In this epic conclusion to our deep dive into the TNG jumpsuits, we’ll be discussing some of the similarities and differences between all six of the screen-used TNG jumpsuits we’ve looked at recently.
I won’t be mentioning the blindingly obvious (e.g. earlier vs. later uniform styles), differences of proportion (e.g. sleeve length, which would have been actor-specific), or inconsequential minutiae (e.g. slight asymmetrical irregularities in an individual jumpsuit).
Instead, we’ll be focusing more on the stylistic design elements and construction techniques utilized for these screen-used jumpsuits – common themes and characteristics they shared, as well as details that varied with each individual uniform.
These include varying approaches to patterning and fitting different areas of the jumpsuit, how allowances were handled different ways in different areas, and how common “problem areas” were dealt with (or not dealt with) on different jumpsuits.
Five of the six jumpsuits featured in this comparison were individually examined in recent blog posts, which you can read about via the links below (if you haven’t already):
- Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit
- Beverly Crusher season 1 jumpsuit
- Worf season 1 jumpsuit
- Ensign Sito season 7 jumpsuit
- Later-seasons male extra jumpsuit
- Tasha Yar “Yesterday’s Enterprise” jumpsuit
Very special thanks to the owner of all these costumes, Angelo Cifaldi, for the opportunity to study the first five, and for providing reference photographs of Tasha’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise” jumpsuit variant.
I’d also like to thank my Ko-Fi supporters for helping make this happen. 🙂
SIMILARITIES
We’ll start with the characteristics that all (or at least most) of these TNG jumpsuits had in common.
On all three of the season 1 jumpsuits, the neckline trim varied a tiny bit but was usually 3/16” wide.
The yoke piping was also 3/16” wide (minor variations notwithstanding).
(The neckline/yoke trim was also 3/16” wide on both the screen-used TNG skant and screen-used Dr. Pulaski medical smock I examined.)
The neckline seam allowance was usually ⅜”, and the outer edges were catch-stitched to the underside of the yoke with division-color thread.
On the later-style jumpsuits, the collars were shaped as to taper them toward the wearer’s neck.
Both collars were lightly interfaced; I believe there was only a layer of fusible interfacing applied to the underside. (They were squishy, but otherwise stable and did not stretch.)
The collars on both the Ensign Sito and Scranton jumpsuits were consistently 1 ½” tall (plus the division-color piping along the upper edge) all the way around – except for the mandarin-style front, of course.
All five of the TNG jumpsuits I examined had snaps hand-sewn to the shoulder seam allowances, for convenient attachment and removal of shoulder pads.
Both the Ensign Sito and Scranton jumpsuits actually included the original shoulder pads, which were similarly constructed.
(However, the shoulder pads with the Scranton jumpsuit were actually double-layered.)
The shoulder pads with both the Sito and Scranton jumpsuits were heavily structured, with layers of heavy interfacing (and perhaps felt?) inside of the shell fabrics, and also padstitched to help establish and maintain their rounded shape.
On all three season 1 jumpsuits, the invisible zippers appeared to be standard, black 22” retail zippers.
On the two later-style jumpsuits, though, the invisible zippers were longer and appear to have been custom-made.
Above the zipper, Tasha Yar, Beverly Crusher, and Scranton jumpsuits all had two hook-and-eye closures above the zipper.
Naturally, the slits at the bottom of the pant legs on all three season 1 jumpsuits were accented with division-color trim.
The slits at the bottom of both later-style uniforms were “plain,” with no division-color trim.
The construction technique for the lower front pant legs was the same on all three season 1 jumpsuits.
(Do keep in mind that the construction technique for this area changed in season 2.)
The overall construction method for the lower front pant legs was also (mostly) consistent on the later-style jumpsuits, as well.
All of the sleeves and pant legs on the jumpsuits were hemmed, in some manner.
(You wouldn’t think that would be worth mentioning, but remember that the bottom edge of the screen-used Dr. Pulaski uniform I examined was just the raw edge of the jumbo spandex!)
The sleeve hems on all three season 1 uniforms I examined were catch-stitched to the underside of the sleeves.
(The sleeve hems on the screen-used TNG skant and screen-used Dr. Pulaski medical smock I examined were as well.)
However, the sleeve hems on the Ensign Sito and Scranton jumpsuits were hemmed with hem stitching.
On all five TNG jumpsuits I examined, the lower edges of the yokes curved downward slightly, from the center front to the lower/outer corners at the sleeves.
On all three season 1 uniforms, the ascending seam line on the asymmetrical insert had a subtle, lovely curve toward the apex.
On all three of the women’s jumpsuits I examined, the lower front seam lines were cinched in a bit upward from the hips to the waist, essentially performing the function of fitting darts.
