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Japanese Astronaut Gets Designer "Space Suit"

Posted by samzenpus on from the look-good-anywhere dept.

Naoko Yamazaki knows you have to look good at work even if your work is in outer space. Japanese fashion designer Tae Ashida has created a designer suit for the female astronaut to wear during her stay on the International Space Station. "As a female designer, I chose a design and colour with a sense of grace ... so that she can feel at ease as she carries out a tough mission in a male-dominated, bleak atmosphere. It's like a dream come true to see my clothes worn in space," said Ashida. "I'm looking forward to seeing her wear my design."

110 comments

  1. Skills by Ltap · · Score: 1

    Might be a good designer, but definitely isn't a good artist. Either that or she thought the astronaut's legs were the same length as the rest of her body.

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    1. Re:Skills by c++0xFF · · Score: 1

      Don't worry -- I hear stilts are all the rage among astronauts these days.

      Fashion ... I still don't understand it.

    2. Re:Skills by gzipped_tar · · Score: 1

      The woman in the drawing looks distinctively non-human. I wonder whether the designer had mistaken "astronaut" for "alien life" when she was doing that.

      --
      Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
    3. Re:Skills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Japanese animation often exagerates leg lengths, I don't see it as a problem.

    4. Re:Skills by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Might be a good designer, but definitely isn't a good artist. Either that or she thought the astronaut's legs were the same length as the rest of her body.

      I have yet to see any fashion design sketches that were anatomically correct in their proportions. I gather that such sketches are meant to be impressionistic rather than realistic.

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    5. Re:Skills by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      It seems you usually have to dial back a designer's work about 50% in order to get something practical. This is true of car designs too, the stuff they show at auto shows usually aren't practical, the one you get off the assembly line has had a lot of changes.

    6. Re:Skills by zero_out · · Score: 1

      Might be a good designer, but definitely isn't a good artist. Either that or she thought the astronaut's legs were the same length as the rest of her body.

      I noticed the same thing. This is particularly odd considering that women (on average) have proportionally shorter legs than men, and asians (on average) have proportionally shorter legs than non-asians. Maybe this designer suffers from leg envy?

    7. Re:Skills by v1 · · Score: 1

      didn't you know, when you're in space the lack of gravity causes your legs to expand back up to their 'natural length'

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      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    8. Re:Skills by v1 · · Score: 1

      Japanese animation often exagerates leg lengths, I don't see it as a problem.

      It's not a problem. Until they start trying to design clothes for real people. That's when the problems start.

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    9. Re:Skills by toastar · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't worry -- I hear stilts are all the rage among astronauts these days.

      Fashion ... I still don't understand it.

      Also popular among astronauts, Standing?

    10. Re:Skills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry -- I hear stilts are all the rage among astronauts these days.

      Those aren't stilts, they're leg implants.

    11. Re:Skills by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Leg lengths? That's new to me. I thought it was just eye size and hair pointyness.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    12. Re:Skills by Migraineman · · Score: 4, Funny

      Definitely Pencilshopped. I'm certain I've seen this on PencilshopDisasters.com.

    13. Re:Skills by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Yeah it's standard procedure for concept car sketches to have the car running 20x18" rims, crazy-low-profile tires, a quarter inch of fender gap, 2"-4" of ground clearance, with angles and curves that look awesome but won't play nicely with the assembly line machinery or the 35+ year olds (AKA the people who can actually afford new cars).

      That said, this fashion designer's sketch is way more absurd.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    14. Re:Skills by JavaBear · · Score: 1

      She flies in space, so she must be an alien.
      I certainly don't recall any human looking quite like that.

    15. Re:Skills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      You obviously don't watch enough anime, I bet you probably have a girlfriend too. GTFO breeder!

