William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Paul Guilfoyle, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Louise Lombard, Wallace Langham, Lauren Lee Smith, Laurence Fishburne, Liz Vassey, David Berman, Ted Danson, Elisabeth Harnois, Elisabeth Shue, and Jon Wellner in CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (2000–2015).
↳ First + last appearances in main credits, in order of first appearance.
@csiat25: September 27–October 6, 2025: An event in celebration of 25 years of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (as well as 10 years of its conclusion).
Hello AJ, it's been a while since I've dared to write you.
I just wanted to congratulate you on the completing of your geek!baby story, which was, as the other ones you've written, delightful. I'm one of those people who firmly believes Sara and Grissom never actively wanted/tried to have a baby, but damn the gsr kid fics are *cute*.
Also I'm kinda glad the pregnancy was confirmed a single baby - nothing against twins, but to me it often feels like a cop-out when the author can't decide on boy or girl. Again, nothing against it, I get why people like it (what's better than a kid from your otp? Two kids of course)
Anyways sorry I'm rambling, here goes a random super silly question I thought of last night (at like, 3am) and wouldn't leave me alone as this things often do, just to have a bit of fun:
What animals would you associate with each member of the csi team? (like if they were animals, what'd they be based on personality, usual behavior etc)
Take care, happy very belated birthday (I forgot this year oof) and wish you a great 2024
hi, @its-a-geeks-world!
great to hear from you again!
thank you for your kind words! i'm so glad you enjoyed the story, especially knowing that you're in camp "no gsr kids." it really means a lot that you would hang with something outside your usual field of interest. 💙
i'm also glad to know you're a fan of the singleton pregnancy decision. for as much as i teased the possibility for twins (both in the fic and without it), i've known i was going to take things in this direction since before the first word of the series was written. i have such a clear notion of who grissom and sara's kid is, and i'm excited, in future installments of this 'verse, to unveil more about them!
regarding your question:
i had never given that particular hypothetical any thought before, and i don't know that i'm entirely satisfied with my own answers yet, but here's what i'm thinking as of now:
grissom is a giant pacific octopus: highly intelligent to the extent that he can use tools, solve puzzles, and even open childproof containers with his multiple limbs. infinitely curious about his surroundings and prone to experimentation. at times, precocious/cheeky. possessed of a unique style of cognition and perspective on the world. however, also frequently misunderstood and conceptualized as being "too other." considered "alien" from the human perspective and not altogether cuddly, particularly compared to other (vertebrate) animals. known for being a largely solitary creature, except for in matters of love. (fun fact: male octopuses sometimes travel great distances to find their female match.)
meanwhile, catherine is an african lioness: the feline powerhouse who keeps the pride alive and thriving, putting in the work to hunt and fend off threats (oftentimes running circles around the males in proximity to her). known for being fiercely protective of her young and aggressively defending her territory and what's hers. a highly intelligent social creature who understands nuanced dynamics between members of her pride. possessed of a hierarchal way of thinking. though open to male attention, sometimes known to drive off "deadbeat" or otherwise unacceptable options and fend for herself in their absence. capable of leadership; queen of the jungle.
warrick is a wild yak: adapted to live on unstable terrain, nothing can shake him. he's strong and solid as a rock. of all ungulates, among the most intelligent and good-natured, capable of problem solving and adapting to ever changing conditions. brought up in a matriarchal social structure with grandma in charge. incredibly loyal to the herd, though not above some occasional macho headbutting with other males he may encounter. while generally chill in temperament, relentless when protecting himself and those he cares about (and a goddamn problem for any creature foolish enough to antagonize him). for as docile as he is, he is also one of nature's toughest animals. infinitely useful. a presence in any space he enters. big-hearted, both physically—yaks need to pump more red blood cells than most animals because they live at high altitudes with low oxygen—and also in his character. known for prioritizing community.
nick is a german shepherd: specifically, a police dog (like sam). carefree as a puppy, later on traumatized in the line of his k-9 duties. disposed toward obedience and protectiveness. sometimes too well-trained and quick to heel for his own good. happiest just lovin' on people but also anxious when he doesn't have some directive to follow or task to complete. naturally goodhearted but in his later years sometimes prone to snap due to his experiences on the force. intelligent, inquisitive, eager to investigate. sometimes a little bit goofy. always sticking his nose in things. has a hard time with the command "drop it!" forms deep bonds with his people and is fiercely loyal to them. at his heart, a good boy who just wants to do right by everyone around him.
