English Version | The only way is forward

12 Jun 2023
By Pedro Vasconcelos

No matter how many journeys you take, the most stimulating ones will always be those that take place in time, not space. From metallic dresses to pixelated t-shirts, the future belongs to the wearer.

No matter how many journeys you take, the most stimulating ones will always be those that take place in time, not space. From metallic dresses to pixelated t-shirts, the future belongs to the wearer.

The other day I was walking through a department store, for no specific reason other than boredom, when, in my peripheral vision, I see light dancing on a dress. This shimmering effect was coming from the Paco Rabanne corner, where one of their classic metallic dresses was displayed on a mannequin. The magnetism of this piece, composed of metallic pallets, is ambiguous. If on the one hand, it appeals to our animal side, mesmerized by the simple reflection of light, on the other, it makes us travel forward in time to a future in a parallel universe.In 1966, Paco Rabanne presented his second collection, named 12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials. The short collection is a true time capsule. With the Space Age and the recent obsession with going to the moon, Fashion became a projection of humanity's ambitions. What we now call retrofuturism was, at the time, just futurism. The Spanish designer dared to think about what people would be wearing 60 years from now. Fortunately, he got it wrong, otherwise, his iconic metallic dresses would have been replaced by cheap elastane and polyester creations. His mistake was a blessing, and from it came his metallic inventions that for decades commanded the idea of what people would wear in the future. It is not surprising that these seductive pieces, which fall over the naked body, became famous in Hollywood. In Two For The Road (1967), Audrey Hepburn was the first to wear a metallic Paco Rabanne dress on the big screen, followed closely by Jane Fonda in Barbarella (1968). Where else to wear a Paco Rabanne dress but in an erotic adventure through space?

The resurgence of the silhouettes and materials invented by the Spanish designer is not surprising. After a period of miserable confinement, Rabanne's dresses are everything we wanted: to be our mirror ball, the ultimate embodiment of the party spirit. While his rebirth is appreciated, what this represents is no longer the future, but his more-than-perfect past tense. Its evolution is substantially more depressing. If futurism in Fashion started as a utopian fantasy of flying cars and intergalactic travel, its next phase is far more negative. The perspective of humanity becomes much more dystopian, and designers like Rick Owens create an aesthetic that projects our future as something out of Mad Max (1979): a neutral color palette, apocalyptic minimalism, and exaggerated silhouettes. But even if dystopian, Owens' future is still glamorous. Who can deny Zendaya's beauty on the red carpet at the British premiere of Dune (2021)? The white dress perfectly encapsulates the post-apocalyptic elegance that is part of the American's DNA. But even Owens' latest collection reveals a return to the Space Age. For his Fall/Winter 2023 proposals, his usual colors, ranging from black to white by the shortest route, were complemented by vibrant metallics. With inflated puffers coats and dresses, the designer's creations come close to what we might see at Space Station Fashion Week.

Even though the two waves of futurism discussed are clear and agreed upon among all those who breathe Fashion, we argue that a third wave is approaching. If past futurisms are mirrors of the common mood, the new version is no different. Inspired by Gen Z's sense of humor about a frightening future, designers like Jonathan Anderson capture the absurd in their proposals. Both in his eponymous brand and at Loewe, the designer theorizes about the future of humanity in the virtual sphere. For spring/summer 2023, both brands have created futuristic fantasies. At Loewe, t-shirts and hoodies made through pixels made us question if we are looking at an image in two dimensions - life on the screen is confused with real life. At JW Anderson, the designer takes a meme-inspired approach. Futurism becomes camp, with a distinct sense of humor: giant keys on a screen complement dresses; in others, the designer sacrifices the figurative in the name of the literal, and a mirrored sphere takes the place of a dress. Gone are the days when we dreamed we were The Jetsons (1962). Our view of the horizon is clouded by numerous insecurities, but we face them with a sense of comedy. One thing is guaranteed, the futurism of the future will be funny, a necessary good in the face of an uncertain outlook. They say hope is the last to die, but in the case of Fashion, let's hope it's the sense of humor. 

Translated from the original on our The Voyage Issue, from June 2023.Full credits and stories on the print version.

Pedro Vasconcelos By Pedro Vasconcelos

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