Seven of Nine Silver Suit, Star Trek Voyager, Research and WIP

[Anniemee]

Hey there RPF!

I'll be giving this build a go in about 6 weeks, and would love any input regarding materials and methods.

The information I've gathered is gleaned from published interviews with the costume designer, Robert Blackman, actress Jeri Ryan, and an old thread on these forums that started the search for the proper fabric.

The fabric has been difficult to emulate. It's supposed to be a speckled (approximately 1/8"), dull silver, 4 way stretch material similar to nylon lycra that photographs VERY differently dependent on the lighting. It was extremely reflective on set and was retired due to difficulties in lighting it properly. (Which disappointed Blackman - the silver was his favorite).





Here is the fabric I ended up purchasing after swatching a gazillion or so samples...

It's a 4 way stretch microdot spandex with silvery speckles and a grey background. The fabric is on the right, upper is about 5 feet away and lower is a closeup. Indoor lighting with flash. Oddly enough, the fabric is way shiner without the flash, but I'm hoping a couple washes will tone it down.

 

[Anniemee]

What really gives this borg her slinky oomf is the under structure of the costume.

The "corset" was constructed out of power mesh fabric with rolled elastic cord sewn in place for the ribbing. It was one piece and zipped up the side.




I THINK the following statement means that the suit was pinned to the corset at those silver hook looking things underneath the bust (any seamstresses have a clue?): “the bust is actually undercut. You go under rather than going from the high point down, it actually scoops under and then comes back to her ribcage. And that’s a series of hooks that the whole thing is rigged to this underpinning.” - Robert Blackman

The corset took 25 minutes to put on with assistance, and the suit another 20. Jeri was sewn into the suit every time she wore it.
Since I'd like to be able to answer nature's call without assistance at conventions, I'll be making some alterations...

I'll be patterning the suit from scratch, and will try and add zippers in the rear raglan shoulder piped seams. Alternatively, I could just put a zipper up the back, adding a seam. For the under garment, I'm thinking of altering a spanx like bodyshaper with powernet bra cups and elastic cord ribbing. Eyeballing the pics, I'm thinking it's about a 5mm width cord.

I'm still researching how to sculpt and cast the borg appliances. I have an offered resource for commissioning pre-made ones, but I'd prefer to do things the hard/fun way if time allows.

 

[bsj1701]

Good luck to you! Looking forward to your progress!

 

[13doctorwho]

I don't know anything helpful, but it's a cool project. The Catwoman in your avatar is awesome by the way.

 

[Anniemee]

Thanks! Catwoman was my first attempt at making a bodysuit from scratch. Hoping that experience will ease Seven's pattern designing.

 

[YenChih Lin]

That looks very good! You did your research very well. But as you probably know, Blackman said, that Jeri was a princess on a pea, who felt everything, so be prepared that this costume might be uncomfortable to walk around with the corset. Probably restricting you from sitting or breathing. The Spandex looks spot on, unfortunately I don't have the number of Blackman… Scott Nakada from SToGaM and Renegades is a friend of mine and has good contacts, but before he could give it to me, Bob moved out of his office from Paramount =(.

 

[Anniemee]

How dare he move offices!
My research has to make up for my relative inexperience. I'm prepared to spend some time finding that sweet balance between accuracy and practicality, as concessions must be made for independent wear and convention going.

 

[fallimar]

I love this, looked at the first post and thought up ideas to make it work - then scrolled down and saw you thought of exactly what I imagined. Woo! Can't wait to see how this comes out, off to a great start! Nice find for the fabric too, looks spot on.

 

[Zur1]

Mad props to you as I don't see many Seven of Nine cosplays. I see that you really want to look for complete accuracy of the jumpsuit/catsuit. I don't know if my input helps but I think you could use invisible zippers shaped as U-shape that runs from the under the pit, runs down the sides & meet in the middle of the lower back. This is if you plan on making the back of the jumpsuit seamless. I believe that could be useful when you have to adjust your corset & shapewear, etc. Good luck!

 

[s4ffron]

This looks great so far! I am just about to start a Seven costume and am doing materials research. Would you mind telling me where you found your fabric? It looks marvelously perfect!

 

[johnhenry13]

Several years ago I made my own attempt at a 7of9 Silver Catsuit. I found the silver metallic 4 way stretch Lycra at Joann's, now you can get just about any Lycra at Spandex House, just be prepared to overpay on shipping! I drafted the pattern from scratch, not too difficult for someone who has done lots of dance costumes, if you don't have that experience, you could start with a unitard and modify it to a raglan sleeve, and add all the seams. The most frustrating step was sewing the piping into the raglan seams, lots of puckering and bad stretching, it's probably best to hand baste that portion and finish with zigzagging. What worked surprisingly well were the "metallic" facial and hand prosthetics. Those I cut out of a discarded rubbery Elvis wig, although any textured rubbery mask material would work. After cutting the pieces to match her original shapes, a coat of silver spray paint, and spirit gum to attach to the proper places, you can get a very close match. Hope this helps on the next attempt!

 

[Anniemee]

I'm back! Better late than never?

s4ffron - here's the link for the fabric! http://spandexworld.com/c3/catalog/product/7055

I'm attempting a fast and furious build this week to have her ready for Wizard World New Orleans.

Here is the initial eye piece sculpt on a partial cast of my face.

 

[Felgacarb]

Great to see work continue. Remember, with ST costumes, it is all about the jounery, or, "trek", rather than just the destination!