Necklines
Like our initial examination of the TNG jumpsuits in part one of this analysis, we’ll start at the top and work our way downward, then outward, beginning with their necklines.
As you may recall from part one, William Ware Theiss appears to have vacillated between two neckline contours (V-shaped and slightly cornered at the front, versus a wider and more rounded) before landing on a hybrid of the two that was gently cornered.
These TNG jumpsuit necklines all continued to be used throughout most of season two, most notably on Commander Riker and Data – but more on that shortly.
Wood made three significant alterations to these new jumpsuit necklines, including the introduction of yet two more neckline contours.
In contrast to Theiss’ neckline styles, Wood appears to have generally favored one that was more ovular – rounded on the sides (rather than angled) and curved across the center front.
Captain Picard’s jumpsuit necklines appear to have been consistently contoured in this style for the first third or so of the season.
However, toward the early middle of the season, Wood seems to have experimented with a slightly different, more circular neckline.
In the mid-season episode “Time Squared,” he actually wore both styles over the course of the episode.
For the remainder of the season, though, his jumpsuits generally reverted back to Wood’s earlier, more ovular necklines.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison between the two new neckline contours Wood introduced for Captain Picard:
Because their division colors had changed, Geordi and Worf were also immediately given new uniforms for season two, and here you can see Geordi’s jumpsuit necklines were also generally the ovular style Wood introduced:
Worf’s season two necklines were usually Wood’s ovular style, too.
Sometimes Worf’s jumpsuit necklines looked slightly more V-shaped and cornered at the front (like Theiss’ season one necklines), but it’s tough to say for certain.
His season two jumpsuits could’ve had different necklines, or it could’ve simply been his posture.
Side note: Wood also experimented with variations of this ovular neckline style on several of Dr. Pulaski’s medical smocks that season.
As you’ve seen, Wood implemented this new ovular neckline right out of the gate … but only on those members of the cast.
Let’s take a mental step back and reorient ourselves to William Ware Theiss’ necklines from the previous season.
It’s difficult to say for certain, but for the first couple episodes, Commander Riker’s jumpsuit necklines appeared to be Theiss’ wider, more rounded style (although the second example was probably a recycled season one uniform):
For most of the season, Riker’s necklines were gently (but obviously) cornered at the front, in the “hybrid” style Theiss appears to have favored toward the end of the first season.
Note that even Riker’s newly-made uniforms (specifically for season two) consistently had this neckline style.
Data’s jumpsuit necklines were consistently cornered for the first two-thirds or so of the season, although this may have simply been because he was still wearing his existing uniforms from season one.
Spiner was given new uniforms with Wood’s updated detailing for the last third or so of season two, beginning with the landmark episode, “Q Who.”
These new jumpsuits had distinctly different necklines from his previous ones, although curiously they were slightly wider and less ovular than those on Captain Picard’s, Geordi’s, Worf’s, and Dr. Pulaski’s uniforms.
I also find it curious Spiner was given a new batch of uniforms with Wood’s season-two-style detailing (which she seemed pretty set on by that point) the episode after “Pen Pals.”
It seems to me like a “Data episode” would be the ideal opportunity to debut a new uniform …
Perhaps some episodes were shuffled around, the filming schedule was changed, or his new uniforms simply weren’t ready in time?
Or if Wood was indeed being sly with her uniform design changes, maybe a “Data episode” would’ve been too high-profile and risky?
In any event, here’s a side-by-side comparison between Data’s angled, season-one-style neckline (seen throughout the first two-thirds or so of season two) and his more rounded, season-two-style:
Most of the supporting characters that season appear to have had the angled, season one-style necklines (especially the women), although how much of that was direct intent versus costume recycling is anyone’s guess.
Indeed, Captain Louvois’ jumpsuit possibly had the most sharply angled/cornered neckline from the entire show.
On the other hand, both Q and Sonya Gomez had jumpsuits with the wider, more circular necklines.
Naturally, all this overlap resulted in multiple neckline styles being clearly seen simultaneously in the same shot.
Neckline Trim
In addition to introducing two new neckline contours (bringing the count up to five, for anyone keeping score!), Wood also modified the division-colored neckline trim in two ways:
First, she noticeably widened the neckline trim from the previous season. (She and her team also appear to have taken more care to keep the neckline trim a consistent width throughout season two.)
As you may recall, in season one the neckline trim was a mere sliver at first that eventually widened to 3/16”, which is what William Ware Theiss seems to have preferred.
However, for season two, Wood appears to have slightly widened the neckline trim to an even ¼”.