    16. Re:Skills by Gilmoure · · Score: 1

      Aaaaugh! Worst production car design I ever came across was an '85 Camaro Berlinetta. You had to part drop, part slide in to the drivers seat, if you didn't want to remove your left knee cap on the dash. Then there was the deal with the turn signal being a flat piece of plastic sticking out of the dash and not on the steering column. Always kept bumping it. The radio/cassette player was on this stalk that was free standing (with a big chunk of dash behind it sculpted back) and when it broke, well, no replacing it and no where to install a new system (early 90's, not a lot of choice in car audio then). There was no glove box either, just another large swath a sculpted plastic that served no purpose. Now, all that being said, yeah, full digital dash and STNG curves made it look cool as hell but trying to use it? Bleah. I drove that damn car for over 100,000 miles and it was the inspiration for me to go in to industrial design. Was so glad once I sold it and got a '69 Camaro. Much better layout and high back bucket seats were more comfortable. Go figure.

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
    17. Re:Skills by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Definitely stilts are easier to use in a zero-G environment.

    18. Re:Skills by Necroloth · · Score: 1

      Don't forget aerodynamic feasibility doesn't even appear on the radar for designers! Not all sweeps and curves are aerodynamically beneficient, despite how cool it may look! It's always a constant struggle between Aero and Designers (I work for a highly premium brand) and it's the Aero guys who are battle scarred and broken nosed as they always end up being the ones to compromise and having to make the best out of a brick.

  2. Fashion news, thanks samzenpus by Megaweapon · · Score: 1

    *sigh*

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    1. Re:Fashion news, thanks samzenpus by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      But it's on the Internet! How cool is that?

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  3. Wow by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

    Great job Tae Ashida, that looks like the perfect outfit for anyone whose lower legs are longer than the rest of their body.

    --
    "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    1. Re:Wow by Bob-taro · · Score: 1

      Great job Tae Ashida, that looks like the perfect outfit for anyone whose lower legs are longer than the rest of their body.

      Funny coincidence: the designer's name is "Ashida" and "ashi" means "leg" in Japanese. I say coincidence because that's not what the "ashi" part means in the name.

      --
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  4. Sets a HORRIBLE example for female youth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    No girls are going to be able to live up to the high-fashion ideals of calf length without some serious orthopedic surgical intervention.

    1. Re:Sets a HORRIBLE example for female youth by gzipped_tar · · Score: 1

      Look on the bright side, bro.

      Perhaps the fixation upon the unattainable body characteristics will be exactly what gives the next generation's geek girls their first ideas in differential geometry...

      --
      Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
  5. Those legs seem a bit long by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 1

    Japanese people aren't especially known for their legginess. Or height, for that matter.

    Ashida is probably going to need to have that thing fitted.

    1. Re:Those legs seem a bit long by DarkKnightRadick · · Score: 2, Informative

      Considering the astronaut has already been in space for two days now....

      --
      "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
    2. Re:Those legs seem a bit long by zerokyuu · · Score: 1

      Japanese people aren't especially known for their legginess. Or height, for that matter.

      Ashida is probably going to need to have that thing fitted.

      The best part is that there is kind of a pun on Ashida, it can be written with the kanji for legs plus the end of the sentence marker (pronounced ashi da). This can be translated as "The legs." Or.. maybe from the name we can tell that this person does indeed have very long legs (hence the name).

    3. Re:Those legs seem a bit long by boristdog · · Score: 1

      Japanese people aren't especially known for their legginess.

      YOU have obviously never been to Tokyo. All I remember is legs. All women between the ages of 16 and 36 seem to wear is miniskirts or short-shorts. When it gets cold they put on thigh-high hose.

      A leg man will go crazy in Tokyo. I have banned one of my best friends from ever going, as he is rather infatuated with legs.

    4. Re:Those legs seem a bit long by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

      That's true, except that most high school girls there nowadays have rather pudgy legs.

    5. Re:Those legs seem a bit long by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 1

      Which is fine, since as a grown man you're not supposed to be staring at the legs of high school girls anyway, are you?

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    6. Re:Those legs seem a bit long by K10W · · Score: 1

      hmmm I'm gonna regret asking but please do tell how you know this? You have a healthy reason for studying the legs of a large number (you use the word "most") of Japanese minors I presume. Enjo kosai ain't what I mean by valid reason either.

  6. So... by bgarcia · · Score: 1

    Is this astronaut planning on wearing stilts in space?

