from under the tunic . Some officers also wore black gloves , or even a cape . Since Emperor Palpatine was scornful of commendations , there was no place for medals or battle ribbons on the uniform . Variants . While the standard - issue uniforms were made of a gray - green fabric , there existed several variants of different colors , such as a black variant worn by noncom s and Stormtrooper officers . There also existed a version of the uniform with a white tunic , black trousers and sometimes a black cap , worn by intelligence officers , such as those belonging to Imperial Intelligence or the Imperial Security Bureau . A gray - blue variant affiliated with the Imperial Press Corps also existed , as well as the all white uniforms , complete with golden shoulder boards , worn by Grand Admiral s . Chief scientist s in the Tarkin Initiative wore a uniform with a white patch over the neck and shoulders , and a symbol of the initiative on each arm . The tunic was also in one piece , and lacked the snap closures of the regular design . Additions . In potentially hostile situations , officers could wear field armor over their tunic , as well as a protective helmet and goggles similar to those worn by AT - ST driver s . While this armor was dark - grey for officers wearing a regular uniform , officers with different colored uniforms wore armor that reflected this differentially , such as Grand Admirals , who wore white armor , with golden shoulder boards similar to the ones on their regular tunic . For more rainy planets , officers wore another layer over their tunic , that would stop water getting in . The layer was the same color as the wearer ' s tunic and was made from a different material from the regular uniform , being more suitable for wet weather . It required the wearer to move their rank plaque and code cylinders to this new layer , although all cylinders now had to be on the right side of the wearer , whereas they would normally be on both sides . On colder worlds , an overcoat could be worn , that extended down to the tops of the wearers boots , with the wearer ' s belt on top . Officers belonging to certain fleet s could occasionally wear that fleets symbol on their upper left arm . An example of this was the officers of the Seventh Fleet , who wore a symbol of a stylized chimaera , a creature heavily associated with Grand Admiral Thrawn , commander of the fleet . Technicians ' uniform . Imperial technicians wore a far more simple uniform . They wore lightweight boilersuits , with boots , a belt that was identical to the one worn by officers , and a command cap . Both the belt and the command cap would also feature officer ' s disks . Additionally , long metal cylinders were kept in special pockets on the suit ' s left arm . Pockets with covers were located on the opposite arm , and on the thighs . An Imperial crest was located above both shoulders , and a small metal panel with several buttons was on the left wrist . Headsets were often worn under the cap . The suits could come in light grey or black , and while the black variant had a matching black cap , they grey one could feature either a dark grey or black cap . Similar boilersuits were also worn by TIE fighter pilot s , who wore a hefty control box and helmet over it , weapons technicians , who sometimes wore additional protection over the torso of the uniform , and AT - ST drivers . Imperial ground crew wore a variation of the uniform , although it was overall tighter and featured vertical grooves in it . Imperial Navy Trooper s were known to wear both officers ' and technicians ' uniforms . Scientists in the Tarkin Initiative could wear lightweight , white and blue boilersuits that could change color when harmful radiation was present . Behind the scenes . The uniforms created for varied in color , with some appearing to be a slightly lighter grey than others . White and light - grey uniforms were also made , both with black trousers . While the former has been identified to have been worn by members of the intelligence community , the latter have yet to re - appear in any canon material .