Jump to content

2017 Uniform Thread


Recommended Posts

18 minutes ago, Baquan said:

Seems like lots of corps are going hatless these days. What's up with that?

One winning corps did it the year prior.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Baquan said:

Seems like lots of corps are going hatless these days. What's up with that?

Probably because last year's champion did it, among other reasons:

- Hats take up a lot of space in vehicles that need all the space they can get

- Extra uniform costs.

- Limits full movement/vision capabilities of the performer.

- It's what the taste-makers in the activity like (I saw a Facebook post from a well-known figure from WGI (with a little bit of a DCI background) railing against hats and traditional DCI uniforms. Seems to be the direction other designers are going).

- The extra "height" that they add can be somewhat remedied by better uniform design.

Just to be clear: I'm not really 100 percent for or against. I'm all for trying out new stuff though (even though I think it's funny that today's DCI groups are doing what DCA groups like the Govenaires and Empire Statesmen have done for years).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar said:

Probably because last year's champion did it, among other reasons:

- Hats take up a lot of space in vehicles that need all the space they can get

- Extra uniform costs.

- Limits full movement/vision capabilities of the performer.

- It's what the taste-makers in the activity like (I saw a Facebook post from a well-known figure from WGI (with a little bit of a DCI background) railing against hats and traditional DCI uniforms. Seems to be the direction other designers are going).

- The extra "height" that they add can be somewhat remedied by better uniform design.

Just to be clear: I'm not really 100 percent for or against. I'm all for trying out new stuff though (even though I think it's funny that today's DCI groups are doing what DCA groups like the Govenaires and Empire Statesmen have done for years).

 

Just gonna rebut that hats space and costs aren't really relevant as valid reasons when we include the props that every corps is using into the discussion.  I'm fine with hats or not...

I am also fine with uniforms, costumes, or not....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Baquan said:

Seems like lots of corps are going hatless these days. What's up with that?

 

7 minutes ago, Hrothgar15 said:

One winning corps did it the year prior.

Yeah, but 2016 Bluecoats were merely following 2015 Jersey Surf's lead.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, jjeffeory said:

 

Just gonna rebut that hats space and costs aren't really relevant as valid reasons when we include the props that every corps is using into the discussion.  I'm fine with hats or not...

I am also fine with uniforms, costumes, or not....

Fair enough. Those were really just guesses on my part, though I can imagine smaller groups using that same reasoning.

As someone who marched with a classic, fitted shako ... it was a cool look. Everything else about it sucked, especially if you were the assistant DM and tasked with keeping track of plumes.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar said:

Probably because last year's champion did it, among other reasons:

- Hats take up a lot of space in vehicles that need all the space they can get

- Extra uniform costs.

- Limits full movement/vision capabilities of the performer.

- It's what the taste-makers in the activity like (I saw a Facebook post from a well-known figure from WGI (with a little bit of a DCI background) railing against hats and traditional DCI uniforms. Seems to be the direction other designers are going).

- The extra "height" that they add can be somewhat remedied by better uniform design.

Just to be clear: I'm not really 100 percent for or against. I'm all for trying out new stuff though (even though I think it's funny that today's DCI groups are doing what DCA groups like the Govenaires and Empire Statesmen have done for years).

I'm actually less concerned about the fact that corps are going hatless. It's been done for a while, whether it was the middle of a show, the end, the first half, etc. And the amount of unusual headgear doesn't concern me either - the Bridgemen and Velvet Knights have worn unusual headgear decades before these show-specific uniforms used them.

What I'm more concerned about is the increasing use of spandex, which I'm pretty sure has become popular this season due to the amount of body movement in today's shows. And yes, you can thank the Bluecoats for introducing that material to the activity last season. I hope it's a fad that fades, but it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was going to link an article, but long story short--the trend to more and more "busy," "loud," "maximal," "eccentric" designs isn't limited to drum corps, you see it in automotive styling as well. In marching arts, giant plumes, weird headgear, digital printing, half-capes, layers, sequins, weird colors and combinations, various sleeve designs, etc. have become the norm. Car stylists have been turning to creases, "character lines," larger grills, bigger wheels, blacked-out panels, elaborate LED lighting patters, and huge badges to create "brand identity" in the last decade. Let's go to the pix

1992hondacivic.jpg

This is a Honda Civic from the late 90s. It's kinda the automotive equivalent of late 90s uniforms, which were often all variations on "jacket with an angle." "Star Trek: The Next Generation" uniforms, as my mom called them. Classy, simple, maybe a little generic, anonymous and boring if you marched for a corps which used standard Fred J. Miller templates (Capital Regiment--the 2005 Kia Rio of uniforms?)

SCV 1999: 

ScvSnares1999_4.jpg

Now check out the 2017 Civic: 

2017-Honda-Civic-Hatchback-Sport-Touring

Blacked out grille and areas around windows, big badge, fancy multi-bulb lights at and aggressive angle, large and mostly fake vents, creases on the...everywhere. There's a lot going on. 

57bf13c978434.jpeg?width=1400

[Note: I thing BD's unforms in the last 10 years have been good, but there are a lot of things going on]. In both realms, some people find it ugly and "over-designed," and some designs are more successful than others. 

IDK just an observation

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a lot of the corps are losing their traditional identities by having such drastically different uniforms this year. 

I get that the activity changes and it's always evolving or going backwards depending on your view on the matter, but most corps don't even resemble the thing that makes them so proud to wear that uniform.

For example, I marched Crossmen in 2014 before then their uniform was generally black with a white cross and that to me was iconic. When they showed us the new uniforms I was a little bummed out that I couldn't wear one of those sharp black and white uniforms. Though they kept the cross on the chest which made in bareable for me. 

Just my opinions

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...