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  7. Wait... by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    Is that suit designed for a human?!? It's gonna be awfully hard to find a model with 6 foot long legs to model it! Perhaps this was a competition to design the most stylish suit for an alien...

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  8. Space chiropractic by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 1

    I bet in zero-g you could really get the best spinal alignment of your life.

    1. Re:Space chiropractic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The adjustment technique would probably require modification for zero-g. After all, chiro was designed with a 1-g environment in mind...

  9. There's a mental picture I can't get rid of! by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    Japan's astronauts have shown a penchant for space entertainment in the past. Great... tentacle-porn hentai anime... in space!

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  10. Misleading title by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Space suit refers to the equipment needed to operate in vacuum.

    This is just a set of "work clothes" for one particular astronaut.

    --
    retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
    1. Re:Misleading title by sjwest · · Score: 1

      Since space gear is mostly bespoke tailoring (you dont want a leaky spacesuit) already surely designer (branded) clothing is a bit of a come down.

    2. Re:Misleading title by sznupi · · Score: 4, Interesting

      And BTW some people are working on space suit (proper) technology which does end up looking rather fashionable; relying on the obserbation that human skin is already a pretty good "space suit", except for providing mechanical pressure:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_activity_suit
      http://mvl.mit.edu/EVA/biosuit/index.html

      PS. Definatelly provides an argument to my views that, while there really isn't something like too little breasts, there is something like "too big" ones - seems they have some some chance of being containing to Earth and dying out once we set for the stairs ;p

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    3. Re:Misleading title by Progman3K · · Score: 1

      Thanks. That was the first comment I read in this discussion that was actually useful and not just a snide comment.
      I'm sorry, I know posting fashion stories on Slashdot is already a longshot but I still wish the geeks would use their considerable intelligences towards insightful comments instead of what I've been reading for the past few years.

      --
      I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
  11. Mod this up! by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 1

    Really annoying to click thru and find it is just work clothes, not a pressure suit for the vacuum of space.

    --
    Infuriate left and right
  12. April 1st is over people! by Phizzle · · Score: 1

    It looks like something that a six year old would draw, and the comments that come with it are pretty detached from reality. Stick to designing clothes for giant robots and vampires with multiple prehensile penises.

    --
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  13. Because an ugly female-astronaut can't perform by Superdarion · · Score: 3, Insightful
    So, a woman manages to overcome all the dificulties it represents to move in a male-dominated environment, doing what few women have done in the past, struggling not only to accomplish her main mission in space but also to destroy those obsolete, yet still in place, ideas that certain areas belong to men only, and here comes some idiotic designer saying "a girl has to be pretty"?!

    so that she can feel at ease as she carries out a tough mission

    Fuck Tae!

    1. Re:Because an ugly female-astronaut can't perform by coaxial · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So, a woman manages to overcome all the dificulties it represents to move in a male-dominated environment, doing what few women have done in the past, struggling not only to accomplish her main mission in space but also to destroy those obsolete, yet still in place, ideas that certain areas belong to men only, and here comes some idiotic designer saying "a girl has to be pretty"?!

      Most women can do both. Just because they can do anything a man can do, doesn't mean they can't be feminine.
      To imply that femininity necessitates lesser performance is down right sexist.

    2. Re:Because an ugly female-astronaut can't perform by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 1

      So, a woman manages to overcome all the dificulties it represents to move in a male-dominated environment, doing what few women have done in the past, struggling not only to accomplish her main mission in space but also to destroy those obsolete, yet still in place, ideas that certain areas belong to men only, and here comes some idiotic designer saying "a girl has to be pretty"?

      How many times have you had a woman appear before Congress and one of the things the news story mentions is what she is wearing? Just because a woman has overcome sexism to get where she is doesn't mean that sexism is done with her. And, yes, women are still judged that way.

      --
      That is all.
    3. Re:Because an ugly female-astronaut can't perform by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Hear hear. There's something particularly depressing that they even have the cheek to suggest that it's sexist when women aren't expected to dress up and look pretty, by labelling that "male".

