Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Janice Rand
8. Rand's Uniform Was Grace Lee Whitney's Idea
Rand's red dress is instantly recognisable to all Star Trek fans, as it is one of the most enduring of all designs. We've seen Uhura, Jadzia Dax, Marla McGivers, and others don the scarlet design, but it was originally made by William Ware Theiss for Grace Lee Whitney.
This came from Whitney's observation to Roddenberry that the standard uniforms were hiding her 'dancer's legs', which led to Roddenberry's request to create something, as Whitney herself would describe it, as 'sensational'.
According to The Making Of Star Trek, by Stephen Whitfield, even though the uniform was designed for Whitney, costume designer William Ware Theiss was still conscious of the actor's weight, and repeatedly advised her to concentrate on losing more. She would see a doctor, who prescribed her amphetamines to kill her diet, which she supplemented with alcohol. Her own autobiography, The Longest Trek: My Tour Of The Galaxy, describes her ongoing struggles with alcohol addiction and abuse at this time.