Jean's versions of this motif, show above, are the most obvious demonstrations of its failings. Wrapping the X over the breasts, instead of passing it between them, is simply silly. A contrivance I can only imagine would actually make the costumes HARDER to draw from most angles.

"Most angles" is a key point in costume design. All too often artists design costumes based on OHOTMU style model sheets -- front, back, side. They don't think about how the outfit is going to look in motion, especially if it's a design they don't expect to have to actually draw on a regular basis. This is perhaps the Number One reason why one artist should not be assigned to "redesign" a whole line.

(Curiously enough, I have from time to time experienced a kind of "flip side" to the above -- a costume "appears" in my head, and then I discover I cannot translate it to the page. My mental "camera" is slipping and sliding around to make elements work that really don't.)

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Self-referential fanwank.

The "big X" costumes fail mostly because there are very few artists who can really pull them off.

I remember Cyclops and Angel not having the big X in the OHOTMU prior to the X-Factor comic being released. It looked as if they were going to have Angel's costume minus the halo. Of course, when the first issue came out they had the X on their costumes. I remember thinking that they actually made the costumes look sloppy for some reason.

I dunno why, but I always liked the Walt Simonson designed blue and white X-Factor costume for Cyclops. To me, it just seemed like it suited him (no pun intended). Heck, that costume design still pops into my head for him to this day.

And for Marvel Girl....I'm all about the green mini-skirt costume! That is sexy but not slutty.

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This seems to me to be true of about 99% of costume designs. The lightning strikes once, and any attempt to monkey with the result is all too often less than successful.