      I'm reminded of the recent news of a Barbie computer geek. Yes, apparently the idea that in computer jobs, women can wear what they like, just like men do, is sexist, and it would be so much better if women were under pressure to dress up and wear make-up like a Barbie doll, like they have to in many other jobs. Again, we have the ridiculous tactic of painting this as being "a man's world":

      Web developer and former dotcom employee Rachel Andrew says, in style terms, computing is still a man's, man's, man's world.

      "It's very much a young man's industry," says Ms Andrew, now director of Edgeofmyseat.com. "Women find the need to become quite laddish. You try and become very geeky and not particularly feminine."

      According to her, expecting women to dress up and behave differently to men is fine, because that's what being a woman is about, but jobs where they don't have to do this makes it a "man's, man's, man's world". (There's nothing stopping women wearing make-up in a geek job - or indeed the men, come to that; in most jobs we don't have that choice, but geek jobs are more tolerant for all sexes. How is that a sexist thing?)

  14. Where's the school girl skirt? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Based off what I have picked up over the years on Japanese culture (from pr0n), I would have assumed that a spacesuit for a female Japanese astronaut would have incorporated some kind of school girl uniform motif. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed.

    1. Re:Where's the school girl skirt? by v1 · · Score: 1

      or maid? you can't forget the maids

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
  15. slow news day? by ckaminski · · Score: 4, Insightful

    My god, the summary leads you to believe they actually made a designer "space-suit", you know, for EVAs. At least that's what it led *me* to believe.

    This is GAP for the Japanese Space Agency. Boo!

    Man, legs like those could wrap around you twice!

    Must be a slow news day.

    1. Re:slow news day? by geekoid · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "This is GAP for the Japanese Space Agency. Boo!"

      What's wrong with that? the more everyday stuff that gets involved in space, means space is getting more accessible.

      --
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    2. Re:slow news day? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My god, the summary leads you to believe they actually made a designer "space-suit", you know, for EVAs. At least that's what it led *me* to believe.

      If you mean Neon Genesis EVAngelion, Gainax has already made a couple of test plug suits.

    3. Re:slow news day? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We were hoping for a design based on, you know, anime?
      I mean, I'm just sayin.

    4. Re:slow news day? by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

      My god, the summary leads you to believe they actually made a designer "space-suit", you know, for EVAs

      For EVAs? No, those are called plug suits. And they're pretty hawt if you're into underage girls drawn with sexually disproportionate bodies.

      --
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    5. Re:slow news day? by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Man, legs like those could wrap around you twice!

      OMG, I just figured it out. You know why her legs are so long? Two words: Tentacle Rape.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    6. Re:slow news day? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      <3 Rei Ayanami.

    7. Re:slow news day? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's really not true. At all. It's the technology, not the fashion. 1950's much?

  16. Japanese design? by geekoid · · Score: 2, Informative

    At least it will have ports for tentacles~
    .

    --
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    1. Re:Japanese design? by Kingrames · · Score: 2, Funny

      but making those holes is part of the fun!

      --
      If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.
  17. Ye gods, those legs by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Maybe next time she can design a spacesuit for a human. It's been a long time since the fashion industry designed anything for actual human beings.

    1. Re:Ye gods, those legs by Bugamn · · Score: 1

      You know, people in space need to be sensitive about other species too!

  18. Legslonger than body by Psychotic_Wrath · · Score: 1

    I don't usually tag things but I thought this deserved the tag legslongerthanbody

    --

    Doctors do Massage in Longview WA now, who knew?
    1. Re:Legslonger than body by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, and legslongelthanbody.

  19. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "so that she can feel at ease as she carries out a tough mission in a male-dominated, bleak atmosphere."

    I don't think anyone is going to feel at ease if their legs are that long and they have to go around the ISS. Plus... SERIOUSLY? Space suits are about functionality and safety, not looking "chic and hip".

  20. idle idle idle by eexaa · · Score: 1

    Shouldn't this belong to idle?

