Renderings of the "future" are often dated by the same aesthetics as the time periods that create them. What I am saying here is nothing new, or insightful, but nonetheless a fact I find incredibly interesting. Any individual watching Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, were they familiar with the fashions and technologies of that time period, could most likely estimate the year that the film was made. The appearance of many tech inventions that we use today did not appear in representations of the future until these items were available on the market. Our imagination of the future- and the creation of this image for the silver screen- is often limited to what we encounter on a daily basis. Set, and costume designers are left to imagine what may come about, but they have to build off of something.
The reason that I am going off on an odd tangent is an attempt to introduce and begin to explain what it was I found so interesting about the costumes in Blade Runner. The costume designers Charles Knode and Micheal Kaplan achieved something many fashion editors cannot lay claim to. They were able to predict fashion styles twenty years into the future. The movie was filmed in 1982, but set in 2019. While the presence of the 1980s is strongly felt in parts of the set, prop, and costume design, the costumes were not merely modernized or avant garde interpretations of contemporary 80s styles.
Today it is not uncommon to draw inspiration from other time periods when outfitting oneself. I might even go so far as to argue that style in the 2000s is marked more by a sense of nostalgia than anything else. Designers, show after show, reveal inspiration boards covered with images of it girls from the 50s and 60s. Now, more so than any other time, it is acceptable to outfit yourself in your grandmother's teenage wardrobe.
When am I going to get to Blade Runner? I am a bit of a rambler. As most cat people are.
What I first noticed about Blade Runner's costumes was the hair style of the female protagonist Rachel Turrell. It is so distinctly 40s. Beyond that her costumes are also reminiscent of the same time period. At one point she has on a two piece blue and white striped skirt and top with a neck tie. Under her blouse is an elegant chemise. Her fur coat, though futuristic in fabric choice, borrows a vintage silhouette for a new spin on a classic look. Her character for this reason is the most striking but there were other examples.
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Fast Forward a few decades in fashion and you have Daryl Hannah's character who looks like a reincarnation of Nancy Spungen. Her matted bleach blonde hair and messy black eye liner play to the cyber punks of the future. While the other android, the snake charmer who is played by Joanna Cassidy is outfitted in what looks like some sort of homage to Barberella.
The inspiration for the men's costumes was a bit more period mashing. The fabric pattern on Harrison Ford's button-up shirts were more 70s and 80s, while his trench coat gave his silhouette a more film noir look. This was only strengthened during scenes in which the lighting was sparse. Eledon Tyrell also seemed a nostalgic character. He often appeared suited with a tuxedo shirt and bow tie. Overall his silhouette seemed more like a "futurized" 80s version then direct decade borrowing like some of the others. Upon first glance the jacket of J.F. Sebastian, the man with all the toys, appears to have a rounded collar with wide round piping. Underneath he is wearing very utilitarian overalls. What is most interesting about this character is the costumes he has chosen for his own creations. Thus he reinforces the sense of nostalgia by outfitting some of them in what looks like uniforms of Generals from the first World War.
As I thought more about what these designers had created I was truly blown away by the mastery of it all. Looking back at similar films it is hard to imagine the reality that they are trying to create ever coming true. The outdated graphics come off as kitschy and the clothes look as if all innovation in society was focused on technology while aesthetics were frozen in place. I cannot say for certain whether or not it was the intention of the designers to make such a prediction, but the fact that there is some truth to it today, to me, speaks volumes of their work. Unlike any other period in fashion, there is no one silhouette contemporary clothes attempts to achieve. For now I do not see people abandoning their beloved vintage treasures. Hopefully fashion was the extent of the predictions, while I am fascinated by robots, I could do without the nuclear holocaust.
While I've never seen the film, the images alone indicate that you're on to something-- it's harder to place them in the decade they were created. But Joanna's hair gives them away.
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