The Ensign Sito uniform didn’t have a center front seam, so the two outer seams were cinched in a bit more than the other two to compensate.
(The above photos are to reference the area and body panels only; you can disregard the measuring tape for this particular point of interest.)
On the Worf season 1 jumpsuit, the outer/diagonal seam lines weren’t cinched in, but the center front seam was, so I’m including this in the “similarities” category with that disclaimer.
A common “problem area” on all five TNG jumpsuits I examined was the yoke/body seam allowances at the armscye area; the lower allowance just refuses to go downward!
(Having made quite a few of these TNG jumpsuits myself, I can personally attest to how difficult it can be to properly control the seam allowances in that area. Jumbo spandex usually behaves fairly well, but the bulk there resists all attempts at sculpting via ironing and steaming.)
On all five of the TNG jumpsuits I examined, the side front seam allowances changed directions partway down the seam.
The upper portions of the allowances were pressed toward the front, but the side front (black) allowance reversed toward the bottom of the seam, and the allowances were sewn into the waist seams entirely open.
The side back seam allowances similarly changed directions.
DIFFERENCES
Now that we’ve established some of the major similarities between these TNG jumpsuits, we’ll take a look at the myriad of ways they differed from each other, and some of the qualities unique to individual uniforms.
For example, the sleeves on the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit were a noticeably different color than the jumpsuit body!
Although five of the six jumpsuits were cut with the jumbo spandex “weave” horizontal (and the stretch going up and down), the Ensign Sito jumpsuit was cut in the opposite manner: with the “weave” vertical and the stretch going around the wearer’s body.
(I’ve seen other TNG jumpsuits that were cut with different orientations and combinations, which I mentioned in my updated TNG jumpsuit analysis.)
Strangely, the sleeves of both the Beverly Crusher and Worf season 1 jumpsuits were cut on a sharp diagonal, but not the true bias.
The sleeves on the Tasha Yar “Yesterday’s Enterprise” jumpsuit were also oriented on a sharp diagonal.
(I’ve yet to determine to what extent this was a “thing,” or why it even was …)
As you may recall, the front yoke dimensions/proportions varied considerably over the course of the first couple seasons – both unintentionally (it can be difficult to properly control the spandex in this area during construction), and by design (Durinda Rice Wood seems to have intentionally deepened the yokes over the course of season 2).
And as you can see below, the Dr. Crusher jumpsuit yoke was noticeably “taller” than the other two at the center front.
Although the Worf and Tasha Yar yoke dimensions were quite close, the trim on Tasha’s uniform was positioned a bit lower and was slightly mismatched at the center front.
Personally, I regard Worf’s center front yoke dimensions as “ideal” in this regard, at least for season 1.
On most of the TNG jumpsuits I examined (as well as the screen-used TNG skant and screen-used Dr. Pulaski uniform), the neckline and upper/lower yoke seam allowances were ⅜”.
However, on the Beverly Crusher jumpsuit, the neckline seam allowance was slightly larger, ½”.
In fact, despite conventions to the contrary, nearly all of the seam allowances on Beverly Crusher’s jumpsuit were ½”.
(I’ll mention a few more as we go.)
The upper right front area on the Tasha season 1 jumpsuit was reinforced with fusible interfacing, but that area on Beverly’s season 1 jumpsuit was reinforced with a layer of fabric, and the same area on Worf’s jumpsuit wasn’t reinforced at all.
The upper/lower yoke seam allowances on both the Tasha Yar and Beverly Crusher jumpsuits were ½” (instead of ⅜”).
Furthermore, the yoke trim allowances were left intact on Beverly’s jumpsuit, but they were trimmed down to ⅜” on Tasha’s jumpsuit.
(As a brief aside, the yoke trim allowances were trimmed down to ¼” on the screen-used Dr. Pulaski medical smock I examined, and down to ⅛” on the screen-used TNG skant.)
On the Worf season 1 jumpsuit, the front upper/lower yoke allowances were very wonky!
They were both ⅜” at the center front, but the lower yoke’s allowance gradually increased to ¾” toward the shoulder. (The upper yoke’s allowance was consistently ⅜.”)
The frontmost 4 ½” or so of the aforementioned seam allowances were hand-sewn together … but only on the right side of the jumpsuit.
As I mentioned above, the yoke/body/armscye seam intersection is a common “problem area” on the TNG jumpsuits.
On the back of Worf’s jumpsuit (but not the front), the lower allowance was tacked down/open by hand.
(There was quite a bit of internal fastening going on inside of Worf’s jumpsuit; I’ll mention more examples as we go.)