    1. Re:idle idle idle by Captain+Spam · · Score: 1

      Hard to say, really. I mean, from a blunt, immediate standpoint, it IS rather a bit silly and useless, but thinking long-term, if they can pull something like this off, this may be a precursor to treating space travel more like a casual thing (i.e. making science fiction into reality). I'd say it fits in not-Idle.

      Now, if this WERE the future and we were already casually going to our colonies on the moon, and THEN someone decided to do something like this, then that'd DEFINITELY be something in Idle.

      --
      Demanding constant attention will only lead to attention.
  21. Japan. . . Brr. by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 1

    Yep. The Japanese are alien to us.

    Even their electrical sockets don't match ours. The metaphor carries nicely.

    Never the twain shall meet, and if it does, it'll read backwards, the emotional beats will be in all the wrong places, and the story won't make any damned sense upon reflection. Except for Miyazaki. Somehow, he's managed to transcend the weirdness of his own culture.

    His legs fit into his trousers.

    -FL

  22. There are Na'vi on the ISS?? by shugah · · Score: 1

    This photo is obviously hiding her legs and "appendage" http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Naoko_yamazaki.jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naoko_yamazaki.jpg&h=3000&w=2400&sz=1224&tbnid=1BPigELKZjoTYM:&tbnh=252&tbnw=201&prev=/images%3Fq%3DNaoko%2BYamazaki&hl=en&usg=__lwSUAKoG3cM5evUWAC5IMSoM6ho=&ei=yL-8S-qBN4jusQOqreCnBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image&ved=0CA8Q9QEwAw

    --
    If you aren't part of the solution, then there is good money to be made prolonging the problem
  23. 'Designer' Stuff is a Scam by MacGyver2210 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think 'designer' clothing is a scam in any form or market. Paying more for something because a certain person's name is on it is the height of shallow stupidity. Extending this to a market where safety and reliability are the only real concerns, and adding fashion concerns over function, is simply irresponsible. If any of these suits are actually produced and used, it will be abundantly clear why the space program on this planet as a whole is failing.

    --
    If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
  24. But why? by Dr.+Manhattan · · Score: 1

    I have yet to see any fashion design sketches that were anatomically correct in their proportions. I gather that such sketches are meant to be impressionistic rather than realistic.

    A Google image search confirms that. What I don't understand is, why are they like that? Is it some kind of tradition, or does it have some practical purpose not obvious to those with little fashion sense?

    --
    PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
    1. Re:But why? by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 1

      Fashion is an art form, and clothing is often stylized after real world objects. It's no leap of the mind to stylize the body that fashionable clothing is worn on as well.

      --
      while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
    2. Re:But why? by pavon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Except the clothing is intended to be worn on people, so how can you judge if it will actually look good if you design it for aliens? It's like car designers intentionally doing all their drawings such that only 3' midgets can use the car or furniture designers intentionally drawing things out of proportion to the human form. The purpose of sketches is to develop and test ideas before a prototype is made, but if you have to completely rework the proportions between sketching and prototyping then the sketch is worthless for the purpose of judging the aesthetic appeal of the design. It is like the entire fashion industry is in denial about what medium they working in.

    3. Re:But why? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I bet it's just marketing. A designer could probably show a woman a picture like this, and have the woman's reaction be "I want to look like that!" It's not physically possible to look like that, but a long, slender form is viewed as more graceful than a short stumpy guy, so it's probably just marketing. They're trying to sell the fantasy instead of the reality.

      Now that I think about it, there's got to be a connection between this and anorexic models. The models are probably under pressure to look like the drawings (vacant stares and everything).

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    4. Re:But why? by sznupi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, assuming the fashion world is a self-adoration circle (I have yet to see something which would make that impression certainly false), making the designs look better than they really are does serve a purpose...

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    5. Re:But why? by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If they were concerned what it looked like on people, they would have average people as the medium, not 6 foot, 90 lb caricatures of women shaking their hips down a runway.

      These are artists, not engineers. Logic and accuracy need not apply.

