Star Trek TOS costume help

BB43MAN · Mar 3, 2008

My wife and I, and about three other friends are planning to attend the premier of the new STAR TREK movie next year in full TOS costume!

I'm asking for help/directions on where to get started. I know about Roddenberry.com for patterns but, is this the best pattern out there? I'm hiring a seamstress to make all of the uniforms but, I want them to look authentic, not like the type you can buy off the shelf so, a good pattern is a must, as is the cloth and acesssories. I need help on the type of braid, patches, cloth, etc...

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks to all in advance and I'll post pics as the progress goes!

Regards!

phase pistol · Mar 3, 2008

Here's an entire forum devoted to Trek costuming

http://starfleet1701st.yuku.com/

You'll find lots of costuming tips, debate over relative quality of makers' uniforms, and lively commentary all about nailing down the perfect Starfleet costume.

Of course I should point out that I'm the "TOS props quartermaster" over there.

To help with your costume research, Trekcore.com has begun posting HD screencaps from the first season of TOS! Finally neverbefore seen details are starting to come to light.

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/index.php?cat=2

- k

TK1536 · Mar 4, 2008

I too, will be tackling this project for myself and girlfriend. That web site has some good info, thanks!

The Senator · Mar 5, 2008

Oo! I'm going to try to make uniforms for my boyfriend and I--he's a dead ringer for Quinto and wants a Spock costume. Thanks for the links!

TK1536 · Mar 10, 2008

Looking for accurate boots... preferably not the $300+ ones.

phase pistol · Mar 10, 2008

The black version of the brown "riding boots" that Jedi costumers use would work fine. I have a pair from a costume shop that were very inexpensive.

phase pistol · Mar 10, 2008

Also the colors of the uniforms, particularly Kirk's command color, are hotly debated. A slightly greenish yellow seems to be the authentic color, though it often appears to have a tan hue on-screen.

The costumes shrunk and changed color as the first season wore on, thanks the the velour reacting with being cleaned. Shatner's costume shrunk dramatcially, him being the star of the show and being in the most scenes. Note how his Starfleet patch mirgrates up towards his shoulder

In "Corbomite Maneuver", the first regular episode that was filmed, the costumes are brand new and fit quite loosely.

darthgordon · Mar 10, 2008

I believe I read an interview with William Ware Theiss (I in fact thought I found this on your site) where he confirmed that the original color of Kirk's costume was in fact lime green, but appeared more of a mustard yellow due to the lighting and camera. The other uniforms (dress uniform and wrap) are clearly green. So I suppose the real debate would be, what's more screen accurate? What appeared on screen or what the actual costume was made of.

In the DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" Sisko does specifically say that command wore gold rather than red.

The third season’s new double knit material does certainly appear to look greener on screen.

On the boots… did you say “brown?” I thought they were black.

phase pistol · Mar 10, 2008

On the boots I said get the BLACK version of the Jedi boots. Jedi usually wear the brown but you can usually find black in the same style. Costume shops sell them. Basically any calf-high boot you can wear up under the short pant leg.

]

The pants are often gray rather than black.

Now then the command color. Yes I know that Theiss quote has caused a lot of grief. I don't think you could ever call the command color "lime green". I've seen two verifiable TOS command outfits in person, and I wouldn't characterize the color as "lime green" or even "green". I'd say you could call it "the yellowest green imaginable." :lol

I think it does photograph just a tinge yellower than in person. Some scenes in the remastered TOS seem to show a color similar to how I remember the shirt looking in person. But TOS is lousy with colored lights which can throw off perceptions.

Outdoor scenes potentially show the color more accurately... but it's still on film, so viewer beware.

Now what could Theiss possibly have been talking about that was "lime green", that's so specific. Well certainly the wrap arounds Kirk wore in the first and second seasons, were clearly green.

As you can see when compared with regular command shirts, the wrap is much much greener.

darthgordon · Mar 10, 2008

phase pistol said:
On the boots I said get the BLACK version of the Jedi boots. Jedi usually wear the brown but you can usually find black in the same style. Costume shops sell them. Basically any calf-high boot you can wear up under the short pant leg.

