7 Fashion Trends You’ll Wear in the Future (According to Sci-fi)

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from science fiction is that clothing will be radically transformed. T-shirts, jeans, the little black dress, these will all go the way of powdered wigs and leopard skins. At least, that’s what you’d believe if you watched enough sci-fi movies. In the near and distant future, there are some common themes. To prepare you, here are seven clothing trends you’ll be wearing…if you live that long.

1. Overalls

ETA: 25 Years in the Future

Examples: Metropolis, 1984, Brazil

When the dystopian totalitarian government takes over, overalls will become standard issue. Available only in one color and preferably uncomfortable, you’ll trudge from your monotonous job to your cramped government-assigned living quarters, all while looking like everyone else. At least you won’t have to worry about what to wear every morning. Accessories include black boots and dirt.  

2. Rags

ETA: 75 Years in the Future

Examples: Mad Max, Waterworld, The Matrix

If the future goes in the wrong direction, we’ll end up in a post-apocalyptic world, where civilization is in ruins. Whether it’s World War III or a zombie onslaught or a deadly plague, the first thing to go is always the clothing industry. That’s why you’ll be wearing grubby scraps of clothing left over from a by-gone age (i.e. today). Preferably your rags will have tattered corporate logos for extra irony. Accessories include football helmets and leather jackets.

3. Armor

ETA: 100 Years in the Future

Examples: Terminator: Salvation, Star Wars, Starship Troopers

At a certain point in the future, the human race will be locked in a seemingly endless war with aliens, monsters, robots, ourselves…one or all of the above. The point is, we’ll be shooting or getting shot at 24/7. In this war-torn future, the old Kevlar and camouflage won’t cut it anymore. We’ll be donning full armor. Optional accessories include guns and ammo.

4. Spandex

ETA: 250 Years in the Future

Examples: The Island, Logan’s Run, Star Trek, Buck Rogers At a certain point, we’ll live in a world that seems to be perfect. We’ll go around living happy lives, eating delicious food, going to a great job, and smiling a lot. At that point, it’s time to put on our skintight bodysuits. Since human bodies will be at the peak of human perfection (first rule of paradise: no fat people), we won’t mind showing every curve of our bodies to the world. And we won’t need pockets. Too bad about the dystopian nightmare that always lurks beneath the surface.

5. Exoskeletons

ETA: 500 Years in the Future

Examples: Voltron, Avatar, The Matrix

In the distant future when mankind has spaceships and robots, we’ll have perfected the technology of huge robotic exoskeletons. Giant robots will be all the rage in the future. They’ll come in several sizes – man-sized to do manual labor, the size of a tank with guns for hands, and several stories tall for fighting giant monsters. Accessories include rocket launchers and mechanical claws.

6. Robes

ETA: 1000 Years in the Future

Examples: Superman, Star Wars, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

According to the movies, given enough time, the human race will evolve into god-like beings with psychic powers. You’ll live in towering spires, spend your days moving slowly, communicating only with your minds, and talking like a Shakespearean actor. At that point, you’ll be wearing a robe, one that’s comfortable and made of flowing fabric to give us all a dreamy look. Accessories include glowing bits and crystals.

7. Totally Weird Crap

ETA: 1,000,000 Years in the Future

Examples: Dune, Doctor Who, Star Wars

Once you get past a certain point, the clothes we’ll wear will make no sense at all. After all, some things we wear today are bizarre. Imagine the fashion sense of the human race once it’s evolved a million years in the future. That’s why the dominant fashion trend will be nonsense. Tin foil, glowing spheres, spikes in the skull, big shoulder pads, feathers, codpieces, color-changing fabrics, nudity…anything goes. As long as something covers some part of your anatomy, no one will look twice. Accessories include vanilla pudding and a live ocelot.

Which fashion trend are you looking forward to? What other fashion trends in sci-fi movies have you seen?

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