Which Uniforms Do You Prefer

[ZapBrannigan]

The velour tunics of Seasons 1 and 2 versus the synthetic fabric used in Year 3: your choice?

I like the synth uniforms for their smoother, more fitted look. They held their shape better.

Shatner, at that point in his life, could make anything look good. But even he had trouble with shrinkage. Note his sleeve length when the landing party beams down in "Miri."

For haute couture, it's the difference between Helen Noel and Mira Romaine.

Maybe the velour uniforms are favored by some for their soft organic look, which so clearly reflected the show's humble budget and homey appeal.

 

[Melakon]

The velour was chosen because it looked good under the lights. But the costumes were dry-cleaned every night, and the velour shrank and had to be constantly altered. That's why they switched to polyester.

I liked the velours, but the polyesters showed off their physiques better.

 

[Metryq]

De Kelley probably couldn't have ripped a polyester sleeve so easily in "The Naked Time." By the third season, Shatner and the leading ladies had to wear grounding straps so they wouldn't jump on first contact.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

De Kelley probably couldn't have ripped a polyester sleeve so easily in "The Naked Time." By the third season, Shatner and the leading ladies had to wear grounding straps so they wouldn't jump on first contact.

I'm pretty sure they rigged all wardrobe malfunctions in advance, including Kirk's "artfully ripped shirts" that the leading ladies of '70s fandom used to rave about.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who read recently that Shatner warned Yvonne Craig (Marta the green Orion whackjob) not to touch him in their big bedroom scene, because she was painted green and he was down to his last clean uniform.

 

[Keith1701]

The velour was chosen because it looked good under the lights. But the costumes were dry-cleaned every night, and the velour shrank and had to be constantly altered. That's why they switched to polyester.

I liked the velours, but the polyesters showed off their physiques better.

I agree as well.

 

[Lance]

The velour was chosen because it looked good under the lights. But the costumes were dry-cleaned every night, and the velour shrank and had to be constantly altered. That's why they switched to polyester.

This shrinking was particularly egregious at times.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/Sir_Lance/Bab6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/Sir_Lance/Bab13.jpg

At least later on, they figured that if they made the actors wear a black shirt underneath, it would help to mask the shrinking costumes. But it was still evident:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/Sir_Lance/TrekPics/BAON29.jpg

 

[Warped9]

My favourite uniform is Kirk's first season command alternate tunic. I, too, liked the velour shirts, but the polyesters made more sense.

 

[Melakon]

I'm pretty sure they rigged all wardrobe malfunctions in advance, including Kirk's "artfully ripped shirts" that the leading ladies of '70s fandom used to rave about.

I doubt the split pants that show up in some fight scenes were planned in advance. One good one is Khan forcing open the door to his quarters and backhanding a guard. The stunt man does a backward leap across the corridor and his pants split along the thigh, revealing long underwear.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The polyester uniforms are definitely better made, but I never particularly liked the fit of them on some people. But I have to give my vote to them because of how much shrinkage the velour uniforms were prone to.

 

[marksound]

Interesting note about the velour tunics: in Enemy Within when Evil Kirk beams in he's wearing what looks like a brand new tunic. So new, it didn't have the delta emblem on it yet.

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/1x05/theenemywithin028.jpg

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The shirt and cut of the trousers at the end of season 1 are my favorite. Most main cast trouser flare were just below the boot line, which had the appearance of a military influence, while the low cut pant just appeared...average.

 

[BillJ]

The season three uniforms simply look and fit better.

 

[Melakon]

I had some contemporary (as in non-Trek) velour shirts. They were really comfortable fabric, but could get hot in the wrong weather. They must have been uncomfortable under stage lights.

 

[plynch]

I like Kirk's wraparounds for the color palette on my tv screen then, especially on the bridge: having green with the blues and reds of the other divisions looks nice.

 

[Marlonius]

Interesting note about the velour tunics: in Enemy Within when Evil Kirk beams in he's wearing what looks like a brand new tunic. So new, it didn't have the delta emblem on it yet.

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/1x05/theenemywithin028.jpg

Actually, they had to take the emblem off each night, as well as the rank stripes for the aforementioned drycleaning.

In fact, in HD, many of the tunics have the outline of the emblem showing up slightly out of alignment with its location on that day of shooting. Obviously stuff they hadn't foreseen 45 years ago!

 

[plynch]

Interesting note about the velour tunics: in Enemy Within when Evil Kirk beams in he's wearing what looks like a brand new tunic. So new, it didn't have the delta emblem on it yet.

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/1x05/theenemywithin028.jpg

Actually, they had to take the emblem off each night, as well as the rank stripes for the aforementioned drycleaning.

In fact, in HD, many of the tunics have the outline of the emblem showing up slightly out of alignment with its location on that day of shooting. Obviously stuff they hadn't foreseen 45 years ago!

One more reason to stick with my beloved clamshell DVDs.

 

[Ssosmcin]

In fact, in HD, many of the tunics have the outline of the emblem showing up slightly out of alignment with its location on that day of shooting. Obviously stuff they hadn't foreseen 45 years ago!

One more reason to stick with my beloved clamshell DVDs.

Or the Laserdiscs, where you see so little, everything is perfect. :-) I agree, HD reveals too much and I'm glad I held onto my lo-res DVDs.

I like the third season uniforms. They're longer and make every seem taller and leaner. Shatner was tucked in with a girdle at the time, and his shoe lifts made his ass stick out, so he kind of looked a little "off." But he did drop weight, you can see it in his face in the beginning of the season.

Overall, though, I like the look of the original fabric.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Interesting note about the velour tunics: in Enemy Within when Evil Kirk beams in he's wearing what looks like a brand new tunic. So new, it didn't have the delta emblem on it yet.

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/1x05/theenemywithin028.jpg

I read a slightly different explanation for that, somewhere:

The script called for a body double to face away from the camera whenever both Kirks were on screen. The double's tunic would never need an insignia, so they didn't bother to sew one on. The trouble was, the show was still pretty new, and nobody noticed when Shatner was given the wrong shirt for certain scenes.

A much bigger continuity gaffe occurs in "Charlie X," when Kirk enters the elevator wearing his standard gold tunic and arrives on the bridge in his green wraparound.

 

[plynch]

I thought it was so when they flipped the film for id-Kirk, he wouldn't have the insignia on the wrong side.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

The velour was chosen because it looked good under the lights. But the costumes were dry-cleaned every night, and the velour shrank and had to be constantly altered. That's why they switched to polyester.

This shrinking was particularly egregious at times.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/Sir_Lance/Bab6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/Sir_Lance/Bab13.jpg

At least later on, they figured that if they made the actors wear a black shirt underneath, it would help to mask the shrinking costumes. But it was still evident:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/Sir_Lance/TrekPics/BAON29.jpg

Kirk's wraparound uniforms weren't made of velour like the regular uniforms. They were all made of a double-knit wool and were constructed to be a little shorter than a normal shirt cut.

In fact, the second season wrap had suspenders and hooks that attached to the trousers, see on a screen-used tunic here.

As for my preference — velour or double-knit synthetic?

I used to prefer the velour, but as time has gone on, I've come to prefer the double-knit because it's smoother and fits better.

My favorite uniform, however, is Kirk's first season wraparound with the scrambled eggs on the shoulder. In fact, I own replicas of both these uniforms:


Starfleet Uniforms by Clark "Kal-El" Kent, on Flickr

The regular duty uniform is the high-end, screen-accurate replica from Anovos.

While the wrap is a fairly good replica made by a costumer — the braid and insignia aren't as screen accurate.