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Vision of the Future English version
by Panu Boonpiputtanapong (Translated by Can Dan Esan)
(Visionary of the future determines fashion . An inspiration from celluloid into fabrics.)
A summary for lecture and article delivered by Panu Boonpipatthanapong, independent writer and columnist for FILMAX Magazine. At the William Worren Library, as part of the exhibition “Futuro Texttile”, The Jim Thompson Art Centre.
Besides elaboration of location setting, screenplay, score and performance. The costume play as much important role as other elements. As we regularly know that costume is not only use for protecting actor/actress from the obscene. But costumes also reflects taste, culture, mode of conception or larger set of ideas-often given a name as “style” of “the mind set” of exact period of time.
Concurrently, films can generate fascination, adoration or can lead people to certain taste, culture. All can epitomize under the umbrella which is so called “fashion.”
For many decades fashion from films (or other form of mass culture) can affect people. Especially, the youth and the grown up who follow the style that taken up by the movie stars and publicized to the public by films. Moreover, the fads of fashion in cinema can be also indicated by large number of costume’s sales.
Regularly, as well accepted as “What Hollywood designs today, you will be wearing tomorrow.” In other words, films can affects fashion rather than the trend setter does. It is important to count fashion as influential, and explore the connection among two realms of art form, fashion design and films.
Fashion in the visionary world
Wardrobe is not only an essential element in film but also reflect the character’s trait. Besides garnishing the characters, stylishly. The proper costume can support and imply the main characteristic of each actor/actress.
The films in the mid century did not only present elegant image of Audrey Hepburn with costumes designed by Givanchy, but the costume also foster her a radiant fame. In addition to a contribution of other designer such as Yvse Saint Laurent who envelope a mysterious atmosphere in Catherine Deneuve’s film.
If we look around in the fashion design for films and wardrobe designing circle, there may be no one as exciting as Jean Paul Gaultier. He is as praised and denounce as an ‘Enfant Terrible’. Gaultier must be mentioned at the top list. His first hilarious collection was launched in 1976, he never received formal training as a designer.
Instead, he started sending sketches to famous couture stylists at an early age. Until Pierre Cardin was impressed by his talent and hired him as an assistant in 1970. With his out spoken personality and rebellious style. With breakthrough and challenging identity, these deserve him to be given name as a bad boy in fashion scene. His creativity are drawn from street and pop culture. The most memorable one is a jetting metallic brassier, worn by Madonna is her “Ambition Tour.”
Set of costumes made by Gaultier which appeared in films are not only his bunch of personal design but rather imply the characteristic of the actor/actress too. Including futuristic ones in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element, to a sadomasochistic fetish look from peeling brassiere showing the nipple cover by camera in Pedro Almodóvar's Kika. Or the cage-like ward robe for Helen Miran appered in Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. The wradrobe implies the dispirited for freedom of the actor, Besides, there is also a set of wardrobe those are entirely different for 100 characters in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's The City of Lost Children.
When Sci-Fi meets Fashion
If each kind of art form can put an influence to each other. Or novel science and technology can inspire artist to create new mode of expression. On the other hand some excellent work of art can also be inspiration of science fiction as well.
Moreover, many scientific invention still be adapted from the vision of the future in science fiction movies too. Because of its vision towards future, thus sci-fi movies allow unprecedented images of architecture, wardrobe, and backdrop. In addition to unconventional materials which are usually applied to industrial fabrication or scientific experiment. The unconventional material such as plastic, vinyl or fiberglass are now regularly in use of making wardrobes.
Outstanding example is The Matrix, not only because this film appropriates eastern martial art such as Kungfu into the movies, it also present new futuristic vision by its extra ordinary outfits which combine both fetish and athletic style. Trinity (Kathy Anne Moss)’s look is so enchanting and stylish that New York Times praise her look as admirable as “Vinyl is a girl’s best friend.” Together with Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburn) in ‘The Matrix Reload’, the combative male characteristics of them are drawn from Ninja and martial art outfits. These styles are later popular from street side to fashion runway.
An invincible style : designer’s film choices.
