A new exploration of Veronica Layton's style by abouttime

Veronica appears in her jungle-wear on TLW but occasionally dons other apparel. Since she is in her jungle-wear so often, it is quite refreshing to see her in other outfits when the occasion arises.

Before I begin, I want to be perfectly clear that any criticism of an outfit is not a criticism of Veronica; she is an absolutely gorgeous woman. The criticism is directed at the outfits she wears and, unfortunately, not all outfits accentuate her beauty, but rather hide it. A most unfortunate occurrence when it comes to such a stunning woman.

I will use a highly sophisticated rating system to rank the different outfits. The rating system will consist of a freckle rating, fashion rating, and overall rating. All ratings are on a scale of 0-10. The freckle rating is based on the number of freckles that are exposed and the more freckles that are exposed, the higher the rating. I think it goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – that freckle counts are an important part of fashion and the higher the rating, the better the outfit. CAP, a highly influential fashion expert, who has done ground-breaking work on the style of Lord John Roxton, deserves all the credit for this objective analysis technique that I found invaluable in my research. The second rating, the fashion rating, is based solely on the clothes. The always meddling Fashion Plateau editor and publisher made me add this rating (otherwise, this article would have been out sooner). The third and last rating, the overall rating, is Veronica’s overall appearance. This last rating I add in the first two ratings with Veronica’s physical appearance. Now again, keep in mind, this is a very difficult rating to get high marks on.

The first episode we see Veronica in an outfit other than her jungle-wear is in “Stranded”, the second part of the pilot. She is dressed up to be given to the Assai’s father, leader of the Zanga tribe. Frankly, the outfit is not very flattering. This should not be surprising since Veronica has been injured and cannot provide her usual good judgment.

The outfit consists of a violet halter-like top and violet skirt. The color, a sensuous purple, provides an elegant contrast with her well-tanned, shapely body; unfortunately, the outfit not only fits loosely, but hangs off of her like a set of curtains. Although her breasts occasionally protrude, most of the time the outfit creates a flat, baggy appearance. Now, I’m not saying that breast protrusion is a requirement but Veronica’s outfits should accentuate her voluptuous curves, not hide them. My freckle rating for this outfit is a 6; my fashion rating is a 5; and my overall rating for Veronica is a 10.

The next episode that Veronica is not in her jungle-wear is in “More Than Human”. When Veronica is captured, the “noble” lizards put her in a blue bikini top and a blue skirt with a slit all the way up her leg. The bikini top wraps tightly around her taut body and is more revealing than her jungle-wear; a very beautiful piece of fabric. Unfortunately, the lizards drop the ball on the rest of the outfit and put her into a long blue skirt. I think they were going for a belly-dancer look, maybe. The skirt hugs her shapely hips but it hides her legs!  I like the color, a solid azure, but it surprises me that a lizard community would have such an outfit. I would have expected white or brown. Now if Veronica were at a health spa on vacation on a tropical island, then this would be great outfit.  Fortunately the bikini top saves this outfit from being a bad fashion statement. My freckle rating for this outfit is an 8; my fashion rating is a 3; my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is “Prodigal Father” where Veronica dresses up for who she thinks is her father.  Veronica wears a blue dress that reminds her “father” of her mother.  The dress consists of a floral pattern top with a conservative upper body exposure and a bluish off-white skirt.  I particularly like the pattern around her waist; it adds elegance to the outfit without being garish.  The outfit as a whole wraps snugly around her upper body and hips, and accentuates Veronica’s curves very nicely.  It is so heartbreaking to see Veronica wear such a darling dress to please someone who turns out to be such a fiend.  My freckle rating for this outfit is a 4; my fashion rating is a 9; and my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is “Chosen One” where Malone is chosen to continue a species. This is the same outfit that Veronica wore in “Prodigal Father”.  She still looks smashing!

The next episode is “Amazons” where Veronica dresses up as an Amazon warrior. Here’s a newsflash: Veronica looks absolutely delicious in this outfit. It is not too different from her regular outfit but the Amazon outfit is made of harder, slick leather that makes her look even sexier – if that’s possible. The outfit is further complimented by long leather strappings, or gloves, that go up her arm. Thank you Amazons!

This outfit gives Veronica a noble and sexy appearance but since it is similar to her regular outfit, I don’t think it has as much impact. With this in mind, I think if I had to choose between her regular outfit and the Amazon outfit, I would choose her regular outfit. Although the Amazon outfit is flashier, I like the warmth that her regular outfit exudes; her regular outfit matches her warm personality even though she is a fighter. My freckle rating for this outfit is an 8; my fashion rating is a 7; and my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is “Stone Cold” where Veronica dresses up as an arrogant socialite. Veronica looks ravishing in the formal red dress. The dress is cut very well and does a masterful job of displaying Veronica’s sexual beauty. The cleavage of the dress is deep but respectful, and at the same time provides wonderful support. I think this dress has the best cleavage out of all of her outfits: it exposes her breasts and pumps them up in a consistent round orb shape yet the formality of the dress makes the cut look natural.  The red ribbon around her neck provides the last flare of formality and finishes the dress off nicely.

