Exceptions and Oddities, part 6

Lastly, a trend began to develop around the 1994-1995 production year (as best we can tell) of creating "sleeve vents" with hook-and-loop tape ("Velcro") - presumably to help the actors stay cool between takes.

The first times we noticed this were all during that production year:

DS9, 3x18 "Distant Voices"

VOY, 1x8 "Ex Post Facto"

Generations

This feature continued to be incorporated on both the VOY jumpsuits and the later DS9/NEM jumpsuits until they were seemingly done away with in Nemesis. 

VOY, 3x23 "Distant Origin"

VOY, 6x21 "Live Fast and Prosper"

Both screen-used uniforms "LtComm" and "Zipkikr1966" were kind enough to photograph and share had the "sleeve vents," and on Zip's, we got a look at how it was done: 

Disappointingly, it seems that the sleeves were not cut and constructed in the style of typical sleeve vents, nor were they done with typical placket techniques; instead, it appears the sleeve vents may have been added later by vertically slashing the bottom of the sleeve, turning the edges under, topstitching Velcro in place, closing the sleeve, folding the upper excess over, and securing it in place via a short, narrow zig-zag stitch. 

In other words, for some reason - probably in the interest of time - the sleeve vents appear to have been rather hastily done, employing neither sleeve vents nor plackets in the traditional sense, but instead a sort of on-the-fly impromptu vent. 

We're not sure if Zip's screen-used is indicative of how EVERY sleeve vent was constructed or not. 

For your convenience, on our pattern, we have included the options to construct "regular" or vented sleeves, but we use and recommend a traditional sleeve vent construction method! However, you are, of course, free to use the method seen and described above, should you desire your sleeve vent to be technically screen-accurate. 

NOTE: We included these in our "Exceptions and Oddities" section rather than in our construction analysis because, while the sleeve vents were common in later years, they didn't seem to be universally incorporated into the jumpsuits, and we see them more as an "optional feature" than an actual, established construction standard.


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