Misc. Observations and Errors, part 1

It is unclear whether or not the "captain vest" was intended to normally be worn underneath the jacket, though it does seem that it was intended to appear so - at least in Deep Space Nine. 

For instance, in First Contact (and the deleted scene in Insurrection), it seemed that Captain Picard was wearing the vest instead of the jacket; never did we see him remove the jacket to reveal the vest underneath or vice-versa. He was always wearing one or the other. 

However, on several occasions, we saw the Sisko wearing his jacket open with the vest underneath in full view, and at the beginning of "In the Pale Moonlight" he actually removed the open jacket he was wearing over the vest, seeming to imply that it was always worn underneath the jacket:

DS9, 5x10 "Rapture"

DS9, 6x2 "Rocks and Shoals"

This is similar in style to a 3-piece suit, except for the vest would theoretically be hidden underneath the jacket (unlike "regular" 3-piece suits, in which the vest/waistcoat is, visually, an integral part of the ensemble):

We also saw "Deputy Director" Sloan wearing his vest while his jacket was draped over his chair, which also seemed to imply that he had removed the jacket at some point (despite the fact that he arrived on Deep Space Nine in a jumpsuit and would be in one for the remainder of the episode - heh). 

Then again, Torchw - I mean, Section 31, does manage to accomplish some pretty inexplicable things.

In any event, it does seem that the jacket was supposed to appear to be regularly worn over the vest, but we don't know for certain if it actually was. 

It seems unlikely, though, considering the number of layers the "captain ensemble" consisted of; they would certainly accumulate plenty of unwanted (and unsightly) bulk, restrict movement, and make the actors unnecessary warm (if not uncomfortably hot) during shooting. With an undershirt, the turtleneck-style division shirt, the quilted and lined vest, and the quilted and lined jacket with shoulder pads, that's a total of 10 layers plus shoulder pads! 

Also, the vest having the same bottom edge as the jacket and its front opening dipping to or just beneath the bottom of the jacket's front opening, one would only ever accidentally see the vest while the jacket was closed; the jacket was apparently supposed to totally cover it. The flip side of this, though, is that while the actor was wearing the jacket closed, they could not be wearing the vest, and the audience would never know!

Nemesis

Plus, in one shot near the end of Nemesis, as Captain Picard reached upward, we clearly saw his jacket lift above the top of his pants, revealing both his division shirt and his suspenders, but no vest!

Considering all this, it seems likely that the vest was primarily a "special use" garment that was intended to look like it was part of an everyday "captain ensemble."


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NEXT: Misc. Observations and Errors, part 2