An outstanding film by Ridley Scott, “Blade Runners ” which depicts a dystopia. At the moment of its debut, the films is failed because of its too much futuristic in both contents and production design which look melancholic. In contrast to flashy one by a Fantastic Sci-Fi movie of the same time such Star Wars by George Lucas (1977).
The dystopian atmosphere in the film was taken place in Los Angeles, where genetically manufactured beings called replicants — visually indistinguishable from adult humans — are used for dangerous or menial work on Earth's "off-world colonies". Following a replicant uprising, replicants become illegal on Earth and specialist police called "blade runners" are trained to hunt down and "retire" escaped replicants on Earth, who commit crime and deemed to be destroyed.
Besides its complicate plot and philosophical prospect in a film-Noir retro atmosphere. One thing that puts Blade Runner to the forefront is production design and wardrobe designed by Charles Knode and Michael Kaplan, which inspires both Sci-Fi and non Sci-Fi movies of latter generation. Importantly a design by them are still eye catching and everlastingly progressive. Also one character in the films-Rachel (Jean Young) was admired as best groomed actress with the style called “Vintage chic” which means classy and cool. The wardrobe in Blade Runners is both harmonious and relevant to futuristic backdrop. That drives this movies to be count as legendary as most outstanding Sci-Fi movies of all time.
When fiction becomes real.
In the Sci-Fi comedy film such as Back to the Future. The wardrobe in this films also expresses futuristic vision of an all-in-one gadget such as liquid protecting fabric or auto inflated sneakers.
Nowadays smart jacket are regularly available. It is not only supports several functions by incorporating entertainment devices. Including MP3 player, while wearing the suits it is also easily to enjoy the song. Moreover some fabrics are designed to protect from disaster such as storm or flooding.
Recently product from Nike, a well known sport wear has produced a set of sneaker, following the character from Back to The Future-Episode I and II. The sneakers can both glows in the dark and auto inflating by pumping in the air into their bodies, it serves the desire to touch the future that is coming closer in the few years.
Futuristic Design
Amid banality in fashion design, there is an outstanding designer who made a collection of ward robe that fully enchanting and unique. It is Hussein Chalayan.
Chalayan was born Turkish in 1970 and graduated from a college of his hometown. He moved with his family having moved to England in 1978, obtaining British citizenship and proceeded to study design in the Central St. Martin college, UK.
Chalayan works draw several inspirations from architecture, science and modern technology and current global issues. His works are as attractive as surprisingly astonishing at the same moment. His design combines multi-facets from both western and non-eastern culture such as the Turkish.
The promising feature in his design is always be abandoned in arts and design in his life time, that is “social commitment” The “social commitment ” as a criterion of design is similar to the way Coco Chanel has emancipated women from corset that squeeze women to faint. The mission of wardrobe and fashion design might be both following trendy style and functionally comfortable.
The most outstanding design by Chalayan is appeared in the film Afterwords (2000), known as “Wearable Architecture.” The wardrobe inspire by an escapement from casualties of war and the holocaust. A hybrid design between light weight living room set and fashion perform as both a camouflage and solution for difficulties to keep large properties while escaping .
A timeless style
Among the most influential film maker since 1970s, Stanley Kubrik plays important role by directing various genre and meticulously put together futuristic vision, though some films by Kubrik are dystopian and strongly imaginary.
But what appeared futuristic and extremely modern in his film are later praised and become the legendary films, such as astronaut suit, space craft hostess or wardrobe and chairs in spacecraft in Space Odyssey (1968).
Together with a scandalous film about teenager rampant manage in the future- Clockwork Orange (1971). Both films are the clues for promising trend in wardrobe, architecture, interior design and visual culture of our present time.
Super Hero Uniform Technological: Blurry line between Fantasy and Reality
Besides interpretation of futuristic vision in novel, many popular comics become films such as Superman, or Batman. Recently Chistopher Noland ’s latest episode , Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) has portrayed Bruce Wayne or Batman to be the most humanistic one compared to other versions which are rather comic like or fanciful.