sara is a rehabilitated formerly feral cat: started out life in a house with the expectation she'd be taken care of but as a kitten was mistreated and abused until she became incredibly mistrustful of humans. eventually, ended up on the streets. had to fend for herself, scrounging to get by. survived thanks to her own cleverness and resourcefulness. then, much later on, after too long spent alone, was taken in again. became, for the first time in years, once more a housecat. at first, was wary of her would-be rescuers. skittish. spent most of her time hiding under furniture with her ears back and claws out, ready to swat anyone who dared lean in too close. bonded to only one quiet and patient person in the otherwise busy house. in time, with his coaxing, emboldened to believe again in the goodness of other people. against all odds, developed into an affectionate and participating member of the household, albeit in a still semi-aloof feline way. smart, curious, a wonderful mix of socially awkward and socially graceful, deeply bonded to her people and open with them, though still independent. above everything: you can always tell how grateful she is to finally be in a house where she's loved.
finally, greg, i am happy to report, is a ferret: pure mustelid energy. a weird, screwy noodle who is constantly investigating the world and engaging in shenanigans. notoriously goofy. playful by nature. curious to a fault and sometimes somewhat naughty when bored—inventing activities™ for himself—but also exceptionally clever and a surprisingly hard worker (when he focuses his energies and intelligence on the task). oftentimes underestimated due to his small stature but much-beloved by those who take the time to get to know him. loyal following of enthusiasts.
anyway, that's what i've got!
thank you for the fun question and also for the birthday wishes! i'm so touched that you remembered!
Hey Anon! Curious if you’ve dissected the kind of clothing each CSI wears and their own style.
hi, anon!
i haven't done one before, but i can take a poke here if you're interested?
note that i am in no way an expert in clothing/costuming/fashion.
__
gil grissom
in the original run of the show, the name of the game with grissom is "layers."
he typically wears either full-sleeve button-up shirts or 50s and 60s style camp, cabana, and bowling short-sleeve shirts under a waist- or three-quarter length fleece, suede/leather, or nylon jacket or (less often) a blazer. his jackets are most often plain but sometimes display embellishments, as pictured above. his shirts are typically either solid-colored, feature broad vertical stripes, or are plaid in patterning and are usually worn buttoned to the second button from the top. unless he is at home, he almost always tucks his shirts into his pants.
often, his shirts are in neutral colors (black, navy, brown, etc.); however, he does also wear brighter colors (royal or baby blue to bring out his eyes, red, green, maroon, etc.). as a rule, his shirts are baggy/somewhat oversized in fit. unless he is appearing in court, he does not normally wear a necktie.
for pants, he usually wears plain slacks or trousers with a belt. the colors tend to be neutral: khaki, olive, navy, black, or gray. they are often somewhat baggier and worn in a "relaxed fit." frequently, they are pleated.
for shoes, he usually wears leather oxford, derby, or loafer style shoes in brown and black tones.
out in the field, he will sometimes don a hat: either his trademark straw sun hat (see above) or an lvpd or forensics baseball hat. casually, he will occasionally—once as we see in canon (see episode 08x02 "a la cart")—wear cabby hats.
perhaps at sara’s urging.
in hot weather, rugged or messy field conditions, and at home when he's relaxing, he can occasionally be seen in blue jeans (usually baggy in fit), plain t-shirts, logo sweatshirts, and/or hiking boots.
in court, he wears suits, frequently paired with monochrome dress shirts and solid-colored or striped ties. like much of his clothing, his suits tend to run baggy and are typically in the classic cut while being gray, black, or charcoal in color, though the shirts and ties he wears with them may be brighter hues of lavender or blue.
he typically also wears a wristwatch with either a chrome or leather band. he never wears any other jewelry until the later seasons/reboot, when he wears his wedding ring.
though his clothing choices will vary based on weather conditions and temperature, he seldom wears heavier winter gear (like down coats, parkas, beanies, etc.), instead favoring lighter jackets and ballcaps even when other members of his team are dressed in thicker stuff; his habit of opting for lighter outerwear even when it is cold out perhaps indicates that his baseline body temperature tends to run hot.
if so, it’s probably a good thing that it does, as his wife is constantly cold and probably appreciates his ability to warm her up.
generally, his style tends to be conservative and functional, subtle variations on the same basic outfit, almost like a uniform. his look is "classic" and (excepting the baggy fits) not particularly à la mode of the early 00s; one gets the impression that he has probably been wearing the same kinds of styles all his life, showing little evolution over the decades.
my personal headcanon is that he dresses much in the same way that he probably remembers his father dressing and/or how his mother dressed him during his boyhood in the mid-60s—i.e., that he "learned the rules" for how to dress back then and has just kind of stuck to them ever since.