(As of the writing of this analysis, I haven’t studied a screen-used TNG jumpsuit specifically from season two, so this is admittedly just an estimate, but even working solely with screencap comparisons one can clearly see the neckline trim was noticeably wider in season two.)
In addition to the previous examples, observe the more prominent neckline trim on Captain Picard’s season two jumpsuits:
Here are a couple more examples of Commander Riker’s wider neckline trim:
And here examples of the wider neckline trim on Data’s later, season two jumpsuits:
This wider neckline trim was most easily observable on Geordi’s season two jumpsuits:
Here are a couple comparisons between the (narrower) season one and (wider) season two neckline trims:
The other aspect of the neckline trim that Durinda Rice Wood changed was how it was attached.
As you may recall from part one of this analysis, in season one the neckline trim extended outward from underneath the neckline. (The strip of trim fabric was folded in half, sewn to the neckline, and the seam allowances pressed under.)
However, in season two, the neckline was actually bound with the division-colored trim, similarly to how bias tape is used to enclose raw edges.
In other words, the trim actually wrapped over the edge of the neckline, and the underside was secured into place with a “stitch-in-the-ditch” along the outer edge of the trim.
Here are some examples in which one can clearly see the neckline trim wrapped around the edge of the neckline, rather than extending toward the neck from underneath the yoke.
Here’s a comparison between the season one and season two neckline trim constructions:
In these two auction photos, one can also see that unlike the season one jumpsuits, the neckline trim allowance was simply trimmed away close to the stitching, with no hand-sewing along the edges to secure the allowances to the underside of the yoke.
Of course, these neckline changes weren’t universal; many of the uniforms were reused from season one and the wardrobe department would’ve had to prioritize, so I believe it safe to assume that these neckline changes were only made to the “hero” jumpsuits specifically made during season two.
One curious exception to this is Chief O’Brien, who joined the cast as a recurring character and appeared in nearly episode of season two.
While it’s possible the gold uniform he wore for his brief nameless appearance the previous season was reused, considering his number of appearances and larger role in the show, I believe he would’ve almost certainly had one or more new uniforms made specifically for him.
However, the neckline trim on his jumpsuits was done in the season one style, both in terms of width and construction.
Yoke Piping
Durinda Rice Wood made similar alterations to the division-colored yoke piping: specifically its contour, as well as its overall width – but again, somewhat inconsistently across the cast.
Curiously, even though Captain Picard exclusively wore newly-made uniforms throughout season two, his yoke piping generally appeared to be the narrower width seen throughout the first season.
Observe how his yoke piping was slightly narrower than the (wider, season two-style) neckline trim.
Sometimes, though, his yoke piping did appear slightly wider, and more analogous to the neckline trim.
On Captain Picard’s uniforms, Wood also straightened the contour of the yoke piping and extended it outward slightly more.
Worf’s season two uniforms also had the narrower, season-one-style yoke piping; again observe how the yoke piping on his uniforms was slightly (but noticeably) narrower than the neckline trim.
Geordi’s season two uniforms, however, consistently had wider yoke piping.
And unlike Captain Picard’s new uniforms, the yoke piping on Geordi’s new uniforms retained its strongly-pronounced, double-curved contour from his previous season one jumpsuits.
Like Captain Picard’s and Worf’s uniforms, Commander Riker’s jumpsuits usually had the narrower yoke piping; again observe how it was slightly narrower than the neckline trim.
Like Captain Picard’s and Worf’s uniforms, Commander Riker’s jumpsuits usually had the narrower yoke piping; again observe how it was slightly narrower than the neckline trim.
As mentioned previously, Data continued to wear his season one jumpsuits (or newly-made jumpsuits almost identical to his previous ones) for the first two-thirds or so of season two, so of course his yoke piping was the narrower season one style.
Curiously though, on his new batch of uniforms (which he wore for the last third or so of the season), his yoke piping appeared to remain this narrower width.
Again observe how the yoke piping on his later jumpsuits was noticeably narrower than the neckline trim.
Observe also how on his earlier jumpsuits, the yoke piping only extended outward the approximate length of the human clavicle (“collar bone”).
Here one can easily see how like on Captain Picard’s season two jumpsuits, the yoke piping contour was straightened and extended farther outward toward the shoulders.
As with his neckline trim, Chief O’Brien’s season two uniforms continued to feature the earlier-style yoke piping.
Most of the other season two guest characters also had the narrower yoke piping, although again this may have been due to season one costume recycles rather than creative intent.
However, both Q and Sonya Gomez had uniforms made specifically for season two that also had this narrower yoke piping.
Yoke Depth
One of the more significant ways Durinda Rice Wood altered the TNG jumpsuits was by deepening the yokes and expanding their vertical proportions at the center front.
