NYSSA'S WARDROBE




Although Nyssa didn't develop a reputation for wearing the very diverse outfits that prevailed
during Sarah Jane's or Romana's time as a companion, she did manage to turn quite a few
heads with her wardrobe as she tended to wear less and less each episode.  Much of this can
attributed to the influx of fan letters to Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner asking to
see Nyssa in more revealing attire.  So here is quick tongue-and-cheek look at this "innocent"
companion who apparently enjoyed taking her clothes off one piece at a time.












When we first meet Nyssa in "The Keeper of Traken" she is the epitome of innocence, wearing a lovely fairy-like dress resembling something out of "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream".  The outfit reflected the purity of both Nyssa's character and the Traken way of life.  Right away, however, Nyssa starts to lose her clothes as she quite innocently gives her broach to Adric so he can pick the lock on the door to the Traken Grove.



















By the time "Castrovalva" rolls around, Nyssa manages to lose her "fairy" skirt in favor of matching pants, figuring that it would be easier to climb in pants rather than her skirt.  This reasoning proves false as Nyssa, while en route to Castrovalva, manages to fall into a lake, forcing her to take off her soaked jacket and leave it behind.


Nyssa loses yet another article of clothing while drudging through the forest towards Castrovalva as a tree limb manages to snag her tiara.



















In "Black Orchid" Nyssa loses her maroon outfit in favor of a lovely butterfly costume worn for a fancy dress party.  Although Nyssa manages to retain most of her outfit throughout the story, she does manage to lose the mask to her costume.  However, this loss should be forgiven since she was being kidnapped at the time.














In "Snakedance" Nyssa's wardrobe takes a sharp left turn as she says goodbye to the maroon outfit for good in favor of a more adult look including a shorter skirt and high heels.  In addition, Nyssa's hairstyle changes from the tight bouncy curls in earlier stories to a more luxurious style with larger curls.  This progression was a clear sign that our young princess was growing up very fast.















In "Mawdryn Undead" Nyssa really decides to get daring when she emerges from the TARDIS in a gray felt mini-skirt and jacket covering a lace underwear outfit that she wore underneath.  A pair a gray lace-up boots completed this sensuous new look and proved without a doubt that this young girl had become a woman.  

















Finally, in her last story, "Terminus", Nyssa loses her innocence, and her clothes, as she spends most of the story in her lace underwear outfit.  This is due to the fact that she leaves her jacket in the TARDIS when she boards Terminus and subsequently takes off her skirt while experiencing a hot flash brought on by contracting Lazars Disease.  Thankfully, before Nyssa leaves the TARDIS for the last time, her health, if not her skirt, is recovered.


So there you have it, from fairy-tale princess to lace underwear in just two years.  I guess John Nathan-Turner had to write Nyssa's character out at the end of "Terminus", she couldn't have taken off anything else!