Now, later in the story her dress gets pulled off and she is only in her undergarments. Although the scene is enjoyable, the undergarments are not that exciting. At the end of the episode she is completely naked. Now, even though this fits in the category “not jungle-wear”, I’m going to pass on this. I’m not blind but I prefer to approach Veronica’s attire in a respectful manner – albeit, somewhat respectful … let’s not go crazy here. My freckle rating for the outfit is a 6; my fashion rating is an 8; and my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is “London Calling” where Veronica plays herself in a dream by Malone. The outfit is a formal ivory dress with a sash across her neck. The dress is conservative but I think it looks smashing on her. The dress gives her an innocent look that matches her personality -- true, there is quite a bit of exposure on the topside but it is still done conservatively. Veronica looks absolutely angelic in this dress. Even though the dress by itself is enchanting, the sash greatly enhances the dress with a contrasting bright white that puts the dress at the top my list. This is my favorite dress but not my favorite outfit. My freckle rating for this outfit is a 2; my fashion rating is a 10; and my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is “Quality of Mercy” where Veronica and Malone are captured and forced to work as slaves.  The outfit that Veronica is forced to wear is about as close you can get to a potato sack.  Of course, she even makes this sad outfit look good.  The color is not bad but it is boring.  The cut of outfit is boring as well.  There is some attempt at cleavage but the outfit is loose and doesn’t accentuate her curves.  The next time Veronica is taken prisoner the villains need to design their prison outfits with a more seductive look.  However, it just goes to show that no matter how bad the outfit is Veronica still looks like a knock-out.  My freckle rating for this outfit is a 3; my fashion rating is a 0; and my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is the “The Knife” where Veronica plays a call girl in London in another dream. Veronica, as usual, looks voluptuous in this black party dress. The cleavage and support of her breasts are breathtaking. The contrast between her blonde hair and the black dress is breathtaking but maybe it’s because of the character she plays that this dress does not impress me, uh, beyond the cleavage/support design. My freckle rating for this outfit is a 6; my fashion rating is a 6; and my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is “Dead Man’s Hill where Veronica is a bar owner in a cowboy town in yet another dream. Now, believe it or not, I think Veronica looks her best in this episode. She’s in a sharp but casual cowgirl outfit that has very little cleavage and a pitiful freckle count. I like this down-to-earth style on her (the first outfit with the white shirt). There’s nothing fancy about the outfit but it has ruggedness and rawness to it. Although she doesn’t need it, her hat really adds a lot to her outfit; I like the color and the shape of the hat. The hat’s sharp brim reminds me of her direct personality. Of all the outfits that she wears, this is my favorite. My freckle rating for this outfit is a 1; my fashion rating is a 10; and my overall rating is a 10.

The next episode is “Phantoms” where she meets a psycho, nut-- … magnificent piano player in a shifting plane of reality. This was a painful episode to analyze but I will objectively dissect her outfit. Frankly, I didn’t care for the dress too much. Yeah, it was a nice frilly white formal dress, and it look good on her, but I didn’t care too much for the dress. And yes, Veronica did have that pond scene that is quite enjoyable. Ok, that’s enough. My freckle rating for this outfit is a 3; my fashion rating is a 6; and my overall rating is a 10.

Veronica’s mother Abigail is a dead-ringer for Veronica in “Legacy”, so I can’t resist mentioning it here. Abigail was incredibly gorgeous and the outfit reminded me of a Greek Goddess.

That covers all the episodes through season 3 and I can’t wait to analyze SEASON 4. Here is my ranking of the outfits by episode:

1. Dead Man’s Hill

2. Legacy

3. London Calling

4.  Prodigal Father

5. Chosen One

6. Stone Cold

7. Amazons

8. More Than Human

9. The Knife

10. Stranded

11. Phantoms

12. Quality of Mercy

My editor, who never meddles, informed me that I seem to concentrate on the upper body.  I have very good reasons for that.  First, I never make it past the upper body because ... of ... the ... incredible outfits that Veronica wears.  Also, there aren't that many camera shots of Veronica's lower body and the few that are shown usually don't show off her assets (sorry, I tried to resist that line).  In general, the dresses she wears has a bunch of fluffy ruffles -- they're pretty -- what else can I say?  This goes for her shoes as well.  Sorry, but I'm a guy; most of us are just not excited by shoes.

I had wanted to do further analysis but time did not permit. Because of my concern for the integrity of this subject and commitment to the Fashion Plateau, I will continue my research on my own time.