Batman Begins Batsuit
The costume in Batman Begins (2005)[19] is given the most complete description ever seen in a Batman film and possibly the comic books. The suit is derived from Lucius Fox's Research and Development program, within Wayne Enterprises' Applied Sciences Division. It is described by Fox as a "Nomex survival suit" originally intended for advanced military use, but, with its $300,000 price tag, was considered to be too expensive for the United States Army and military in general. Based on an advanced infantry armor system constructed from Nomex, the first layer of protection is an undersuit with built-in temperature regulators designed to keep the wearer at a comfortable temperature in almost any condition.
The second layer of protection consists of armor built over the chest, calves, thighs, arms, and back. This armor features a kevlar bi-weave that can stop slashing weapons and can also deflect any bullet short of a straight shot impact, and reinforced joints that allow maximum flexibility and mobility. The armor was then coated with a black latex material for camouflage and to dampen Bruce's heat signature, making him difficult to detect with night-vision equipment. Made of a graphite material, the cowl acts as a protective helmet. The cowl's Kevlar lining is supposed to be bulletproof.
A manufacturing defect in the graphite used in the production of the first shipment of the cowl's components made its outer shell incapable of withstanding blunt trauma (a flaw Alfred demonstrates to Bruce Wayne using a baseball bat). The second shipment (not shown) was supposed to fix this problem.
An advanced eavesdropping device is concealed within the cowl's right ear and enables Batman to listen in on conversations from a distance. The utility belt is bronze in color and is a modified climbing harness, with magnetized impact-resistant pouches and canisters attached to the belt at ergonomic points for ease of reach. It carries a magnetic gas-powered grapple gun, an encrypted cell phone, Batarangs, a medical kit, smoke bombs, mini explosives, periscope, remote control for the Batmobile (the Tumbler), mini-cam, money, and other unspecified equipment. Batman removed the belt's shoulder and chest straps because they constricted his movements. Batman's cape is made of "memory cloth," also developed by Lucius Fox. It is essentially flexible in its normal state, but becomes semi-rigid in a fixed form (Batman's wings in the movie) when an electric current is passed through it from the microcircuits in his right glove.
The Dark Knight Batsuit
The Batsuit is changed in the latest film The Dark Knight (2008), due to a dog bite on Batman's left arm at the beginning of the film. In this new design, the bodysuit is made of hardened kevlar plates on a titanium-dipped fiber and is broken into multiple pieces of armor over a more flexible bodysuit for greater mobility. As a trade-off, however, the flexible armor leaves Batman more vulnerable to injury from bullets or knives in favor of increased flexibility and lighter weight.
The cowl of the Batsuit, which in previous film incarnations has been attached to the shoulder and neck, is now a separate component inspired by the design of motorcycle helmets, allowing the wearer to freely swivel and move his neck without moving the rest of his upper torso (by personal request of Bruce Wayne as 'it would make backing out of the driveway easier)' as was characteristic in all the previous cinematic versions of the Batsuit. Also, a strong electric current runs through it that prevents anyone except Bruce from removing it, further protecting his identity.
In this Batsuit, the iconic blades on the sides of Batman's gauntlets are now retractable and are capable of firing outwards as projectiles. The bat emblem is smaller than the one in Batman Begins and it bears a greater resemblance to the Batman logo that has been associated with the Christopher Nolan film franchise.
The suit again has an external 'memory cloth' cape, but, now has the ability to fold into a backpack shape as demonstrated during the free-base jump in Hong Kong. It is unclear in the film if once deployed, as a glider, it can return to this backpack shape automatically. According to costume designer Linda Hemming this backpack idea was developed, at the request of Nolan, as a fall back if the cape were to get caught up in the rear wheel of the Batpod in motion.
Works cited
FUTURO TEXTIEL 08 SURPRISING TEXTILES, DESIGN & ART The William Warren Library, Jean-Paul Gautier (Hardcover) by Colin McDowell, //www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/, //hollyheadmag.com/2009/06/nike-back-to-the-future/, หนังสือ : Hussein Chalayan. NAI PUBLISHER GRONINGER MUSEUM, //www.husseinchalayan.com, //www.designboom.com/eng/interview/chalayan.html, //www.wikipedia, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdiSk8XyBu8, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BXPOENATC8&feature=related
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