though he obviously doesn’t care much about fashion, he is nevertheless well-dressed and is always clothed appropriately for the occasion at hand, whether it be excavating a body from desert earth or testifying as an expert witness in court. his outfits never fail to match, and overall he appears both well-groomed and well-put together.
from a doylist perspective, my impression is that the wardrobe department was so keen on dressing grissom in layers and baggier-fit clothing in order to make him appear somewhat frumpier than billy petersen in actuality is, distinguishing the academic from the movie star. while they wanted grissom to look good, they also didn’t want to place too much focus on his outfit choices; with him, the most important thing was always supposed to be what he was thinking, not whatever he was wearing. they kept his style stable, lowkey, and classic, eschewing trends as a character choice, so as to highlight him as someone who is typically much more concerned with the inward than the outward and who is also perhaps a bit (as sara frames things in episode 01x02 “cool change”) “old-school.”
accordingly, he is one of the characters on the show whose fashion choices change the least over the years.
from a more watsonian vantage, i think grissom’s clothing choices speak to his predilection for order and sameness, as well as to his general low opinions on fashion itself.
as he tells catherine in episode 03x07 “fight night,” in his view, for most csis, fashion is (or should be) “irrelevant.”
he wears the same basic thing every day so that he doesn’t have to think much about what he’s putting on when he dresses and can instead devote his brainpower to more important topics. while he wants to look professional, he isn’t particularly concerned with staying “in style.” for him, dressing is a very utilitarian endeavor that he has probably done pretty much the same way, without much alteration, throughout his entire life.
of course, it is interesting to note that in “immortality” and csi: vegas, his style does show evidence of subtly shifting over time.
in “immortality,” grissom dresses as close to sloppily as we ever see him do, his shirts untucked and unbuttoned, his jeans weathered, and his overall affect decidedly unkempt. while he only wears a few different outfits throughout the course of the finale, the ones he does wear are much more obviously casual than what we were accustomed to seeing from him during s1-s9 of the show, particularly when taken in conjunction with his windswept, unshaven personal grooming (or lack of it).
to my mind, this “dressing down” is evidence of the fact that post-divorce, grissom really just can’t be assed with anything anymore. he is far too brokenhearted to care about his own appearance or to bother sticking to “the rules” which had always governed his dressing before. just like he is ambivalent about his own fate—so what if he gets arrested for eco terrorism? without sara in his life, would it really matter?—he is also ambivalent about how he presents himself to the world. he’s given himself over to the sea, and he has the grizzled, “modern odysseus” look to prove it.
of course, on a more positive note, in the reboot, his style evolution evinces something much happier.
while he still wears camp, cabana, and bowling shirts (as he did in the early 00s), he now often leaves them untucked and with the top few buttons undone, exposing his upper chest. he occasionally also wears unbuttoned button-up shirts over t-shirts or t-shirts by themselves. he has traded out his old fleece, leather, and/or nylon jackets for denim ones. while still inclusive of some neutrals, his color schemes tend to run brighter than they did in the past. he has swapped his baggy slacks for tighter black and blue jeans. for shoes, he wears leather sneakers or sometimes open-toed shoes/sandals (seemingly as slippers). outdoors, he is often in a black fedora or a blue baseball cap. in general, his clothing is more fitted to him and revealing of the shape of his body; “younger” looking, despite the fact that he is years older now than at the start of the original series. overall, his daily look is much more casual (except for when he dresses for court). however, it’s also much neater and more put-together than his eco pirate look in “immortality.”
the grissom we see in the reboot is, quite clearly, a man whose wife has had some input on his wardrobe and who, after twenty years, has finally convinced him to stop tucking in his shirts. his bright colors and “beachwear” are evidence of how contented he is with her, living the seafaring lifestyle that they do, while his more deliberate grooming is proof that he is more careful of himself now than he was as a divorcé.
though he no longer dresses quite as conservatively as he did during the original series, he’s also not as sloppy as he was when he was on his own. he’s loosened up and he’s comfortable, but he’s also obviously cared for (and back to giving a damn about himself, which is definitely a good thing).
catherine willows
unlike grissom, catherine cares about fashion; as she tells him in episode 03x07 “fight night,” if she had her druthers (and her budget would allow) she’d dress in nothing but designer labels.
in s1 of the original show, her look is a bit more “business,” with pantsuits, button-up blouses, blazers/jackets, and slacks as her norm; a riff on white house-era hillary clinton. while in her very first appearance in the pilot episode, she does wear tennis shoes along with this more conservative clothing, generally, everything about her look otherwise at this early stage of the show is top-to-bottom “professional,” suggesting that at this point in her career, when she is just starting to break into middle-management (as the newly-promoted assistant shift supervisor on graveyard), she wants to reinforce that she “belongs in the club” and is trying to establish her ethos/authority as a leader on the team accordingly.
