Blade Runner Watch: Fashion

Well, it's not quite urban-theory-related, but my brilliant colleague Nancy Miller pointed me to the invasion of the Blade Runner aesthetic into the fashion world this year. At left, that's Darryl Hannah, playing the kooky sexbot Pris in the movie.

And here's the work of designer Peter Christian, from the blog ZooZoom:

See what I'm saying?

More after the jump.

So, "fashion for a better tomorrow," huh? Here's Carine Roitfeld, editor of French Vogue, wearing leather by the designer Azzedine Alaïa. Now tell me you can't imagine Zhora wearing this:

That's from the New York Times back in February.

And then there's this trendwatch from New York magazine:

You can read the whole article here, but I'll just call out this gem for those of you too overcome with fashion joy to click through:

You'll Rent Blade Runner for Wardrobe Guidance.
Dolce & Gabbana looked to Judy Jetson for inspiration, while Balenciaga's vibe was more Tron. Comme des Garçons played both sides (a plastic trench over a relatively old-fashioned suit), while Brit favorite Gareth Pugh's fembots were dressed for Area 51. The future has arrived: Here's what to wear.

Well, I kind of love all this. Back in the day, my friend Paul O'Donnell wrote a piece for, I think, the Washington Post, on the aesthetic of the future. He quoted (again, I think-haven't looked this up) the writer Bruce Sterling as saying, yeah, it used to be that the future was going to be all about white togas, lucite sandals, and pills for food. Blade Runner was one of the movies that changed all that, of course. The future was going to look a lot like now, only dirtier and with more technology stuck to the walls.

I sit in an office that bears out that vision. Just like all those dresses.

Still, as Nancy says: "The trend won't last very long. But then again, what does?"

What, you don't get that reference? Go see the movie. I'll wait here.