      --
      while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
    6. Re:But why? by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      It's like car designers intentionally doing all their drawings such that only 3' midgets can use the car

      Welcome to the world of rat rods:

      http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/02/Bettie_Paige_Rat_Rod.jpg

      http://s-seriesforum.com/albums/jman/rat_rod_s10_2.jpg

      At least on this one the roof has been helpfully removed:

      http://images.thecarconnection.com/med/1932-ford-rat-rod_100170259_m.jpg

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    7. Re:But why? by MrCrassic · · Score: 1

      It is like the entire fashion industry is in denial about what medium they working in.

      They're (mostly) not. People have been taught for a long time that fashion is largely about what people wear. In reality, fashion is an art form like the performing arts, sculpture, painting or even programming. Fashion is about enhancing the aesthetic of the human body through decoration. It's about pushing the limits of what we as people (and as society) think of beauty. The former notion is clothing; it's certainly a practical and pragmatic byproduct of fashion, but it is not fashion.

      This is a chief reason as to why pieces look anatomically incorrect on drawings or why autos look so far-fetched before they hit the production line (which leads to skinny, tall and, sometimes, underfed models and dashboards/interiors that make zero sense). Not all clothing is designed from concept to be sold at Macy's or Walmart; again, that's not what fashion's about. Some pieces are designed to push manufacturing limits; others are designed to just be pretty. When/if they ARE sold, they are usually sold in very exclusive outlets at super-high markups, partly because of manufacturing process (hand-made in a first-world shop or factory) and materials (finest silk/wool/you name it), but also because of demand. By the time they hit Macy's, they're already super old-school in the fashion world.

      It's all about emotion. A fashion-obsessed girlfriend can tell you that.

    8. Re:But why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I understand that fashion is not about mass-market clothing. I understand that like many works of art it is primarily an expression of the artist with the audience taking second priority of it is considered at all. But you said yourself

      Fashion is about enhancing the aesthetic of the human body through decoration

      How can you enhance the aesthetic of the human body if your decorations are not designed for the human body? I'm not talking about the difference between models and average people. If the designer's intent is to enhance the body of a model, then that is fine - it is a perfectly legitimate medium to choose. I am talking about the fact that the sketches don't match even the most extreme of physiques. Thus if they follow their sketches when producing the clothing, it likely wont look as good on the person as it would have looked if it was designed for the target proportions to begin with.

    9. Re:But why? by painandgreed · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The models are under pressure not to detract from the clothes. For fashion photography, the models are pretty much simply living hangers. The are there to make the clothes look good, not the other way around. If you want to women that look good, you would be in glamour photography. I doubt you'd find too many anorexic glamour models, but that is because the subject of the photo is the women, not the clothing. Sure, they could shoot fashion photography like they shoot glamor, but then the focus would be on the women and not the clothing, the thing that they are trying to sell. When complaining about fashion models, you are simply confusing the frame for the picture.

    10. Re:But why? by Gilmoure · · Score: 1

      Find humans with alien proportions?

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
    11. Re:But why? by Gilmoure · · Score: 1

      Fashion obsessed girlfriend?

      You mean the one who had every Diesel Sweeties t-shirt?

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
    12. Re:But why? by Stephen+Samuel · · Score: 1

      ..... It is like the entire fashion industry is in denial about what medium they working in.

      Dude, have you ever seen the bodies that they demand as 'models'? .... More to the point, have you ever met someone who looks like that naturally? We still have the problem of the occasional high-profile model dying from starvation trying to stay 'in vogue'.

      --
      Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
    13. Re:But why? by L1feless · · Score: 1

      Except the clothing is intended to be worn on people, so how can you judge if it will actually look good if you design it for aliens? It's like car designers intentionally doing all their drawings such that only 3' midgets can use the car or furniture designers intentionally drawing things out of proportion to the human form. The purpose of sketches is to develop and test ideas before a prototype is made, but if you have to completely rework the proportions between sketching and prototyping then the sketch is worthless for the purpose of judging the aesthetic appeal of the design. It is like the entire fashion industry is in denial about what medium they working in.

      A comment well deserving of a beer. Lets not also forget the intended purpose of a space suit. Their needs to be room for tubing for Air, cables to check vitals and ports to connect into other systems I am certainly not aware of. There is a reason why space suits look the way they do now. Watch the end product look just like the current model but with a pink sash over it.

