Why, all he says is get half tops and gives some bad judgement calls on uniforms. To be a true critic you need to know a bit more about design, striping, style and what comes across hot on the floor.

I've read every post, but probably will stop soon. It is amusing to say the least.

Why wrote:

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Why, all he says is get half tops and gives some bad judgement calls on uniforms. To be a true critic you need to know a bit more about design, striping, style and what comes across hot on the floor.

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hahahahaa!!!! your team must have gotten dissed in a review. i think i know who uniform police is and if it's the person i think it is, they know a lot more than they're letting on in terms of design, striping, and style. uniform police, did you used to coach a college team from texas??? if you did, and you are who i think you are, give me a holler - i was the last guy on the team to nail his toss cupie and you and i worked on it for weeks!!!!!

what do u think of these uniforms?

like the tops the skirts look bulky fon't really liek them much .. of they were shorter they'd match the top better

to Uniform Police wrote:

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what do u think of these uniforms?

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I've previously commented on these before on another thread that was unfortunately deleted here due to controversy. Don't get me wrong, I do like this look, however, I was really expecting NCE's program to come up with something very original this season for their teams, so I have to admit that this look was disappointing. The top is a custom design by Varsity, however Champion Outlaws of San Diego wore this exact outfit a few years back in different colors, and they added rhinestones to the neckline to give it more interest. The skirt, I'm sorry to say, I don't agree with. The original concept for this skirt also came out a few years ago from Cheerleader DanzTeam and was made famous by World Cup's Shooting Stars team. The problem with the skirt is that the star cutout at the hem doesn't stay put most of the time, and ends up looking more like a jagged "M"! Now with a team of this calibur, I have to reiterate the dissappointment I felt from the lack of originality that was put into such an expensive-looking uniform. I'm not saying that copying is a bad thing, but it wasn't what I expected to see from a gym with such innovative qualities. Someone mentioned that Roy designed the uniform, however, this isn't possible - he left the gym (Champion) to move to SBE a few years before the Outlaws adopted this look! The only thing innovative about this uniform is the logo on the chest. Multiple stars built into the 3-color twill make it flashy. The one thing I noticed when I saw this uniform in person are the straps on the backside. Some girls were wearing sports bras and some were wearing regular bras in all shades of black and gray....and the different colored straps showed in the back ON TOP of the black straps featured on the uniform!!! Appropriate all-star lengths and color blocking give it an athletic feel. I believe I awarded this look a 6.5-7 in the previous thread. Again, this is all my opinion, so take it as you'd like.

Another thing I notice here is the use of Zebra print in the bows. Nice effort, but....ummm....no. Design and style is all achieved and based on following through to ensure that the look is seamless and flows well. If you're going to use an animal print on an accessory, you should use it elsewhere on the uniform to tie it in! I recommend a zebra-print pair of briefs (spankies) or sports bra, as standard cheerleading fabrics are currently not available in these prints (but they may well be coming soon - Sorry if I just let one of your upcoming secrets go, Varsity/CDT).

Now, for the critic out there who doesn't think I know enough about striping:

This uniform features 3 different types of striping. The way it LOOKS though, is that there is only one type. What makes this uniform so interesting is the use of color blocking. Many color blocks are shown here in black and white, however, the chest and back portion of the top are actually solid black! The arms may have actual white panels built in, but the white you see on the chest is actually striping! Varsity did this because it's much more difficult and costly to cut the black fabric and insert/sew a white fabric panel when the same look can be achieved by stacking the striping in this case. You can kind of see this by enlarging this picture. To achieve the strappy neckline, black striping was used. This is to reduce the "bulkiness" around the neck area, and help the uniform lay flat against the body better - to achieve this look with actual fabric, you'd have to sew two layers together, making it really thick, bulky, and uneven, if done improperly.

The striping designs used here are a 3/4" solid white for the chest and back, a 1" solid black for the neck and straps, and a 1 1/4" 5-even stripe in metallic gold, white, black, white, metallic gold. Now, this top was offered in two fabrics by Varsity (Motion Stretch, and Motion Flex) and to be honest, I can't remember which option NCE chose. The striping used looks the same between the two fabrics, however, they are very different! Motion Stretch is a fabric that came onto the cheer scene in 1996 and was pioneered by Roy Lozano of US Spiritleaders for the Elite Uniform Company. This is the fabric you see on the back of shell tops usually and is also known as "rib-knit" polyester. Motion Flex is a fabric that was created by crossing the standard polyester thickness with lycra (used mainly by dance teams and colorguard) and presents a smoother, softer, stretchier feel. This fabric came onto the cheer scene around 2002, and was presented by Varsity exclusively at first. The downside to this fabric is that when a hole is put in the uniform, fixes are more apparent when you try to stitch into it to fix the hole/snag. Also, the white version of this fabric does not by any means do well when mixed with moisture and chalky deodorant - what will result is a yellowish stain if you're not careful! (Tip: NEVER use this fabric for areas under the arms of a uniform!!!) Back to the striping... The striping used for Motion Stretch is polyester based and has less "give" to it when you move. The striping used for Motion Flex fabrics have actual lycra woven into it to give it more "stretchiness". The reason I point this out, is that, for those of you who are interested in building custom looks and having them made by companies who are not used to constructing custom uniforms specifically for cheerleading, you need to be sure that the material content in the striping matches the fabric you chose! Do not cross-mix the fabric and striping! The material used to create striping for Motion Stretch is slightly less expensive than its lycra counterpart, and some inexperienced companies will try to use it on a lycra-based fabric to save some money; usually resulting in a disasterous fit!

*whew* How's that for a lecture based on some knowledge of striping and design? :)

That's it for now, folks. The weather in Texas is beautiful, but there's work to be done here for sure! Cheer hard, be safe, and Happy Holidays!

Love,

The Uniform Police
TheUniformPolice@yahoo.com

dissed wrote:

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Why wrote:

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Why, all he says is get half tops and gives some bad judgement calls on uniforms. To be a true critic you need to know a bit more about design, striping, style and what comes across hot on the floor.

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hahahahaa!!!! your team must have gotten dissed in a review. i think i know who uniform police is and if it's the person i think it is, they know a lot more than they're letting on in terms of design, striping, and style. uniform police, did you used to coach a college team from texas??? if you did, and you are who i think you are, give me a holler - i was the last guy on the team to nail his toss cupie and you and i worked on it for weeks!!!!!

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Email me at TheUniformPolice@yahoo.com and let's talk :)

Actually one of the first teams to have the star cut out was not Shooting Stars ....it was a team called Extreme Athletics out of Wichita, they wore it around 2002/2003. I loved their uniforms. They are no longer around but still.

Nicole - Airborne wrote:

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Actually one of the first teams to have the star cut out was not Shooting Stars ....it was a team called Extreme Athletics out of Wichita, they wore it around 2002/2003. I loved their uniforms. They are no longer around but still.

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i think uniform police said the skirt was just made famous by WC not that they were the first to have it. and WC definitely made it famous, they are amazing!