We made it out to the movies this weekend and saw "Her." I will spare you from leaving a full cinematic review, however, what mainly caught my attention during the slow-moving plot was the manner in which the characters dressed in this near-future storyline. The characters--both men and women--seemed to have adopted a somewhat blurred line of feminine and masculine. Androgenic, almost. Everyone sported high-waisted bottoms. Most of the women didn't wear any makeup. And no matter what...everyone wore button-down tops that were buttoned all the way up.
It was a very conservative fashion trend for a story set in the future. The contrast had me intrigued. Personally, I've noticed that each year that passes, less and less is left to the imagination with fashion. Was Spike Jonze simply appealing to the younger audience by incorporating the hot fashion trends of recycled 1980s fashion? Or, was he trying to seep in a little irony with the overall tone of the futuristic movie? Perhaps, was he trying to convey that in the age of technology, we have become so closed off to others, and a way of symbolizing this was by closing off the shirt collar, a physical pathway to the heart?
Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but I very much appreciate the cinematic symbolism that our writers and producers convey in each movie. I began reminiscing about past movies that had futuristic plots. What were they conveying with fashion in tandem with the message of the story?
Clockwork Orange, 1971
Does the full-on white assembly and black bowler hat symbolize and/or accentuate the overall plotline of good and evil, and the ability to make the moral choice between the two?
Blade Runner, 1982
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The cinematography is very neo-noir and the fashion is a blend of steampunk and cyberpunk--combining past, present and future styles. Would you say that each character is dressed in a manner that visually communicates the effect that technology plays on the environment and society as a whole? Does it elude to who is human and who is an artificially engineered replicant?
Matrix, 1999
Fighters in a war between humans and machines, do the characters dressed in black blur the lines between the humans the the all-powerful machine they created?
What have you watched lately where fashion seemed to have a profound influence on the plot?
Clockwork Orange, 1971
Blade Runner, 1982
Matrix, 1999
What have you watched lately where fashion seemed to have a profound influence on the plot?
The fashion wear in Blade Runner is 'cyberpunk'. Not 'steampunk'.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct! There are many characters who are wearing a style characteristic of a cyberpunk ensemble, yet there were clips where a few of the characters are dressed in steampunk-ish garb. In researching the two styles, according to sources, steampunk is a sub-genre of cyberpunk. I've revised the BladeRunner post to include both styles. I agree--the plot and characters for the most part fall under the cyberpunk definition. Thanks for your input!
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