The Uniformed Village!

   You might be forgiven for thinking that Number 6, pictured here on the day of his discharge from hospital, that he's dressed more for school or the Henley boating Regatta rather than as a prisoner incarcerated in a prison. Because make no mistake, and dress it up all you like, The Village is just that. Picturesque and charming it might be, but never the less a prison, and all its citizens are prisoners, even those of its administration. And only those fortunate few are permitted to leave its confines.
   At first glance it must seem that there is no uniform worn in the village, as most citizens are dressed for a holiday camp by the sea, rather than as prisoners. But then if you look more closely all the citizens are wearing the same style of colourful clothing that makes up a Village uniform, including a colourful striped cape. Also colourful trilby hats are much favoured by women, young and old. Even Number 2 wears a uniform of grey slacks, deck shoes, polo neck jersey and either a single or double breasted plain blazer. Only the new Number 2, seen in ‘Arrival’ wears a piped blazer. In fact he wears the exact same style of clothes as Number 6. And the out-going Number 2 of ‘Free For All’ wears a dove-grey jacket with cuffs at the end of the sleeves.
    The female contingent of Number 2's have a more freer code of dress. In ‘Many Happy Returns’ she wears a blue and white diamond dress. But Number 2 of ‘Dance of the Dead’ is more masculine, and wears much the same as her male predecessors albeit more colourful, but minus blazer.
   All the doctors, nurses, and male orderlies have their own uniform. Of course there are exceptions where the females wear skirts and white flat slip-on shoes instead of deck shoes. All the gardeners, electricians, motor mechanics, and painters wear dove-grey overalls and caps. And members of The Village’s administration all wear black clothes and Top Hats. As for both the members of the Committee and the Local Town Council, they wear black Top Hats, grey slacks and various striped jerseys. The Labour Exchange manager appears very business like, but so as to retain a certain individualistic look, he wears a grey tailed coat, and a grey Top Hat sits upon his desk.
   Two people do stand out, the Professor and Madam Professor, because they do not wear any such Village uniform. They are allowed to wear their own clothes, perhaps because they are not permitted to go out into The Village itself. Seemingly to be more or less under permanent house arrest, particularly Madam Professor. Her only contact with other citizens of The Village is either through her art seminars held in the garden of the house, or via the doctor and nurse who are there to be in close attendance to her husband the Professor. Even the Butler wears a uniform, although not strictly Village uniform, but the uniform of a man in the Butler’s position as a manservant.
  So no matter what standing any particular citizen may have in The Village, each wears a uniform, whether he be an ordinary citizen, administrator, guardian, or prisoner. 

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