only as the seasons go on (and catherine becomes increasingly comfortable in her identity as a leader) does her look shift to become more casual and indicative of her personality.
during s2-s12, her wardrobe is variable depending on seasons and circumstances, but she often wears tight-fitting, sleeveless or short-sleeved t-shirts that show off a bit of cleavage or else collared blouses. she frequently pairs these shirts with waist-length denim or p/leather jackets or blazers, depending on how dressed-up or dressed-down she is. her shirts sometimes show a bit of midriff but may also be tucked into her slacks (especially in her more formal outfits). she will wear many different patterns, including shirts that are, per early 00s fashion norms, silkscreened to have floral or “tattoo” (think ed hardy) designs on them, and her color palette crosses the board, from blues and purples which really pop against the strawberry of her hair to neutral tones to bolder hues of red and pink.
special shout out to the ugliest goddamn shirt i have ever seen in primetime, though:
i mean, damn, girl, what happened?!
during this era, while she will still occasionally “dress up,” she also often wears jeans, in true early 00s style, low-riding and in boot or flare-legged cuts, sometimes stonewashed and embroidered on the back pockets. these jeans are typically, as marg helgenberger recently pointed out, tight.
they are also so, so incredibly “early 00s vegas.” like. the wardrobe department was just spot-on in that particular choice.
she will, even in the middle and later seasons of the show, occasionally also wear dress slacks or even full pantsuits; however, her look in s2-s12 is typically much more tailored/form-fitting and less conservative than it is in s1, even when she’s in her more formal attire.
seldom if ever does she wear skirts, even when she dresses for court, though she will wear dresses when “out on the town” (such as we see in episode 06x13 “kiss-kiss, bye-bye,” when she joins her mother and father for dinner at the restaurant after wrapping the case).
catherine’s daily footwear of choice is high-heeled ankle boots, typically about two or three inches in height, suede, leather, or pleather in material. for special occasions, she will break out her stiletto heels.
she has no problem running in heels when needed.
she usually wears earrings (studs, hoops, or drops), a watch or bracelet, and a necklace. her metal of choice seems to be gold.
in hot weather or at more rugged scenes, she will also dress for function, pulling her hair back, donning hats/ballcaps, and breaking out the hiking boots. she also gets cold enough in the winter to wear heavier coats/parkas, scarves, beanies, gloves, etc. in or to keep warm.
overall, her look speaks to her being a person who is very conscious of herself and her image.
as i talk about in this post,
catherine knows that based on her looks and her former career as a sex worker, some people might assume that she has “slept her way to the top,” and that assumption is repugnant to her; she is therefore incredibly cautious of doing anything that could potentially add fuel to that particular fire. to that end, she makes sure to keep her relationships with the men in her department who outrank her unimpeachably professional...
of course, for all of her carefulness regarding her professional reputation and aversion to being sexualized by her male colleagues, catherine is nevertheless not opposed to being sexual/sensual in general and/or to using her sexuality/sensuality to get her way with men outside of her profession.
catherine’s form of feminism is very much that of the late 80s and early 90s—the kind that says women can weaponize their sexuality to empower themselves, manipulating the male gaze and male desire in general to their advantage.
so while catherine would never sleep with her boss to get a promotion or even allow anyone to suspect that she had, she has no qualms about flirting with a district engineer to secure information helpful to her case (see episode 02x05 “scuba doobie-doo”) and/or using a suspect’s sexual attraction to her against him in an investigation (see episode 04x08 “after the show”). to her, these are no-harm, no-foul situations—just her using her natural advantages to get what she needs.
because if men are going to sexualize her regardless, then she might as well get something for herself out of them doing so.
as long as the man in question has no professional power over her, she doesn’t mind using his stupefaction over her body to secure boons for herself and her team.
this philosophy certainly extends to what she wears: she knows that as a beautiful woman, she is going to turn heads no matter what, so she makes sure to dress in a way that projects confidence and empowerment, accentuating her features while also giving off an aura of collectedness and control.
warrick brown
whereas catherine’s fashion becomes less conservative and more individualized to her over time, warrick’s takes the opposite tack.
in s1, warrick alone out of all of team graveyard frequently wears athletic clothing to work (e.g., tearaway basketball pants, sleeveless muscle shirts, a-shirts, and skintight tees).
as per late 90s/early 00s norms, all of his pants—whether athletic or formal—tend to be noticeably baggy.
