Classic Star Trek
(August 2001)



Tracia had started the tradition of having theme parties to soften the blow of turning 30 with her 80s party, so when Stephanie turned 30, her love of disco warranted a 70s party. I designed her a Flower Power cake in orange, magenta and yellow, and after pondering what would be the most fun costume, I decided against the hippie early 70s and went for the late 70s glam disco era...

From: britta Date: Tue Jun 04, 2002 03:52:58 PM US/Pacific To: Britta Peterson Subject: Classic Trek Lieutenant Peterson of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (Classic Star Trek) 2001: A Space/Time Birthday Odyssey So, in 2001, the big three-oh was coming up to greet me, and since my friends who turned 30 before me had costume parties, I took the opportunity to do the same....but what would be the theme? Tracia had an 80s party and Stephanie had a 70s party, but since I wasn't born until 1971, what decade was left for me? 90s? Too recent. 60s? I wasn't even born yet. So, since it was 2001 anyway, I thought of "2001: A Space/Time Odyssey" in hopes that people would come in costumes of characters throughout the history of science fiction. For myself, I chose the Classic Trek miniskirt outfit, a la Uhura, since it was one Trek costume I had not yet done, and it also satisfied the logical pattern of 60s being next in the party sequence. The other bonus was that since I was a Trek fan even before Star Trek The Next Generation came out, I had a copy of the original StarFleet Manual, which included pattern templates for "non-replicated unform construction." Fair warning - this pattern is a pain in the (fill-in-the-blank-of-your-choice)! Due to the asymmetrical neckline the construction is radially symmetric, not the standard bilateral symmetry, if you remember your geometry terms, so you have to pay CLOSE attention to which side is which. Another tidbit: When I revisited the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas in February 2002, I paid close attention to their costume display...I got the red fabric perfect! Not velour, but the shorter pile "suedecloth" fabric, although the display costume was the "extras" style with the waist seam that was also used for Dax in DS9 Trials and Tribblations, not the Uhura/Chapel style with all vertical seams, which is what I made. So, with my costume concept settled, I decided I needed some cool props. Google led me to a few online retailers that were selling brand-new Star Trek Classic Communicators complete with the flip mesh, authentic sounds & lights...but wait - there's more! Flip open the inside lid and you'll find not only a digital clock, but also a calculator! And you can even record your own message on a digital chip (but the playback quality is horrid)... With the communicator purchased, I went on eBay to see if I could find any other props for a decent price, especially since my costume was going to be one of the cheapest I've made due to the minimal amount of fabric in that teeny dress... ;) I discovered that if I had the foresight back in 1995-96, I could have purchased Classic Trek tricorders, phasers and communicators from the Playmates toy collection at Target & Toys R Us...but alas, they have been discontinued for quite awhile. Of course, all those dealers did have the foresight to stock up, so they will gladly auction them off on eBay. I picked up my tricorder, complete with authentic noises, lights, and a light up miniature "TV" screen on a BuyItNow option for $34 including shipping...for a toy that cool, it was worth it! :) Hair: Okay...so not all of this is my own hair this time (my hair had been cut to shoulder length from the Valkyrie length only 4 months before!...but the strand that hangs down from the large twisty bun is my own ) The majority of the bun is my mom's old "fall" (long ponytail hairpiece vs. a full wig) from the 60s, which conveniently blends well enough with my hair color, thanks to genetics. Makeup: Of course I tried for 60s-style makeup, which was powder over foundation, minimal lipstick, blush and contouring, but with heavy liquid black eyeliner. I think I succeeded fairly well. One comment on seeing these photos was "this is not just a costume - this is an historical re-creation!" haha... Insignia: If you look closely when watching Classic Trek episodes, you will see that their insignia patches were embroidered, but with the sparkly gold thread vs. a satin stitch, so the effect it a mottled sparkling gold. I used gold glitter fabric paint on a small piece of black felt on which I had copied the insignia shape in white chalk from the original StarFleet manual, taking great care not to accidentally get gold paint into the center black elongated star or around the black edge. Dress: The pattern from the StarFleet manual fits onto a single 8.5x11" page, so I had to enlarge it. I scanned the page into my computer, increased the size per the scale given on the original, cropped the gigantic image file into 8.5x11" pages, printed them out, then assembled the pages together and cut out the actual pattern pieces. I did adjust the arm lengths to be long enough for me, but I left the dress length as-is since just a shorter hem was sufficient. The original pattern does not include lining the kick flaps, so I added those myself vs. taking an ugly hem all around the edges of the flaps. Yes, the matching panties are included on the original pattern, but I did adjust them for height since I am tall. This is a very difficult pattern to fit properly, since the vertical fitting seams are asymmetrical vs. the human body being largely bilaterally symmetrical, so I strongly recommend having someone assist you in the fitting stages. My standard solo sewing technique of putting my costume on inside-out, then pinning my adjustments does not work on this pattern because of the asymmetry. Also the side zipper under the arm adds a challenge, since zipping & unzipping under your own arm when it's inside out can be quite difficult! Boots, etc: It's obviously hard to tell with Uhura, but the standard Classic Trek look for legs is not nude or suntan, but charcoal gray sheer nylons that gives some shading, but not solid black. These look so authentic because they are vintage black leather boots from the 60s! They are my mom's old boots, which have still held up quite well over the years, especially being used so often by me (in most Trek costumes, for the Avengers, and even during winter at UCDavis!).