THERE are just under three weeks now until the release of the new Star Wars flick and the excitement in our house is so palpable you could slice it with one of those double-pronged lightsabers they keep showing in the trailers. No really. I can't sleep for thinking about it.

The kids, on the other hand, are ambivalent. But then they've never really experienced an “event movie” of this magnitude, only lesser offerings such as Inside Out and that one where everyone's made out of Lego. But I need them to come with me as cover. In return I've promised them pizza and some Candy Crush Saga updates. It's a small price to pay.

As much as the story itself, it's the look and style of the new film that excites me. For a start I can't wait to find out if Carrie Fisher has her famous “side buns” back in place, the two pain au raisin-shaped hair pieces she wore in the first film.

Burning question number two: will another old friend, Harrison Ford, really be dressed in an intergalactic version of those long, caped Driza-Bone coats people wear to rugby matches? Images of Star Wars “concept art” released late last year do appear to show the space cowboy thus attired. If so it's a bold move on the part of the costume team and one which could have far-reaching consequences for those of us who have previously mocked this rather curious item, Australia's only other contribution to world culture alongside Uggs, Crocs and the flat white.

That's only the half of it, though. There are plenty of new characters to be enjoyed, each with new, soon-to-be iconic looks. For instance Girls star Adam Driver has been dressed like a member of the Night's Watch – a clear nod to another of my guilty pleasures, Game of Thrones.

But the character whose costume has caused the most pre-release chatter is Finn, played by British actor John Boyega. His only other experience of extra-terrestrials came in Joe Cornish's Neds v Aliens comedy Attack the Block. Nonetheless he has been handed not only a plum part but some plum clobber: a tan-with-red-bits leather jacket which has already been copied and made available on eBay (price tag: $650). It's a bit retro and a bit futurist which means it's also totally now.

Those who can't lay their hands on a well-tooled leather facsimile of the Finn jacket could instead try for the £35 polyester version on sale in the Disney store. They're for kids, but they might do it in XL. Alternatively they could get their Star Wars fix by bagging one of the range of specially commissioned designer T-shirts and sweats being sold in aid of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Or, if they're really keen, they could bid for one of the Star Wars-inspired outfits being auctioned in New York next month. Charity Force 4 Fashion has commissioned 10 top designers to riff on the characters and create one-off pieces based on them. Poor Chewbacca has been turned into a furry coat – but it might be just the thing for someone queuing in the snow with their kids, pretending to be bored along with all the other excited dads.