Thursday, December 8, 2016

My Dream Party-Cinema Spotlight on Star Trek The Original Series Journey to Babel

Now despite the title of the post I actually hate parties.   I'm extremely shy and rather socially awkward and basically my ideal of hell is a cocktail party filled with people unfamiliar to me.  Even family parties make me nervous.  However, I love looking at vintage pictures of Holiday parties.  The more pedestrian the party the better.


These people look quite happy, or at least tipsy.



I love the tinsel on the tree here.

The dress on the girl on the left is just divine.


I love this guys shirt or whatever it is he is wearing.
However, there is only one party I'd like to attend and it is a fictional one, and unsurprisingly it is from the Star Trek universe.


I mean how fabulous is this party!
The episode is one from the original series second season, Journey to Babel, it aired in 1967 and the fabulous colorful kitschiness of the 60s is all over it.  The plot involves the Enterprise hosting a gathering of alien diplomats, including Spock's father, not all of whom have benign intentions.  The story is clever and well done, but what  I love most about the episode is the costume and set design.  William Ware Theiss, Star Trek's first costume designer, who I wrote about here, outdid himself in this episode.  

Usually Theiss's designs where emblematic of the swinging 60s and rather skimpy, focusing viewer attention on ample amounts of alien skin, but as this episode basically deals with an intergalactic U.N. summit the costumes are more covered up and Theiss had lots of fun with fabrics, colors, and trims.   I love every single outfit!

The Vulcans are very covered up and regal.  Lady Amanda Spock's human mother arrives in a vest over some sort of 60s column dress with a huge stand up collar.  My favorite touch is the elbow length gloves.   I also love Sarek's, Spock's vulcan father, military inspired tunic.




Sarek has some nice brocade on his party outfit:


But being a Vulcan it's still for Star Trek at least a rather subdued look.  Lady Amanda being a human gets to have more fun with her clothes.  Like the Vulcan's she is covered up and elegant, but there are plenty of fun touches.  Her party outfit is a psychedelic 60s caftan:




And later she wears a high necked red dress with pink marabou feather trim on the sleeves.



The Vulcan's are just the tip of the costuming ice berg in the episode though.  There is the pig people race, they seem to love shiny fabrics, 



and the little gold people in fezzes. I love the look of the cocktails they are carrying, are those some sort of futuristic gum drop ice cubes?
There are also tons of colorfully costumed extras in the background.  Each more outrageously attired then the last.

The only alien race with slightly boring costumes are the blue skinned Andorians who are wearing chain mail with leather vests.  They are kind of the bad guys of the episode though so maybe Theiss thought they should dress down.  



The Star Fleet dress uniforms on Kirk, Spock and McCoy are my favorite of all the costumes. I love, love, love the gold braid.



The set design in the party scene is also amazing I am obsessed with the psychedelically colored fruit and the brightly colored squares, I guess they are ice cubes?  And the decanters filled with futuristic cocktails.

I even have the perfect outfit to wear to this party if only I could go!  My Mexican Patio Set it even has the gold braid and everything!




Seriously though, I just love this image of a bright, colorful, and diversely costumed future.   So much better then the functional, drab, and boring direction that fashion is heading.  




14 comments:

  1. I'd love to go to this party and mingle with Spock, Kirk and McCoy, but I have nothing to wear. Your outfit is perfect.

    How many closets do you have?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol only 1 walk in closet and it's only 3/4 full but my husband never buys clothes

      Delete
    2. Lol only 1 walk in closet and it's only 3/4 full but my husband never buys clothes

      Delete
  2. Pfizer added oral tablet Viagra in 1998 and it created uproar, that is contrary to the reaction typically related with a release of any regular medicine. considering the fact that then more then 23 million human beings were positioned it to precise use. http://testoupmaxfacts.com/vmax-male-enhancement-reviews/

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not one for parties either, the very idea makes me anxious and I am not good at small talk, I have a tendency to waffle when nervous.

    I love how vibrant these party costumes are! No wonder you like the idea of going so much and you'd be the belle of the ball in that dress xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. I luffs your dress!!!! The colour looks great on you.
    Yes, we luffs the outfits on Star Trek….is it true that Scottie had to keep his boots on wiv sellotape in the first Movie?
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. We have one party to attend. I'm terrible at small talk but have gotten better over the years. A tip that helped me was to remember that people love to talk about themselves, it's just human nature, so have a few generic questions ready and just be a good listener. I do love family parties though!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm with you about parties. I hate them :-) But those party scenes sure are fun to see! Love outfits in Star Trek, and your dress is beautiful. Gold braid makes them look very elegant!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That dress is spectacular! SHE doesn't like parties much. We think a Star Trek party would be fun, because everyone would be in character...no boring small talk.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This party was probably the inspiration for future Star wars bar scenes! I think our day to day clothes are boring but the stuff you see on the runways is anything but! Those colorful "ice cubes" look like Play Doh squares ;-)

    PS Monday I start a new job. But Saturday is their Christmas party. Talk about awkward and uncomfortable! I'm going but I will definitely feel like a fish out of water!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congrats on the job. I love that they used play doh or what appears to be play doh as set design in the 60s I think it's way more fun then the current high tech special effects

      Delete
  9. I'm not much of a "party animal" either. Love the kitschiness of the Star Trek party though! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love the pics from this party! It would be amazing to somehow be able to walk into this party and be there. Your dress is amazing and would be absolutely perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oooh, you sparkle! That Star Trek party must have been great fun to shoot. I bet everyone had a brilliant time.

    I'd go to the Addams Family party from the first film, oh yes.

    ReplyDelete

Link Within

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...