  25. jesus fucking christ by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

    Who drew that, an anorexic Rob Liefeld?

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    1. Re:jesus fucking christ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Who drew that, an anorexic Rob Liefeld?

      In case you don't follow American comics, look at this rendition of how Liefeld "broke" Captain America
      This reminds me of a hilarious review of the 40 worst Bob Liefeld shortcomings. Scroll down to item 38 "Feet"

  26. A bit disappointing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Based on what I know of Japenese culture (from watching many fine Japanese pr0n movies), I was expecting some sort of school girl uniform motif.

  27. Barbarella's suit looked better by Latinhypercube · · Score: 0

    Barbarella's suit looked better. How about exposed nipples and knee length boots ? I'm sure the other astronauts would approve.

  28. If Anime taught me anything... by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    it's that space girls wear very short skirts, with bows, etc...

    This design seems a bit too practical if you ask me!

    Also EVA suits should be as thick as paint, and as form fitting. None of this bulky BS the Americans and Russians came up with!

    1. Re:If Anime taught me anything... by dacarr · · Score: 1
      Like your take on the EVA suit. Moveover, though, if I were to design it, the wearer would have to be as mobile as they would be if they were in street clothes - currently existing suits don't exactly allow this.

      Problem with such an idea is that the combined concept would involve something that is a) properly insulating against cold, vacuum, and radiation, and b) primarily consists of a spandex bodysuit. I don't think technology quite exists at this point that neatly combines the two.

      --
      This sig no verb.
    2. Re:If Anime taught me anything... by sznupi · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There you go...

      http://mvl.mit.edu/EVA/biosuit/index.html (check the gallery)
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_activity_suit

      You don't really need insulation from "cold" and vacuum - human skin is already great for those; it's almost impenetrable to gasses, and "cold" isn't the same kind of problem as in the atmoshpere (because there's no direct heat exchange) - after all, vacuum is a pretty good heat insulator (thermos...), so you have to worry mostly about overheating...and skin has great mechanism to deal with that (+ the suit being bright so it won't get too hot in sunlight). Radiation...well, shield for that can be a loose, external (even separate) layer.

      The only major thing human skin lacks is mechanical rigidity; it expands in a vacuum, causing internal pressure of the body to drop. Well, suits from above links combat that expansion by providing mechanical pressure required.

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    3. Re:If Anime taught me anything... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "...insulating against cold..."

      Against the hey what now?

      This is space, not Antarctica.

    4. Re:If Anime taught me anything... by DahGhostfacedFiddlah · · Score: 1

      I haven't seen it mentioned in either of the articles, but I presume they've got a way to deal with the unfiltered solar radiation? Or maybe the answer is so obvious (mm-thick protective fabric) that it wasn't worth the mention.

      --
      Last post!
  29. Space Channel 5 by Captain+Spam · · Score: 1

    Looking over the comments so far, I guess I really am a pathetic video game nerd after all, since the first thing I thought with the combination of "Japanese", "Designer", and "Space Suit" was Space Channel 5, and it looks like nobody else did.

    *sigh* I guess I'll go dig myself a basement to dwell in now...

    --
    Demanding constant attention will only lead to attention.
  30. Lords of Kobol... by sznupi · · Score: 1

    Stars! Once we set for the stars! Not the stairs... (don't be too hard on me, lexical nazis...)

    --
    One that hath name thou can not otter
    1. Re:Lords of Kobol... by Chris+Tucker · · Score: 1

      The Ancients speak of a mystical thing, a thing of wonder and miracles.

      "The Preview Button".

      Although none have seen it for 1000 generations, it is said to exist even yet.

      (Having posted a few really astounding mistakes here, you have my sympathy. I feel your pain!)

      --
      Guaranteed! This comment 100% Anthrax free!
  31. I can't wait until... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When will they design something traditional for an Irish or Scottish astronaut? Imagine that in 0G!

  32. i feel cheated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where's the silver synthetic spandex spacesuit I was expecting ?!

