I agree that the NAD approved uniform diagrams provided in the manual are incomplete and leave a bit of room for interpretation. A lot of this stems from the "committee process" that carries a wide variety of opinions from its members that represent an increasing diverse population of Pathfinders. Therefore the guidance is rather broad (some would say vague), in an attempt to encompass standards appropriate to a wide variety of ethnic, social, and regional interests.
You mentioned Director designation. Officially, local directors have ONE STAR on their shoulder lapel, Area Coordinators TWO STARS, Conference Youth Directors THREE STARS, Union Youth Directors FOUR STARS, and Division Directors, FIVE STARS. Other additions such as braids are simply that -- additions, sometimes approved only by a local club, at other times approved and encouraged at a conference level.
We have an interesting 21st century dilemma that also exists in Pathfindering. There is a mentality of confrence level individuality that exists in Pathfindering. It basically states (though officially unstated) that each conference KNOWS what is best for their constituency, and that the NAD is out of touch and cannot find a uniform stance to reach each constiuent part or group. As a result, we have many conferences that have adapted or added to the official Master Guide and NAD Pathfinder uniforms.
In my opinion (and this is NOT official NAD), it all stems from a societal phenomenon that encourages RABID INDIVIDUALITY. We somehow feel that if we look JUST LIKE other people from other places that we are not special or unique (this same phenomenon brings about the weird hairstyles, tatoos, etc. in the youth population at large). Therefore, I believe that at least in many cases, the additions to the uniform are an attempt to stand out, be different, feel important, etc.
There are on the other hand conferences who have wrestled with GAPS such as sash layout (which is very unclear on the NAD uniform-- it simply says "AY Honors, etc.") or Pin placement (if you notice, there is not a space for both the Service star and Baptismal pin, nor does the diagram show you what you should do with your Friend thru Guide pins once you've achieved Master Guide. Of course, the diagram also shows only THREE Class Level achievement pins, whereas there are six + Master Guide available.
I know that there are probably members on this forum that are from conferences who make major additions, and they may differ dramatically in their opinion. I'd love to hear from them in particular.
Then of course, there are the unanswered questions: What should be the denotation for bars/braids/etc. for drill team members? If there is a standard, what is the placement?
Then of course, the standards have changed over the years. Does a 40+ year Pathfinder vet have to resew their unform/sash placement style every time the NAD changes the specifics? If not, then what is considered "uniform" for inspection?
I personally, as an Area Coordinator, look for neatness, modesty, correct sizing, and patch placement on the shirt (this is easy to make match standards), correct color shoes (I don't worry about fabric style too much), Pathfinder belt. If a long time staff member still has a green sash, or the sash placement is from on earlier iteration of policy, I have no problem with it. However, if their uniform (and I'm especially hard on staff) is unkempt or disorganized, that is a problem because it sets a poor example of leadership.
I hope I haven't simply muddied the waters still more.
Mark O'Ffill