Anything Goes : Sci-Fi Costume Design by Dot Wieckowska

Many of the inventions we imagine as modern today, are in fact 'rediscoveries' or the implementation of an old idea with modern manufacturing techniques. Hero of Alexandria (10-100 AD) steam engine. Antikythera Mechanism, a 2000 year old Astronomical Calculator. Zhang Heng, 132 A.D. seismoscope. There are countless others. I don't subscribe to the idea of futurology. It's not an exact science. There are so many factors and variables that influence future demands and trends. In the 1960's it was a popular belief that we'd all be commuting in flying cars today . . .

I see your point about the "rediscovering". What i am interested in is the esthetics of the design which changes a lot with the new technologies.

There are many modern examples you can you as both a function and aesthetics study. Take the evolution of the aeroplane, from the first flight at Kittyhawk to the modern Jumbo. Even in the first 30 years, way before the advent of computer modelling, planes went from wood to using light weight materials like aluminum and the combustion engine to jet power. The plane went from looking like a glider to a cylinder. I remember there was some DVD commentary, I think on Blade 2, where Wendy Partridge discussed the different costume design requirements for Wesley Snipes character, the materials used for different scenes etc, might be worth fishing out and having a look.

Watch the special features in films like A.I. - They normally have set design/costume design notes.

Find a Special Effects Makeup Artist in your area & compare creative ideas... Will help open imagination.

Design is art. Some purposes of art are to push boundaries, and comment on the world around us. In science I absolutely believe we can predict where we are going. In art, I do not believe it is possible. For one, we don't know what that world will look like or how it will be reflected in art. We also don't know which boundaries will be successfully expanded. Classical music brought in a lot of dissonance; if that hadn't taken off the whole genre would not have occurred and tons of modern music might not exist. How would fashion look today if 80s baggy pants were more than a trend? Or the mullet or rat tail? You might look at historical future envisioning to see their track record: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9eAiy0IGBI So far they are quite in line with the crap that often comes down the runway as designers try pushing the boundaries (like poopy- I mean harem pants). If I were producing a sci fi film I would have clothing design based off of universal principles and away from trends: function (utility based on the modern world), individuality (lots of sci fi has everyone wearing the same thing, but non military cultures in history really did this), and lines and colors pleasing to human sensibilities (yellow coveralls, red/white striped socks, and red shoes doesn't look good in any era).

Clothing is an interesting aspect of our society. Many things repeat from time to time. Look at some of the styles of the 1960's and 70's and you will see them being modified and repeated today, but then look at some of them from previous centuries and you will see some similarities in fashion design; styles that are repeated in modern times or elements of those styles repeated in modern times. I envision military uniforms of the future looking very similar to the Victorian era in style, some even complete with cloaks or capes for formal uniforms.

What about the arrival of nylon and Lycra and this kind of fabrics? They might have not been used very well at the beginning ( definitely not in the sense of predicting the future look) but they were inspiring the designers. I am fascinated by new technologies like 3D printing for example. It is already being used in producing garments. The technique becoming cheaper and now also available for household use will have huge influence on the future of clothing (as well as other product design).

Well, the materials are not always the dominating factor in style. Most of the time styles are driven by certain trends in society. As one example, if you look at Henry VII, the style of clothing that nobility wore during his reign was driven by the styles that were popular amongst the nobility. Henry's particular style was influenced by commoners who were the German Landsknecht mercenaries that he had hired. During Elizabeth's (his daughter) reign, the style was also driven by the nobility. the high collars were designed with the idea of covering diseases that showed up through sores on the neck and wrists. Fashion trends moved pretty slowly until communications and travel technology was able to gt information and cultural trends out to people faster. During the 20th century, in the 30's and the "roaring 20's" styles were driven by America and our trend toward more freedom, shorter, tighter dresses/skirts and more skin showing. And let's not forget the bikini, which came about during atomic bomb testing in the 50's. So you can see that it is less about the materials used than the social influences of the day. There is an interesting book showing the clothing trends around the world from ancient Greece to about the mid-20th century, called "What They Wore". It is pretty interesting for getting costuming ideas and to see how things have been trending in the world.

Thanks a bunch for your thoughts guys. If you can think of any references, costume analysis, design inspiration, interviews with the designers...anything on costume in sci-fi i would really appreciate a link.x

Science fiction is one of the areas where a costume designer can, pretty much, completely let go, with certain reasonable limitations. With much of modern SF, we find that there are costuming needs for characters with complete cultures and species of alien origin. A good example would be Star Trek: Next Generation, where not only have they created entire cultures around the alien species, for the benefit of the show, but each one leans toward a unique and yet still familiar "feel" to them. A good example in that is the Ferengi; a species who's entire culture is built around business (the Rules of Acquisition), so their clothes have that "suit and tie"/business look and feel to them, then the Klingons with their warrior culture, so their costuming has that same look of the warrior, with armour, protruding weapons and such and the Bajorans, a religion-dominated culture with flowing robes and accoutrements for their clerics and a more agrarian culture feel to the general population's clothing. Three completely different species with three very different cultures. When designing a costume for any culture, in SF, you should consider the culture, the role of the character (are they a warrior, a scholar, a male, a female, hermaphrodite, their species has no gender at all, etc.), and their place within the culture (rich, poor, merchant, etc.). Costuming should always reflect the culture of the character in SF if you want to create the realism that makes the actor playing that character seem as though they actually ARE from that species/culture. For humans in SF, you can pretty much recycle styles, with modification for changes in society and materials and our own cultural trends.