    Preferably with matching high heeled Barbarella boots ... Rrraowrr!

  33. Is there a design for human astronauts too? by Minwee · · Score: 1

    Or will women whose legs aren't two metres long just have to wear bright orange jumpsuits?

  34. OMG! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    It's Slender Woman! 8-(

    (clearly only the males of the species have tentacles coming out of their back...hmm maybe they originate from Japan? It's all coming together now...)

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  35. two words: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    fly naked

  36. WWI and II designs by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    And more importantly, Allies, not Axis.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  37. Standing out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Standing out is a great way to fit in.

    Make sure that everyone around knows that you are different and must be treated differently.

  38. Giraffe? by wisnoskij · · Score: 1

    Is the guy half giraffe or just on stilts.
    That is not even close to human proportions.

    --
    Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
  39. Bleak atmosphere by sabt-pestnu · · Score: 1

    I was actually wondering about that when I went to the article. The summary mentioned "Bleak atmosphere". But the purpose of a space suit is to safely work in a total absence of atmosphere.

  40. The Japanese have gotten taller in recent decades by Estanislao+Mart�nez · · Score: 1

    Japanese people aren't especially known for their legginess. Or height, for that matter.

    However, a lot of their reputation for being short seems to come from before their post-WWII economic boom. Today's younger Japanese are significantly taller than their ancestors. Wikipedia's data is hard to compare (numbers for different countries sample different sub-populations), but roughly, it seems that between 1850 and 2000 (roughly), young Japanese men went from 5' 1" to 5' 7.5". In the same time period, American men seem to have gone from 5' 7" to 5' 10.5". So, again stressing that the data isn't necessarily the best to compare, Americans used to be 6 inches taller than the Japanese, but now are only 3 inches taller.

    Another interesting data point (from the same article): young South Koreans are about 4.7 inches taller on average than comparable North Koreans.

    --

    Are you adequate?

  41. We get it, the legs are long... by penguinchris · · Score: 1

    Seriously... all fashion concept drawings look like this. I don't understand them either, but, apparently designers and fashion-types do if they can translate that to what it will actually look like.

    The thing is, this outfit will probably look great when actually constructed. In any case, it'll look better than if she was just floating around in baggy overalls, and for someone with small proportions it might even be more comfortable.

    Also, Japan has some precedent here: check out Soichi Noguchi's spacesuit - it looks very Japanese and sci-fi/anime-esque, and very cool when compared against the standard NASA suits. Also, check out his photos he posts to twitter from ISS here - some really cool stuff (mostly taken with a professional Nikon DSLR).

  42. Ignorance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    "As a female designer, I chose a design and colour with a sense of grace ... so that she can feel at ease as she carries out a tough mission in a male-dominated, bleak atmosphere," Way to make this more sexist than it needs to be, she should be wearing the same suits as everyone else. In an ideal society we should be able to walk around naked in public, where old fashioned thinking and sexual predisposition such as this is what is preventing such a social advancement, naked bodies are only seen as sex objects because we cover them with clothes, we can't just start walking around naked because both the public and our governments see them as sex objects and such actions are considered undecent exposure.

  43. A great leap forward for gender relations. by Malibee · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm sure designer clothes will inspire the males in the male-dominated atmosphere to take great pains to put the female at ease. Because really what keeps us male astronauts from treating you female astronauts with the dignity and respect that you _deserve_ is simply that you dress like hobos.

    PS: not actually an astronaut.

  44. Re:Japan. . . Brr. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you are a USian, then Japanese electrical sockets DO match yours. Otherwise, they do not, but then, neither do North American outlets.

  45. Re:Japan. . . Brr. by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 1

    If you are a USian, then Japanese electrical sockets DO match yours. Otherwise, they do not, but then, neither do North American outlets.

    Wow. That's the second time in as many minutes where I've had to question my knowledge about really basic things I thought I knew. I have a weird feeling it's going to be one of those months where I've inadvertently wandered into a section of my mind which happens to be a mine-field of 'wrong'.

    I must tread lightly. I wonder what else I'll find. . .?

    -FL