while he is usually in tight t-shirts and muscle tanks (sometimes worn under oversized suede or p/leather jackets), when he does wear button-ups, they are typically baggy and often patterned in bold pinstripes or paisleys with metallic color schemes, worn untucked and with multiple buttons undone so as to show off his pecs, and paired with baggy, dark-color jeans or cargo pants. sometimes, he’ll pop the collar of his jackets for extra je ne sais quoi.
he frequently tops off his outfits with jewelry—heavy silver chain necklaces and expensive chrome watches.
though warrick doesn’t exactly win the award for the most attention-grabbing s1 style—that award would go to greg—he does definitely have a distinctive look that sets him apart from the rest of the team, perhaps signaling his “pariah” social position throughout the year following the holly gribbs shooting.
also, insert something here about how in s1, his depiction sometimes leaned fairly heavily into the “hotheaded, young black cop with a troubled past” stereotype, so there’s probably also something to be said for tptb choosing some of the wardrobe elements that they did for him, re: his race and character background. like. they were clearly trying to evoke what they might have (problematically) called his “urban roots,” using a kind of familiar visual shorthand.
it is perhaps unsurprising, then, that as warrick becomes not only reaccepted into but central to the graveyard shift collective, his style starts to “fall in line” more, becoming less obviously individualistic.
also, insert something here about gary dourdan taking a more active role in shaping his character and shutting down some of the more troubling aspects of how warrick’s racial identity had been depicted to start out with.
the warrick of s2-s9 will wear both long and short-sleeved t-shirts and button-ups (still often showing off a bit of chest), though usually in more muted tones than the warrick of s1. his pants aren’t quite so baggy, his outfits are more “business casual” than “athletic chic,” and his jewelry becomes less prominent the more the years go on, his silver chains swapped out for leather bracers for his wrists or smaller pendants at his neck.
while of course some of this change can be attributed to the evolving fashion sense of the “new millennium,” it also seems to signal warrick’s evolution into more of a team player, particularly as his fashion choices are often very visually similar to nick’s and even sara’s.
new elements of his outfits now include three-quarter length leather and army jackets and leather belts with chunky, rodeo-style buckles, plus skinnier-legged, bootcut jeans. his shirts are still often unique in their patterns/designs, but he has taken to tucking them in.
while in s1, he usually wears tennis shoes to work, he now tends to wear hiking boots of the timberland style or ankle-high western boots.
though he will sometimes wear color—green, burgundy, and purple being particular favorites—he is often found in blacks, charcoals, and silvers. his button-up shirts will sometimes feature brightly-colored embellishments, adding a “pop” to his outfits.
in rugged or hot-weather conditions, warrick tends to opt for t-shirts or sleeveless muscle shirts. in the cold, he will wear coats but sometimes (like grissom) opts to stick with lighter jackets. he never wears hats.
in court, he wears baggy suits in grays and charcoals, often paired with brightly-colored monochrome shirt and tie combos in purples and blues. he does not regularly wear neckties otherwise.
in general, warrick does seem to care about fashion and looking his best, perhaps not to the degree that catherine does, but certainly to the point where he is fashionable and takes pride in his appearance.
particularly as his clothing choices get a bit dressier over time, he always looks ready to either hit the strip or step onto a crime scene. he fits the vegas aesthetic to a t.
nick stokes
nick’s style mirrors his character evolution from yes-man conformist into independent thinker.
in the early seasons of the show, nick has the most conservative style of dress of anyone on the team outside of grissom, and he very much gives off the impression of being “the young up-and-comer on the job who’s trying to keep his head down and not make too many waves.”
in s1-s2, nick primarily wears plain polo shirts, button-up shirts, or short- or long-sleeved t-shirts OR knit v-neck, mock turtleneck, or turtleneck sweaters that are—excepting that one ugly paisley-patterned shirt sara ruthlessly mocks him for in episode 01x04 “pledging mr. johnson”—usually neutral in color (brown, black, olive green, navy, khaki). the boldest he ever gets is maybe donning something in periwinkle or lavender, always in a muted tone. he usually wears his button-ups buttoned to the second button from the top. at this time, he almost invariably tucks his shirts in.
he will sometimes wear waist-length fleece, suede, denim, or p/leather jackets over his shirts, though these tend to be fairly nondescript and conservative in their style.
for pants, he usually goes with dark-colored slacks, loose-fit dark-colored jeans, or dockers-style khakis, all of them somewhat baggy, per early 00s style, but not to the same degree that warrick’s are. he is seldom seen without a thick leather belt, in these days usually without any kind of decorative buckle.
his footwear of choice tends to be derby dress shoes, doc martens-style leather boots, or else hiking shoes for the field.
outdoors, he will often wear baseball hats.
at this time, he does not regularly wear jewelry, except for perhaps a wristwatch and/or his texas a&m class ring.
overall, his early seasons look is very clean-cut and conforming.
only as the seasons go on does nick start to break more from “the mold” and adopt some more individualistic style choices—perhaps as a result of getting more comfortable with his position on the team/at the lab and with himself as a person; perhaps also in response to having experienced some personal traumas.
