Hadley Freeman over at The Guardian has declared that Back to the Future is this season’s big fashion trend. Which makes complete sense, right? It’s almost the year 2015 — the very year that Marty visits in the BTTF sequel — so bring on those Nike powerlaces and hoverboard-friendly sneakers! Or not.
Unfortunately, Freeman’s not really talking about the retro-futuristic fashions of BTTF 2 — though thankfully also not the fashions of the Wild-West-themed third movie. She’s referring to the original. The one where Marty goes back to the 1950s. The movie where the filmmakers intentionally gave Marty a look so bland that he could exist in both the 1980s and the ’50s without looking too out of place. How very normcore of them.
Freeman points to Marty-style red Nike trainers, BTTF-inspired backpacks by Selfridges, and checked shirts, all staples of the 1980s version of Marty’s reality. This, as opposed to the spandex, self-drying jackets, and transparent ties like the one that Doc Brown wears when he’s dressing like he’s in the future of 2015.
Perhaps it’s for the best that our present is more ’50s than ’15s. If you take a peek at what Back to the Future thought next year would look like, many of the outfits already look passe. And by that I mean they have been a part of the bright-spandex and mum-jean hipster uniform for the better part of the past decade.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at some screenshots from the future of BTTF 2. They incorporate a kind of retro slash futuristic 80s-ness that’s damn near prescient.
Admittedly, some of the fashions are a bit more cyberpunk-cum-Waterworld chic. Especially when it comes to the baddies.
Clothes? Where we’re going we don’t need clothes.
Pictures: Screenshots taken from Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future II (1989)