]

:lol I knew I couldn't have read that right. I don't know why you said the black version of the brown boots, though. I confuse easily. :wacko

Yeah, the black Jedi, Military, Clavalry Riding boots will work. Careful though. Sizes run small.

The toe isn't as pointed and the heal isn't as high, but very few people would notice... and for 30 bucks....

Motorcowboy makes two very good looking boots, but that is if you've got 350.00 to drop on boots you'll rarely wear.

I noticed in your pic here that the tunic seems to have a sparkle effect...

It's the first time I've ever seen it. Is it just the velour and the lighting?

It looks kind of greenish gold.

phase pistol · Mar 10, 2008

Nope, that's right, the velour has a bit of sparkle to it. Exaggerated by the camera flash I'd think.

The shirt in that photo is a "second season" velour worn by Shatner.

- k

peter1701 · Mar 11, 2008

Please tell me those are your arms above the uniform in the picture, and your not holding it on your lap:confused

phase pistol · Mar 11, 2008

All I can say is that none of those limbs in the photo are mine! :lol

Gregatron · Mar 12, 2008

The command tunics do have a very greenish look in certain episodes (such as the bridge scenes in "Shore Leave"), and there is often a greenish look to the highlight areas (edges) that aren't being directly lit by the stage lights.

Also note that the remastered episodes reveal a much greener look for the tunics than previous TV, video, and DVD versions of the episodes.

Compare the original DVD transfer of the second pilot to the remastered HD transfer.

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=24

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/thumbnails.php?album=3

I'd say it was a combination of the material, lighting, film stock, and telecine techniques that made the shirts look gold-ish on TV instead of yellow/gold-green.

darthgordon · Mar 12, 2008

You have a point... so maybe Theiss wasn't far off when he said this. It still never looked lime green to me.

Of course, I have no idea what "Remastered" is actually using for the transfer to HD. My understanding is that the original film elements has long since been destroyed.

I'm so torn. Who has a time machine?

phase pistol · Mar 12, 2008

The pilot episodes uniforms are a whole other ball of wax. For one, there's no red; only command gold/green, peach, and blue

I'm not 100% certain that the command color in the pilots is the same material and color as in the series, but it seems likely.

Both the command color and the peach color in the pilots, can come out an orange color in photographs.

- k

Treadwell · Mar 12, 2008

darthgordon said:
My understanding is that the original film elements has long since been destroyed.

Where'd you hear that? I was pretty sure the original negatives were still extant.

darthgordon · Mar 12, 2008

Yes, but if you look at the rest of the remastered episodes, the command uniforms look more green.

Funny thing is, that for the longest time I thought they only had two colors in "The Cage" and WNMHGB- gold and blue. Turns out they were green, peach and blue.

So early on in the 5 year mission, it must have been the peach shirts that always died.

I'm guessing Starfleet stopped using the field jackets sometime in between Pike and Kirk's command b/c it was too difficult for hostile aliens to figure out which one to kill.

Gregatron · Mar 12, 2008

darthgordon said:
You have a point... so maybe Theiss wasn't far off when he said this. It still never looked lime green to me.

Of course, I have no idea what "Remastered" is actually using for the transfer to HD. My understanding is that the original film elements has long since been destroyed.

I'm so torn. Who has a time machine?

As I understand it, they've gone back to the original camera negative.

Due to the limitations of 60s era printing and broadcasting, TOS has always looked one way. The remastered episodes have a much lusher and more detailed look to them, and the colors of the sets and costumes are now probably look much closer to how they did in reality.

darthgordon · Mar 12, 2008

Treadwell said:
Where'd you hear that? I was pretty sure the original negatives were still extant.

I don't know where I read it but it's supposed to be one of the big reasons they have trouble re-doing the FX in the live action shots. If they had the original negatives before the FX were added the wouldn't have to rotoscope them with the old FX.

I'm sure there's got to be a better inside look on the DVD set... if anyone has it maybe they could chime in and let us know.

Star Trek TOS costume help

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