Like on the Dr. Pulaski medical smock I examined, the shoulder seam allowances on the Worf jumpsuit were tacked open by hand where the yokes met the sleeves.
All the other front-zipping TNG jumpsuits I examined had two hook-and-eye closures at the top, but the Worf season 1 jumpsuit had three.
On the Tasha Yar, Beverly Crusher, and Scranton jumpsuits, the excess zipper tape at the top of the zipper was turned under and tacked down by hand.
On the Worf jumpsuit, the zipper excess was turned under and machine-sewn down.
And on the Ensign Sito jumpsuit, the zipper excess was trimmed away (and the upper edges of the zipper were presumably protected with liquid fray preventer).
The center front/zipper seam allowance on both the Tasha Yar and Beverly Crusher season 1 jumpsuits was ¾”, but on the Worf season 1 jumpsuit the seam allowance was only ⅝”.
The back zipper/seam allowance on Ensign Sito’s jumpsuit ranged from ⅞” to 1 ¼”, but I believe it was originally intended to be an even 1”.
The front zipper/seam allowance on the Scranton jumpsuit was an even inch.
On both the Worf and Ensign Sito jumpsuits, the zipper allowances were tacked down onto the waist seam allowances by hand.
On both the Tasha Yar and Beverly Crusher season 1 jumpsuits, the lower waist seam allowance was clipped just beyond the (proper) zipper stitching for some reason.
On the Beverly Crusher jumpsuit, there was a horizontal stitch across the zipper tape and seam allowances at the left waist, but not the right …
I have no idea what purpose this stitch served (if any), or why there wasn’t a corresponding stitch on the right side of the zipper.
On the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit, the bust darts were pressed (and sewn into the side front seams) downward.
However, on the Beverly Crusher season 1 jumpsuit, the bust darts were slashed open (except for the tips), and sewn open into the side front seams.
One of the bust darts on the Ensign Sito jumpsuit was similarly slashed open; although the other one was FUBAR, I believe it was intended to have been done in the same manner.
As I mentioned previously, on all three season 1 uniforms, the ascending seam line of the asymmetrical insert had a subtle, lovely curve toward the apex. (See the Worf example below, left.)
However, the corresponding seam line on the Scranton jumpsuit (below, right) lacked this curve entirely and was just a straight line.
Also note the subtler shape of the “point,” as opposed to the more pronounced earlier-style asymmetrical inserts.
Although on the other TNG jumpsuits the back seam lines were straight (or mostly straight), the descending seam line on the back of Worf’s jumpsuit was slightly curved.
One of the most significant differences in these jumpsuits is how the waist seam allowances were handled, particularly at the corners.
On the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit, the left front waist allowances were pressed open, while the outer/side seam allowances were pressed downward then opened up again toward the left side seam.
The only two jumpsuits to share an approach were the Beverly Crusher and Scranton jumpsuits; on these the front waist allowances were simply pressed open along the entire seam.
On the Ensign Sito jumpsuit, the front waist allowances were pressed open along the outer front, except in the middle toward the corner area, where they were pressed downward.
And finally, on the Worf jumpsuit, the front waist allowances were simply pressed upward. (He was more of a straightforward, brute-force kind of guy, after all!)
One of the most significant differences in these jumpsuits is how the waist seam allowances were handled, particularly at the corners.
On the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit, the left front waist allowances were pressed open, while the outer/side seam allowances were pressed downward then opened up again toward the left side seam.
The only two jumpsuits to share an approach were the Beverly Crusher and Scranton jumpsuits; on these the front waist allowances were simply pressed open along the entire seam.
On the Ensign Sito jumpsuit, the front waist allowances were pressed open along the outer front, except in the middle toward the corner area, where they were pressed downward.
And finally, on the Worf jumpsuit, the front waist allowances were simply pressed upward. (He was more of a straightforward, brute-force kind of guy, after all!)
The back waist allowances likewise varied among the TNG jumpsuits I examined.
On the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit, the back waist allowances were simply pressed open. (The bit in the middle wanted to reverse upward because of pressure from the lower center back seam, not because of intentional shaping.)
On the Beverly Crusher jumpsuit, the back allowances were mostly pressed open, but unlike the Tasha uniform, they were both intentionally pressed upward near the center back at the lower corner.
On the Worf jumpsuit, the outer back allowances were pressed upward, but toward the center back they changed directions and were pressed open.
On both the Ensign Sito and Scranton jumpsuits, the left back allowances were pressed open. The outer right back allowances were also pressed open, but toward the corner area the upper allowance reversed and they were pressed downward.
Note that literally none of the jumpsuits used the same technique on both the front and the back.
