Well, with the addition of side panels the second design became the standard uniform.
I agree the short-sleeved version would have made a good variation.
Theiss once said that the TNG uniforms were intended to mimic human anatomy - the line of trim that broke up the yoke was the clavicle, the notched color panel in front was the rib cage, etc.
I really loved the first season TNG uniforms because of the asymmetrical lines of the front color panel and those other elements (the yoke trim, etc.) really did accentuate a person's figure, even though it looked tight as hell to wear.
I always felt the Blackman Mandarin collar uniforms weren't the most flattering, particularly with the puffy sides created by the spandex belt on the men. And his women's uniforms looked even tighter than the original first-season jumpsuits.
Aren't Blackman's female uniforms just the first season jumpsuit with the Mandarin colar added on?
No, the uniforms were redesigned with a wool fabric that was less form-fitting and more breathable than the spandex. The womens version was just a jumpsuited variant of the mens (although the rear zipper looked ugly and still a pain to wear).
In season 3+ they slowly added the mandarin collar to the surplus spandex costumes which were generally only worn by extras to avoid the cost of making new $1,000 uniforms every other episode.
According to the actors, they were far more comfortable than the S1-2 costumes. I prefer the S3+ variant, but to each their own.Most likely.I'm betting Theiss did a ton of those sketches, not just the few we've seen, so i don't think the uniforms int he photo are based on sketch #1, rather sketch #1 has some elements in common with whatever sketch ended up being the basis for those particular costumes.
I noticed the same thing quite a ways back.It took me a few episodes into the first season to realize that the branch-colored section of the uniform wasn't just some random design, but rather the Starfleet "arrowhead" insignia with the top point flipped over onto the back.
I actually prefer the design of the first two seasons' uniform to what came later. I didn't like the fabric, but it looked more futuristic and seemed more a logical evolution in concept from what we had seen in TMP.
The uniforms introduced in third season were okay--and they went through an evolution in detail early on, but by the mid to end of the season they were in their final form and I didn't care for them. They looked stiff and not particularly comfortable. I also thought the zipper seasm up the back looked rediculous. It looked like a really awkward thing to get into.
The TOS tunics looked like a pullover even though there was a zipper to it that didn't show much on the old CRT screens. It made sense to have a zipper otherwise the collar could get stretched and lose shape just by putting in on. And, of course, that would mess up makeup and hair. The TMP tunics also looked like a pullover only the opening seam wasn't obvious (assuming there was one).
The uniforms introduced with DS9 looked like a step back towards the concept of early TNG and I rather liked them even though I didn't care for all that black. When they went to the gray shoulders and the dark look in later DS9 seasons and the TNG films I felt they ruined it completely.
I both liked and disliked the early DS9/VOY uniforms. On the one hand, the 'coverall' type jumpsuit looks a lot more comfortable and informal for the constant hands-on maintenance required on DS9 (Voyager i can only assume was a 'creative' choice to distinguish from TNG)
but it doesn't look all that distinctively starfleet. A few minor design changes - maybe a more distinctive neck seam on the coverall, perhaps tailored like the later FC costume, for example. The jacket zipper was subtle, but they didn't attempt to make it invisible, IIRC the turtleneck zipped from the back.
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