You might recall that William Ware Theiss had experimented with the yoke depth and vertical proportions the previous season, and of course there was a minor degree of variation simply due to “human error” during construction.
The majority of Commander Riker’s season two jumpsuits had yoke depths and proportions comparable to those on the season one uniforms.
During the second half of the season, his jumpsuit yokes slightly deepened – but more subtly than those on the rest of the cast’s uniforms.
Naturally, the earlier-style uniforms Data wore for the first fifteen episodes all had the tighter yoke proportions from the first season.
His later jumpsuits had a significantly deeper yoke, though.
As with the other elements of his season two uniforms, Chief O’Brien’s yoke depths were consistently analogous to those from the first season.
Several of the guest characters that season wore jumpsuits with similar yoke depths, although again, at least some of these may have been primarily due to older uniforms being reused.
At least one of Captain Picard’s season two jumpsuits had a center front yoke depth comparable to those of his uniforms from the previous season.
However, for the overwhelming majority of the season, his jumpsuits had the deeper yokes that Wood seems to have favored.
Geordi’s season two jumpsuits also had deeper yokes, although they were generally seen with two different vertical proportions.
Some had the yoke trim vertically centered (or nearly centered) between the neckline trim and the lower yoke seam, which was generally the standard for these uniforms.
However, Geordi’s season two jumpsuit yokes were sometimes “top heavy,” with the yoke piping disproportionately lowered toward the lower yoke seam (rather than vertically centered).
Worf’s season two jumpsuit yokes were also deeper, although some were noticeably deeper than others.
Although some of the guest characters that season wore jumpsuits with the earlier yoke proportions, several others wore jumpsuits with the deeper yokes – including both Q and Sonya Gomez.
Interestingly, Gomez appeared in two consecutive episodes but wore two distinctly different uniforms.
Her second uniform actually had one of the deepest yokes we ever saw.
Fun fact: I believe Ensign Gomez’ second uniform was subsequently reused at least three other times.
Near the end of season two, Ensign Clancy’s jumpsuit probably had the deepest yoke from the entire show.
These deeper yokes weren’t simply cases of the jumpsuits stretching out over time; they were definitely patterned and cut this way intentionally.
Here are some close-up auction photos of this area on some season two jumpsuits:
Based on these examples, I estimate the season two yokes generally ranged from approximately 1⅛” to 1 ½” deep at the center front, although there were obviously more extreme deviations (such as Ensigns Gomez and Clancy).
As with the necklines, all this variation inevitably resulted in some jumpsuits with noticeably different yoke depths being seen simultaneously, in the same shot.
The season two jumpsuit yokes were also significantly deeper than their predecessors across the back.
Lower Yoke Seam
Directly related to the deepening of the yoke was the slope of the lower yoke/upper body seam.
As you may recall from part one, this seam gently curved downward from the center front to the outer sleeve area – so gently, in fact, that it often looked almost horizontal across the upper chest.
With a couple notable exceptions, Wood retained this gentle downward curve on her season two jumpsuits.
Commander Riker’s season two jumpsuits were consistently patterned this way:
The lower yoke/upper body seam on Geordi’s season two jumpsuits were also patterned this way.
Naturally, the seams on Chief O’Brien’s season-one-styled jumpsuits were as well.
And of course, the early-style jumpsuits Data wore for the first two-thirds or so of the season were consistent with those from season one.
Although the yokes on Data’s later jumpsuits were patterned quite differently, the lower yoke still curved gently downward away from the center front.
Except for Chief O’Brien, this was also true for most of the season two guest characters– both those wearing reused costumes, and those with newly-made ones.
Miss (Ensign?) Gladstone’s lower yoke had a sharper downward curve, almost angled – but I believe she may have been wearing one of Dr. Crusher’s uniforms from season one and her shoulders weren’t broad enough to fill it out, affecting the drape of the jumpsuit.
And finally, at least one of Captain Picard’s season two jumpsuits had a gently-curved lower yoke seam.
I mention all this not to rehash elements we already covered in part one, or to belabor the point, but to provide context for the following two uniform outliers in season two.
For some reason, both Captain Picard’s and Worf’s season two jumpsuits had different lower yoke seam contours; rather than the gentle downward curve, they had a slight M-shaped double curve that formed a slight corner at the center front.
Captain Picard’s jumpsuits had this M-shaped contour nearly every episode that season.
This could also be clearly observed from the side (for example, while he was lying down).
Worf’s season two jumpsuits often (perhaps always?) had this M-shaped lower yoke contour as well.