@panchostokes, who is basically THE nick expert, has written about how nick often changes his hairstyle (and even facial hairstyle) rather dramatically following any of the numerous traumatic experiences he undergoes over the years; it tracks that he might also do something similar with his wardrobe, particularly as his traumas accumulate over time.
throughout s3-s15, nick’s personal fashion relaxes, with him adopting a more casual look. he also experiments a bit with some “unique touches” to his ensembles.
he begins wearing his button-ups with a few more buttons undone, exposing his upper chest, and diversifies his patterns, now often wearing plaid and pinstriped shirts, in addition to shirts with embellishments and even embroidery, sometimes even showing his texas roots with more “western” style cuts. his color choices also become more bold, as he moves away from muted tones into more deeply saturated blues, greens, burgundys, and even purples.
he also branches out to occasionally wear silkscreened long- and short-sleeved t-shirts with ed hardy-esque designs and sometimes even writing on them.
while he still most often tucks his shirts in—because, you know, you can take the boy out of texas, but you can’t take texas out of the boy—he will sometimes leave them untucked, particularly when they are of the uncollared variety.
he frequently wears waist-length leather jackets (often in “motorcycle” cuts), in addition to department forensics windbreakers. he still also wears baseball hats.
as a side note, he is much more often seen in bulletproof vests and tac gear than any of the other csis are—which makes sense, not only given that he frequently acts as team graveyard’s “muscle,” chasing after and subduing suspects who may be armed and dangerous, but also given that he has actually been shot on the job before.
he shifts to mostly wearing black, khaki, olive, and blue jeans, now tighter in fit, boot-cut, and sometimes stonewashed and with embroidery on the back pockets, per early 00s trends. these, he pairs with chunky leather belts, now frequently with western-style stamp designs on them. he occasionally will don rodeo-style belt buckles.
one of the biggest changes to his personal style is that he starts to wear jewelry, including thick leather bracelets and armbands, chunkier chrome watches, and multiple rings, including his class ring, plus more decorative skull or wolf rings.
these changes to his style serve to make him “stand out more in a crowd,” particularly when taken in conjunction with his ever-evolving hair- and facial hairstyles.
in cold weather, nick will wear heavy coats/parkas and beanie hats. in hot weather or rugged conditions, he often opts for tight-fitting t-shirts.
in court, he typically wears dark-colored suits with white shirts and dark-colored ties. he does not regularly wear neckties otherwise.
while nick is not a fashion hound in the same way catherine or even warrick is, he does (as time goes on) take increasingly more ownership of his look, “becoming his own man” in terms of what he wears as much as he does in terms of how he acts and fulfills his job.
sara sidle
sara has a remarkably similar approach to fashion as grissom: while she isn’t particularly conscious of trends and generally wears subtle variations on the same basic types of outfits over the years as opposed to drastically changing things up, she also isn’t (despite some people’s insistence to the contrary) totally unconcerned with how she looks; she does try to present a neat, put-together appearance.
hers is an interesting case, when it comes to style, as while she has a reputation for being a tomboy who doesn’t care about her looks, the truth is that she is neither particularly unfeminine nor uncareful in how she dresses.
a lot of sara’s fashion rep comes by way of comparison to catherine, both from the pov of the audience outside of the story world AND from the pov of catherine herself from within it.
as i talk about here,
despite catherine’s assertions to the contrary (see episode 02x09 “and then there were none”), sara does actually pay attention to her appearance and present herself in a traditionally “femme” way. while she doesn’t often show décolletage or wear high heels to work like catherine does, she does don both makeup and jewelry, and she styles her hair.
her hair is naturally curly, but she frequently straightens it, and, in fact, the only time when we see her leave her hair curly for an extended period (aside from a few episodes here and there in the early seasons) is in s8 when she can’t physically work a straightening iron because her arm is broken.
while she most often wears slacks to work, she isn’t wholesale opposed to skirts and will wear them to court or on special occasions (such as when she attends the gala in episode 11x13 “the two mrs. grissoms”).
so even in terms of her appearance, sara is not wholly one way or another—she’s more “tomboyish” than catherine, yes, but she’s also not entirely “unfeminine” (and certainly no more so than other female characters on the show, such as wendy and sofia).
