Lando Calrissian has been one of Star Wars' most stylish characters since debuting in The Empire Strikes Back. However, following his escape from Cloud City at the end of the film, he makes a surprising fashion decision that's confused fans for decades. In one of the film's final frames, Lando is seen in the Millennium Falcon wearing the clothes of his old friend and rival, Han Solo.
Lando has always had an outrageous fashion sense. This was established as early as his first canonical appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where he wears bright colors and is never without his cape. His palette becomes a bit more subdued with age, but his high-end fashion sense certainly doesn't. So when Lando appears in Han's classic white shirt and black vest, it comes across as out of character. It seems as though he's replacing Han Solo, who was only recently frozen in carbonite. Thankfully, the answer to this age-old mystery has finally come to light.
Star Wars is no stranger to contradictions, and the same could be said for why Lando wore his friend's clothes at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. One possible explanation came from a 2011 panel with Bill Dee Williams during Wizard World Comic-Con, where the host explained the behind-the-scenes reason for Lando wearing the outfit. He stated that the decision to put Lando in Han's clothes was made by the film's costume designer, John Mollo, and added, "Didn't mean anything, they were actually sized differently."
However, the in-universe reason that was given breaks down Lando and Han's attire. According to the panel, the outfits were a part of the Corellian Corps group. Han's outfit showed red marks on his pants, which were a part of a military uniform. Williams also added that he was a General, though this could have been a nod to his time as a rebel General in Return of the Jedi.
While the explanation for why the uniforms were the same made more sense, the book Star Wars Made Easy gave its own explanation that appeared to be in the same militaristic vain as the first one. According to the book, "It's been suggested that the outfit is the remnant of a flight uniform, and so a natural choice for any pilot. But really, what better way for the filmmakers to suggest that Han is really gone than to set Lando up in his replacement, complete with his ship and fashion sense?" While an equally clever explanation, it wasn't nearly as detailed as the one given in the Comic-Con panel, which could have led to more misinformation. However, it could also be another missing piece of the puzzle that would make the outfit an old pilot's uniform from the Correllian Corps group, effectively melding the two ideas into one.
Lando's hasty escape from Bespin had left him without another outfit. Since he was officially a rebel, his flashy attire wouldn't work either -- at least until the cape returned in Return of the Jedi. Therefore, being left with very few options would mean that he had to rifle through Han's belongings. All points lead to a military origin for Lando's similar attire, but the decision remains as one of the strangest costume choices of the franchise.