We know why the costuming changed in series III from a production standpoint.
But in fiction I think Lister started customising his clothes because he had always wanted to but never had the time/motivation/freedom to do so. and being lost in deep space with no authority or job or people or much else to do he realised that being creative with his clothes could be an outlet for him
I've just said this on someone else's post, but you cannot convince me that somebody was hired for s5 who didn't have a huge crush on Chris Barrie, because that season is basically Rimmer being put in ridiculous situations that require him to either be half dressed or ludicrously soft, and you're not telling me they weren't suddenly aware of the fanservice.
I'm seeing a huge lack of Holly appreciation on this app, and since she's probably my favourite RD character, I'm here to fix that! :D
I've been thinking a lot about the fact that the crew lost the Red Dwarf (and Holly) after S5 and the idea of Holly being all alone for that time is just taking up my brain, so this is just me representing that concept 💜