when sara first moves to vegas in s1/s2, we frequently see her in cap-sleeved and sleeveless t-shirts and tank tops, sometimes paired with sweaters, dusters, blazers, or waist- or three-quarters length cloth, denim, or p/leather jackets. sometimes she tucks in her shirts, particularly when she is wearing pants with a belt, but often she leaves them untucked, as well. when her shirt is untucked, it’s not uncommon for her to show a bit of midriff. her shirts are often v- or scoop-necked and sometimes reveal a bit of skin, though it is less common for her to show cleavage than it is with catherine. she is also a fan of sabrina necklines.
the color schemes and patterns in her outfit vary widely, though in s1 in particular, she is perhaps more prone to wearing bright colors (like pink, green, orange, and red) than she is later on in the series.
more on that point in a minute.
she will also wear neutral tones, though, and black is always a staple for her.
perhaps in homage to her san francisco roots, sara wears a lot of tie-dye, paisley, and floral “hippie” inspired prints and blouses with three-quarter length angel cut sleeves.
for pants, she most often wears slacks in various colors and high-waisted bootcut and flare fits, though she will also wear jeans in various colors (including the white pair she dons in episode 01x18 “$35k obo”). her jeans often have saddleback or other unique seam patterns and front-facing pockets.
for shoes, she most often wears ankle-high leather work boots with no heels or else leather sneakers. as we learn in episode 05x05 “swap meet,” she is generally averse to high heels of any kind and so eschews them (possibly also because she is naturally tall anyway).
she frequently wears a thin leather-banded wristwatch, occasionally wears metal or woven bracelets, and cycles through myriad different kinds of pendant necklaces, which are perhaps her quintessential wardrobe piece. she also sometimes wears clips in her hair.
as an interesting aside, while jorja fox has occasionally worn earrings at various points throughout her career, i don’t think sara’s ears are pierced, or at least i can’t recall her ever wearing earrings on the show, even in instances where she had dressed up for court or a special occasion. (like, she’s definitely not wearing earrings while she’s at the gala in episode 11x13 “the two mrs. grissoms.”)
though her style doesn’t change drastically over the course of the seasons, it is worth noting that during her depression arc of s4/s5, much of the color disappears from her wardrobe and she often wears outfits that are head-to-toe black. only as her mental health begins to improve midway through s5 does color start to reappear (on a grander scale) in her wardrobe.
she also in time ceases to wear as many sleeveless and midriff-bearing shirts, starting to favor more layered outfits with button-up and jackets shirts over tees. horizontal stripes become a favored pattern for her.
another “trademark” sara clothing item becomes canvas army jackets in various colors.
of all of the members of team graveyard, sara seems to be the one who is most susceptible to the cold, as she frequently wears heavy coats/parkas and beanie hats (even when other characters are in lighter jackets only), and yet another one of her wardrobe staples is skinny scarves, which are just about the trendiest thing she wears.
skinny scarves were big in the early 00s.
in hot weather or rugged conditions, sara tends to wear cap-sleeved t-shirts and jeans and/or throw on her trusty forensics jumpsuit.
for court, she typically wears neutral-colored (frequently gray) skirt suits, with knee-length pencil skirts, blazers, and button-up blouses.
like grissom, sara undergoes what is perhaps her biggest style evolution between the end of the original series and the beginning of the reboot, returning to vegas a bit dressier than we had seen her in the past, almost always in lowcut v-neck blouses or button-up shirts with either full or drop shoulder, cowl, or button-tab sleeves, tucked into skinny slacks with a thin belt, and often a blazer or jacket paired over the top.
while her new wardrobe is not necessarily noticeably discrepant from anything she has worn in the past, it is maybe somewhat more “sartorial” than what we’re used to with her; more classic, timeless.
perhaps influenced a bit by her husband, no?
of course, she still has her “sara touches,” most remarkably the plethora of necklaces she wears throughout the course of csi: vegas s1, despite living out of a suitcase, but there’s also something of a more “grown-up” touch to her style overall. she looks every inch a professional woman at age fifty (complimentary).
also, shout out to how often she and grissom match outfits, even before they’re married.
greg sanders
greg is the character whose fashion sense changes the most over the course of the series.
the greg of the early seasons of the show (in his lab rat era) is well-known for two things: his wacky antics in dna and his equally wacky personal sense of style, the hallmarks of which are his hawaiian shirts and silkscreened logo t-shirts, baggy jeans, skateboarding shoes, and garish haircuts.
as the youngest and newest member of team graveyard, greg is the one whose style choices are also the most “out there” and least professional, barely toeing the line in terms of being workplace appropriate.
eric szmanda has said he purposefully chose this wardrobe for greg in order to make him “stand out” since he spends most of his time otherwise covered by a lab coat.