Occasionally I observed what might have been a similar, albeit far more subtle effect on Geordi’s and Commander Riker’s jumpsuits, but it may have just been their jumpsuits pulling a bit.
In fact, I’d initially wondered if perhaps Captain Picard’s and Worf’s jumpsuits were simply being tugged down at the front (“Picard maneuver” and all), but it happened far too often and consistently to simply be a fitting issue.
Here are a couple close-up photos of their season two jumpsuits, in which one can see that the M-shaped lower yoke contour was intentionally patterned.
At present, I believe that this anomaly wasn’t necessarily an intentional design aesthetic, but a minor issue caused by a different approach to fitting the jumpsuits to these two actors.
As best I could determine, the season one jumpsuits closed upward vertically from the waist (although the screen-used Dr. Crusher TNG jumpsuit I examined was let out a bit over the bust area, resulting in a slightly curved upper front seam).
However, we know how unhappy the cast was with how uncomfortable these jumpsuits were, and as discussed in part one, William Ware Theiss had experimented with looser fits on Captain Picard over the course of the first season.
Considering Patrick Stewart’s objections and Michael Dorn’s imposing physique, it seems they would’ve been logical candidates for an experimental new fitting technique.
My theory is that the torso area was fitted differently, in an attempt to achieve a similarly skin-tight aesthetic but more comfortable (or at least, less uncomfortable) wearing experience for the actors.
In the previous two examples, one can see that in both cases, the horizontal “weave” of the jumbo spandex actually appears to be slightly diagonal (rather than parallel and flush) at the upper front area.
I believe this may have been because instead of closing along a straight vertical seam, the front closure/allowance was cinched in from the chest upward toward the neckline.
For example, a similar effect can be observed on some of the TWOK-era “monster maroon” jackets; note the mismatched diagonal weaves of the cavalry twill fabric toward the neckline:
But whatever the reason and/or cause, the result was (again) different lower yoke contours being seen simultaneously in the same shot.
Outer Yoke Area
Another consequence of the deepened yokes – and a significant alteration to the TNG jumpsuits in general – was the manner in which the yoke extended onto the upper sleeve area.
Since Commander Riker’s jumpsuits retained most of the characteristics of the season one uniforms, the yokes on his jumpsuits “dipped downward” onto the sleeves similarly to how they had previously.
The same was true for the early-style jumpsuits Data wore for the first two-thirds or so of the season.
A few of the guest stars’ jumpsuit yokes did as well.
Ensign Mendon’s yoke actually dipped way down onto the sleeve for some reason; perhaps Wood was experimenting with a more extreme contour?
Regardless, I think we can ssafely dismiss Mendon’s as an outlier.
However, Wood definitely seems to have preferred jumpsuit yokes that didn’t curve downward over the sleeves as much, instead extending almost straight across them.
(Up to this point the season two changes we’ve examined have mostly been subtle, but this was a major deviation from the season one jumpsuits.)
Observe how the lower edges of Captain Picard’s season two jumpsuit yokes extended almost straight over the sleeve, hardly curving downward at all.
From the side, one can see that the yokes only had the slightest downward curve onto the sleeves – a far cry from the season one yokes.
Here’s a comparison between Theiss’ initial TNG jumpsuit and Wood’s redesign; note the very different yoke depth, proportions, and overall contour.
In my opinion, the original design had a lovely stylized flair to it, whereas Wood’s season two version was … stockier, more blunt somehow, as if the yoke didn’t “accent” the upper jumpsuit but “capped” it instead.
Here’s a three-way comparison between Theiss’ initial design, his modified design with the fuller yoke, and Wood’s season two redesign.
And here’s a comparison from the side view, in which one can clearly see how the yoke barely curved downward onto the sleeve compared to the previous versions.
Worf’s season two jumpsuits had similar outer yoke contours.
Here’s a side-view comparison between Worf’s season one and season two jumpsuit yokes:
Although less extreme as the differences between Captain Picard’s uniforms, the overall effect is similar.
The jumpsuits Data wore for the last third or so of season two also had Wood’s redesigned yokes.
Here are some comparisons between Data’s earlier (season one) and redesigned (season two) jumpsuits:
Side note: Wood designed similarly-styled yokes for Dr. Pulaski’s medical smocks and her Starfleet admiral uniforms that season.
Curiously though, Geordi’s season two jumpsuit yokes had more of a downward curve onto the sleeves than Captain Picard’s or Worf’s, even though all three characters were immediately given new uniforms that year.
The same was true for Chief O’Brien’s season two jumpsuits.
Aside from the aforementioned exceptions, season two guest characters often wore jumpsuits with Wood’s redesigned yokes – again including Q and Sonya Gomez.
