Even in this day and age of one story besting another in the blink-of-a-blog, we don’t really forget iconic couture, be it seen across a red carpet, on stage, or video, made of latex, leather, lace (or all 3). And when it comes to those outfits or costumes our favorite fantasy characters wear (especially when they wear them especially well), none of us are soon to forget that which becomes a cosplay staple or might even define a series.
Or fuel our fantasies.
Such was the case with Jeri Ryan’s all too iconic, and so damn sexy, catsuit when she played “Seven of Nine” on the Star Trek: Voyager series and again on Star Trek: Picard. At a recent ST: CHI Trek To Chicago event, the 57-year old actress spoke about her role and how her catsuit, as maligned as loved, fit her so well…in more ways than one.
Starting out in the series “full” Borg, there was an initial error made in fitting the tight costume into Ryan, since the prosthetics she had to wear did not fit well into the outfit, actually causing her to pass out twice when he blood supply was cut off through her carotid artery. When the implants were removed fans came to know Ryan from the most recognized of her costumes, her famous silver jumpsuit. To add inches to her height, the shoes Ryan wore, part of her costume, sported four-inch (10 cm) high heels.
Still, at her recent appearance (see here), Ryan said she was involved in all discussions about her costume fittings, and she was generally fine with how she might have been seen. As she said to the assembled at the recent event:
“She was not that [catsuit].”
The initial catsuit was a skin-tight bodysuit sporting an elastic corset covered in cord elastic. It featured an invisible back zipper, darts rather than seams, and a sheer undergarment called souffle. A later version was made from a thicker, brown fabric, with no corset.
Regardless of what costume we saw and came to love on Jeri Ryan, have we ever forgotten this startling, empowered female?