during s1-s3, greg’s shirts are typically broad cutaway collar button-up hawaiian, bowling, or western shirts in bright colors and/or busy patterns or silkscreened t-shirts bearing intricate “tattoo-style” (ed hardy-esque) designs or else logos or novelty slogans. he frequently wears his shirts, both button and tee, baggy, sometimes with a-shirts underneath, and alternates between buttoning them to the second button from the top or all the way up to the collar. never does he tuck them in.
for pants, he tends to wear unbelted baggy jeans or cargo khakis, and his footwear of choice is vans-style skateboarding shoes.
sometimes he accessorizes with hemp or pendant necklaces and leather “rock star” style wrist bracers.
only when greg starts to transition into the field does his style become more subdued.
during his early days as a trainee during s4 and s5, he often wears screened t-shirts over neutral-toned button-up oxford-style dress shirts, paired with baggy blazers, loose-fit jeans, and (nicer) sneakers, in a look that is something of a compromise/amalgamation between his zany personal style and more professional attire.
he will sometimes also wear a fedora on his way into or out of work during this era.
however, in time, he cycles even the screened t-shirts out of his wardrobe, exchanging them for plain, neutral-colored tees, hoodies, and more conservative button-ups (oftentimes in pinstripes or plaid patterns).
increasingly over time, he begins tucking his shirts in, starts wearing plain leather belts, sheds any jewelry he had once worn, and, of course, cuts his hair to a much shorter and more basic style. eventually, he takes to wearing sweater vests and blazers on the reg and switches over to relaxed-fit dark-colored jeans or skinny slacks only.
in high heat or rugged conditions, he’ll wear basic t-shirts and jeans. in cold weather, he will wear coats but seldom hats.
for court and special occasions, he wears fitted suits, oftentimes light gray, navy, or black in color, paired with monochrome shirts and ties or else white oxford shirts with patterned ties. he will also sometimes wear a bowtie.
at this point (between s12 through “immortality”), pretty much all vestiges of his former punk rock persona are gone, and his aesthetic is almost boringly professional or even academic. his wardrobe is one of which grissom would entirely approve—which is saying something, considering how strongly he used to disdain greg’s more outlandish looks in the early days of the show.
by s14/s15, the character who began the show having the most distinctive personal style now has the most decidedly milquetoast look overall.
*insert grumbling here about how much his characterization gets pared down over the years*
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anyway, that’s all i’ve got!
thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.
This is going to be a weird question - but I noticed Greg tends to stand with his hands in his pockets with his elbows locked, and Nick tends to stand with his hands on his hips a lot. Do other main characters also have these physical quirks or stance patterns?
hi, anon!
not a weird question at all!
just like people in real life tend to have their own distinctive body language, posture, physical cues, etc., so do the characters on the show.
i'll admit, i pay more attention to grissom and sara than to anyone else, so their posture is what i'm most familiar with.
with grissom, he often stands with his hands down by his waist, with his hands turned out to the sides, his fingers kind of fidgeting/stimming, especially when he is lost in thought or nervous, like so:
he also frequently stands with one or both hands in his pockets and carries file folders in front of his chest.
meanwhile, sara is a chronic leaner, either forward onto whatever desk or tabletop is nearby or else resting back against a wall or pole is behind her, often with her hips kind of jutted forward and her arms crossed in front of her, in a pose that can alternately be either defiant or awkward, depending, like so:
she also frequently stands with her hands in her pockets.
of course, one of the most distinctive body language traits that grissom and sara have is that if they are anywhere near each other, they tend to invade each other's personal space constantly.
i can't be as specific about the other members of team graveyard, though i agree with your assessments of nick and greg and can add that catherine does have immaculate "dancer's posture," with kind of a high, proud carriage (that is even remarked upon in episode 04x08 "after the show"), while warrick often stands in kind of "cool guy" poses, with one shoulder dropped and his waist kind of slouched.
thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.
What’s your favorite CSI moment as a team with the OG’s 🥺❤️
hi, anon!
probably the moment at the end of episode 05x11 "who shot sherlock?" when nick and warrick trick greg into thinking that he failed his csi level i proficiency exam for a second time so he goes into grissom's office all nervous, expecting to get chewed out, but then grissom and catherine and sara pop out from behind the shelves and nick and warrick come into the room behind him and everyone is cheering for him because he actually passed and they're all really proud.
i'm a sucker for all of the happy hugging and for grissom looking so adoringly at his team family.
plus, i think it's doubly sweet that the team comes back together (even though catherine, nick, and warrick are technically on swing shift at the time) just to celebrate greg's success.
of course, the go-kart racing scene in episode 08x02 "a la cart" is also pretty good—it's just that that one's also a little bit bittersweet because sara.
thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.
