Styles of the Future

[uniderth]

Ok, so I'm going to make myself a suit in 2020's, I mean, modern style. I've bought some suits at the thrift store and will modify the lapels and buttons to resemble what is seen on screen. I've bought some shirts that I will modify the collar on. I also bought some ties to modify. I just need to get some fabric and patterns to make the vest.

Speaking of ties here's some images of ties featured in the episode:

I just need to figure out how to fasten the tie around the neck in a real fashion. I'm thinking of putting a button hole and button on the inside.

 

[FormerLurker]

Near-future fashions like these always strike me the same way as near-future slang sci-fi authors, mostly of the "put it on the net unedited" variety, put into their work to make it seem 'futuristic'. And that's badly, as though they're playing a piano and hit a wrong note. Fashion evolves along lines that are not nearly so linear, nor so "let's take this established thing and make it look odd" as people think.

For instance, tall boots were the province of men's fashion for 5000 years, mostly in northern climes like Europe and China. This started to peter out when women started wearing laceup boots just after the American Civil War, and progressed to the point that nowadays women wear tall boots as diverse as anything men wore for 5000 years before, with a wide variety of knee, over-the-knee, and thigh-high boots, some laceup, some pull-on. For men, however, a tall boot is a laceup work boot or hiking boot that just covers the ankle. And if a man wears the taller boots, he'd better be riding dressage in competition, or his reputation is going to go south.

 

[Timewalker]

Quite the opposite, IMO. After years of the ugly civilian attire on the various Star Treks, I found BSG's use of contemporary outfits quite refreshing. It gets the point across that they're civilians and you don't feel sorry for the actors for being forced to wear something hideous and in some cases uncomfortable.

I have to admit I hate the whole series and if I was an extra in a sci-fi show and told that instead of something alien and outlandish I have to wear a standard business suit or a T and jeans I would be very disappointed.
It makes no sense for a culture completely un-influenced by our own and/or at a completely different point in time to look exactly like people from the 2000s without even the tiniest bit of variation to somehow remind us that this is an alien culture.
And I don't care if it was a "conscious decision" by the showrunners, I just put it on the long list of things I don't like about that show.

I agree 100%. One of the first things I noticed about nuBSG was the costumes. My first thought was, "If this is supposed to be a science fiction show, why does everyone look like they just came in from the main street in the city where I live?"

If I want to look at people like that, I'll go sit on a bench downtown and people-watch. I don't need it on a show that pretends to be an "improved" version of a show I enjoyed ~20 years before.

Ok, so I'm going to make myself a suit in 2020's, I mean, modern style. I've bought some suits at the thrift store and will modify the lapels and buttons to resemble what is seen on screen. I've bought some shirts that I will modify the collar on. I also bought some ties to modify. I just need to get some fabric and patterns to make the vest.

Speaking of ties here's some images of ties featured in the episode:

I just need to figure out how to fasten the tie around the neck in a real fashion. I'm thinking of putting a button hole and button on the inside.

I never noticed before how ugly those are. They look ridiculous.

Near-future fashions like these always strike me the same way as near-future slang sci-fi authors, mostly of the "put it on the net unedited" variety, put into their work to make it seem 'futuristic'. And that's badly, as though they're playing a piano and hit a wrong note. Fashion evolves along lines that are not nearly so linear, nor so "let's take this established thing and make it look odd" as people think.

For instance, tall boots were the province of men's fashion for 5000 years, mostly in northern climes like Europe and China. This started to peter out when women started wearing laceup boots just after the American Civil War, and progressed to the point that nowadays women wear tall boots as diverse as anything men wore for 5000 years before, with a wide variety of knee, over-the-knee, and thigh-high boots, some laceup, some pull-on. For men, however, a tall boot is a laceup work boot or hiking boot that just covers the ankle. And if a man wears the taller boots, he'd better be riding dressage in competition, or his reputation is going to go south.

It's not just footwear that's significantly changed. I was active for over 12 years in the Society for Creative Anachronism, and quickly got used to seeing guys wearing tunics, hose, and various kinds of shoes and boots. A couple of friends came by one day to pick me up for a meeting; all of us were in our costumes. We had company that day - my grandmother's friend and a relative who'd come to visit. They took one look at my friends and freaked out because "those men are wearing dresses!!! ". I told them they were appropriately dressed for people who lived 600 years ago, and no, they were not wearing dresses; they were wearing tunics.

The modern t-shirt is a holdover from the millennia during which everyone wore tunics of varying styles and lengths.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Most of those outfits are hideous mid-90s fare. Those ties look like those ghastly things Dean Cain wore around the office in L&C.

 

[serdogthehound]

The thing is Businesses wear has changed quite little over the past century. A basic suit from the 1930's would not look too out of place in an office today, yet it always seems that it 30 years we will make a massive leap in fashion

look at the the suit on the Wikipedia page on the history of suits from 1919 the louge type suits I could wear to work, even to court, without much of a second look, so basically in 1996 it was say that suits would change more in the next 30 years then in the past 80
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_suits

 

[2takesfrakes]

I, for one, put my trust in the fashion sense of Ermenegildo Zegna ...

http://store.zegna.com/us/men/suits

 

[Orphalesion]

^ 3000+ Dollars for an effing suit, are they effing cracked in the head?

 

[2takesfrakes]

Ermenegildo Zegna currently offers a wool suit for $837.oo, which may be to your liking, sir. There are other options ...

 

[Orphalesion]

Hahaha, no thanks kind sir, even the one for $777 is not quite what I'm looking for at this moment. The mister and me are saving up for a house with a nice garden, plus there's still that student loan....
And, as a uni friend of mine can tell, there are ways of looking dashing and fashionable at affordable prices.

I hope you didn't my comment as a jab against you, I was just surprised at the prizes.
Stuff like that, suits for 3000+ dollars, wine bottles for 1200+ dollars it just always makes me wonder how they justify the prices. I mean I understand that there is obviously a difference in quality between one of those suits and the crummy one I wore to my formal or that aged wine and goon, but enough to justify that much? I mean those suits have the price of a university semester.

 

[uniderth]

Ok I finally have this thing almost done. I bought a pattern for the vest. I couldn't find any fabric that I wanted so I just used quilting fabric. I still need to get the buttons and button holes done on the vest.

For the neck tie my wife about laughed me out of the house when i had it like what was seen on screen. However, as a compromise I had both ends of the tie sticking out like an X rather than the onscreen Q version. I haven't finished the other end of the tie yet so its just a cut edge.

My shirt I just took a off-white shirt from a thrift store and cut the collar off.

The suit is one I bought at the thrift store. I still need to modify it to give it the right cut and collar.

 

[T'Girl]

You look quite stylish, needs a nice watch though.

 

[Push The Button]

However I rather take even the most hideous future fashion over having people in space run around in contemporary wear like on the re-imagined BSG. That was just stupid imho.

Quite the opposite, IMO. After years of the ugly civilian attire on the various Star Treks, I found BSG's use of contemporary outfits quite refreshing. It gets the point across that they're civilians and you don't feel sorry for the actors for being forced to wear something hideous and in some cases uncomfortable.

All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.

Of course, the Colonials that made it to earth in nuBSG became our ancestors, so it makes sense that in addition to their language, culture, and philosophy, we would also inherit their styles of clothing.