07 Sep

Futuristic fashion… a thing of the past?

Are you ready to have your mind blown? Let me explain a trippy concept I have recently stumbled upon: Retro Futurism. This is basically looking at depictions of the future in films and art from the past and drawing inspiration from them now. How many movies were made in the 60s, 70s and 80s that were set in the future (mostly beyond the year 2000) and had the characters wearing white plastic, perspex, black rubber and crazy hairstyles with silly glasses? The Jetsons cartoon, Back To The Future, The Fifth Element… If we traveled back in time to the early eighties (so let’s picture ourselves lusting over Michael J Fox and wearing Duran Duran t-shirts. Fun.) and we were discussing futuristic fashion, the conversation would go something like this:

Me: “I totally know what fashion will be like in the year 2010… we will all be wearing silver uniforms and vests that have lasers and a screen on the front that flashes…”

You: “Totally. It will all be computerized, you know? We will probably be wearing a material that hasn’t even been invented yet. That’s made of petrol or moon rocks or something. And glows.”

Me: “Yeah. Right on.”

And none of it ever happened. Well, not yet anyway. We got over the shock of the year clicking over from 1999 to 2000 (no Y2K bug, no end of the world) and are now living in a world of fashion where words like ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘organic cotton’ reign supreme and we prefer individualism to uniform. So what is futuristic fashion now? Does it even exist? Sort of. Some designers have showed us some ‘out there’ ideas and we have called them ‘futuristic’ from a retro futuristic perspective. Confused? Me too.

Here are my top five ‘futuristic’ fashion trends:

The future uniform

Let’s hope that if we ever decide to have a uniform for all of mankind, it looks as good as this Balmain dress does on Kate Moss. I love the commanding shoulders and neckline – very indicative of a powerful leader. For a space-inspired retro futuristic look, this I Love Milk and Honey top is perfect! on sale now at incityfashion.com.au

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when it comes to the odd and unprecedented she takes the cake! Her extreme costume and outfit choices have created such a stir in the fashion world that we feel she has created another dimension of style. If you want to look into the future, look into Lady G’s wardrobe.

Rubber tight, space delight

Rubber clothing used to be confined to fetish shops and raves but now it’s everywhere! Maybe this is one retro futurism prediction that came true. It’s leather’s naughty, cheaper cousin and creates a huge statement when worn as a figure hugging dress or skirt. Katy Perry has recently been rocking the rubber (along with Nicole Scherzinger, pictured) and Melissa’s iconic rubber/plastic shoes have become adored around the world.

Alexander McQueen

A genius, a rebel, a tragedy. The fashion world will never have another Alexander McQueen. He lead the world into new frontiers of the bizarre and beautiful and will be remembered for his ability to create pieces that were breathtakingly disturbing and stunning at the same time. A true visionary of futurism/Sci Fi fashion.

3001: A Space Accessory

It’s not just dresses that have been given a super space-like twist. Shoes, sunglasses, jewellery and bags have headed into new realms of design which are mostly impractical but completely fabulous. I love Victoria Beckam’s high heels minus the heels and Kim Kardashian rocks these Tron-like glasses.

Check out this amazing video of ‘Futuristic Fashion’ created in 1968: see if you can spot the current trends!