(These unholy improprieties were probably all attempts to avoid making an unsightly “divot” above the corner on the outside of the garment. No matter how sharply or perfectly you turn the corner, simply pressing the allowances open can result in this “divot.”)
On the Worf jumpsuit, the waist seam allowances were tacked upward by hand to keep them from opening up or flipping downward.
The waist seam allowances on Worf’s jumpsuit were also hand-sewn open at the side seams.
On the Beverly Crusher, Ensign Sito, and Scranton jumpsuits, the corner areas were stabilized/reinforced with a lightweight fusible interfacing.
As I mentioned above, on all five of the other TNG jumpsuits I examined (not the Scranton uniform), the lower front seams were cinched in a bit upward from the hips to the waist.
However, on the Scranton jumpsuit not only was this lower front seam not cinched in, but it was actually let out a bit!
Using the horizontal “weave” of the jumbo spandex as a guide, we can see that the lower front seam was let out ½” up toward the waist on each side (1” total).
The lower front (diagonal) seam allowances were another source of discrepancy amongst the screen-used TNG jumpsuits.
The Beverly Crusher jumpsuit is the only one I would regard as “ideal,” in that both of the lower seam allowances were pressed open for the entirety of the seams.
On the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit, the lower right seam allowances were pressed open, but the lower left allowances changed directions; they were sewn into the waist seam toward the side/back, appear to have been pressed forward for most of the seam, and were finally sewn into the lower front seam fully opened.
Worf’s jumpsuit was basically the opposite of Tasha’s in this regard; while the lower left allowances were consistently pressed open, the lower right allowances changed directions.
And finally, the lower front allowances on Ensign Sito’s jumpsuit were pressed open on one side and for part of the other, but they again reversed partway down.
While most of the jumpsuits (as well as the TNG skant and TNG season 1 admiral uniform I examined) had ⅝” side seam and inseam allowances, the Beverly Crusher season 1 jumpsuit allowances were only ½”.
The Ensign Sito jumpsuit had “cuffs” at the bottom of the pant legs … which, of course, were not actual cuffs at all, but a by-product of shortening the pant legs.
An interesting difference in the three season 1 jumpsuits is the height of the lower front slit in the pant legs.
On the Tasha Yar jumpsuit, the vertical slit was just shy of 6” tall.
On Worf’s jumpsuit, the slit was 5 ½” tall.
And on Beverly Crusher’s jumpsuit, the slit was 4 ½” tall.
The height of the slits on the later-style uniforms likewise varied.
The Scranton jumpsuit slits were 6 ½” tall, whereas those on the Ensign Sito uniform were only 4” tall.
Like the season 1 jumpsuits, the outer edges of the lower facing on Ensign Sito’s jumpsuit were secured with catch-stitching.
However, on the Scranton jumpsuit, they were secured with hem stitching.
Another element that varied amongst the TNG jumpsuits is the manner in which the elastic stirrups were attached.
On the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit, they were attached via triangular-shaped topstitching.
On the Ensign Sito jumpsuit, they were attached via box-shaped topstitching.
On the Beverly Crusher and Scranton jumpsuits, they were attached via a horizontal topstitch just above the hem line, then secured with a “stitch-in-the-ditch” along the pant leg seams.
And on the Worf jumpsuit, they were hand-sewn to the hem allowance.
While the pant legs of all the other TNG jumpsuits I examined were hemmed conventionally (e.g hem allowance pressed upward and hand-sewn), the pant legs on the Tasha Yar season 1 jumpsuit had a bias-cut hem facing, which was cut separately and sewn onto the lower pant leg.
And whereas the sleeves on the other TNG jumpsuits I examined were all hemmed conventionally, the sleeves on the Ensign Sito jumpsuit also had a hem facing, which was cut separately and sewn onto the lower sleeve.
The sleeve hems on all three season 1 jumpsuits were secured with catch-stitching.
However, the sleeve hems on the later-style jumpsuits were both secured with hem stitching.
IN CONCLUSION
I hope you enjoyed this epic TNG jumpsuit comparison!
I’d like to again thank Angelo Cifaldi for allowing me the opportunity for me to study these screen-used jumpsuits, and for providing photos of the Tasha Yar “Yesterday’s Enterprise” uniform.
I learned a great deal from the experience, and I hope you did as well!
All this costume research was in service of producing my Tailors Gone Wild TNG jumpsuit sewing patterns, which include four (!) versions of these uniforms in ten sizes each.
And if you’re interested in making this costume, I’ve also written a corresponding sewing tutorial. 🙂
If you enjoy this blog post, please support my costume research on Ko-Fi.
Every bar of gold-pressed latinum goes toward producing more sewing and costuming resources like this, for everyone interested in Star Trek costumes. 🙂
