Fashion Adventures in Science Fiction Cinema

From Blade Runner to The Hunger Games, this book explores costume and dress in science fiction cinema and their impact on fashion and popular culture far beyond the films themselves. Therèsa Winge considers not only the films’ stylistic choices but also their representations of technology and their socio-cultural, political, and philosophical ideologies in order to trace their significant influence on popular trends, culture, and consumption. Fashion Adventures in Science Fiction Cinema looks at sci-fi films such as Barbarella, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, and The Matrix in order to understand the intersections between this eclectic genre and society and culture at large. By exploring the visual and material cultures of the films, Winge reveals the importance of characters’ costumes and dress in establishing their identities, story arcs, and style. She examines selected science fiction films’ aesthetics that impact popular culture beyond the films, influencing designers such as Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, and Paco Rabanne to create fashion collections, promotional campaigns, virtual environments, and more. Winge’s expertise in fandom and fan culture extends the reach of her analysis to reveal the enormous collective power of the consumer of science fiction, demonstrating the role of sci-fi in popular culture and fashion. Giving an incisive account of the complex relationship between dress in science fiction and broader culture and society, Fashion Adventures in Science Fiction Cinema is essential reading to all those interested in cinema, popular culture, fashion, and identity.