The purpose of this study is to discover the common characteristics by studying costumes displayed in Dystopian films which have critical view of the future. The contents of this study consist of three different parts.
The first part is to study the ...
The purpose of this study is to discover the common characteristics by studying costumes displayed in Dystopian films which have critical view of the future. The contents of this study consist of three different parts.
The first part is to study the origin and concept about dystopia, and to study the dystopian expression involved in literature, art, architecture and films. The second part is to analyze future costumes appearing in six dystopian films which predicate the negative prospect for the future based on philosophical speculation related to criticism of reality. The third part is to classify the common formative characteristics of these costumes into external characteristics and internal characteristics.
The result of the study can be summarized as follows.
External characteristics were analyzed according to the form, material and color.
First, the form can be represented by minimalism, tailored style and military style. Minimalism expressed as form without decorative design realized economical efficiency by concise style line and minimized detail. Tailored style and military style of moderate form pursuing minimized external expression contain ideological brutality and fascism in stiff and angle wise line and standardized beauty of form.
Second, hi-tech synthetics rather than natural fibers prominently used in dystopian films. In these films we can see a lot of costumes mixed with shiny material which contain cold, strong and mechanical images, hi-tech polyurethane which is suitable for minimal expression, synthetic leather which contain both brutal image and cyber image and materials with recycling concept emerged from depletion of natural resources.
Third, the colors prominent in six dystopian films are achromatic colors which cover from white to grey and to black. Black implies the meanings of death, the end, injustice, illegality, fascism, violence, nihility and despair. White implies the meanings of start, resurrection, sadness, a departed, good, god, cleanness and sanitation. Grey implies the meanings of a feeling of helplessness, absence of individuality, fatigue, gloominess, fear, brutality, poverty and wretchedness.
Internal characteristics of costumes appearing in dystopian films are categorized as the indeterminate expression, ex-typical expression and uniform expression.
First, indeterminate expression grows out of stereotype about the form of costumes according to time and place by costumes which dismantle and reorganize unilinear time concept and modern space concept. This, in turn, collapses traditional assumption that regional characteristics and racial characteristics are symbolized by costumes.
Second, ex-typical expression destructs the standardized dichotomy about costumes of male and female. Ex-typical expression is presented as androgynous style, asexual or neutral style, and transvestism style.
Third, uniform expression, the most prominent internal expression , implies the emphasis on the roles accompanied by the expectation of the group rather than collective dispositions and individual expression of feelings inspired by uniforms which are the extreme form of clothing conformity.
The above formative characteristics of dystopian future costumes can be described as the embodiment of meanings of influence from present and future cultural changes in terms of the characteristics of fashion. These costumes which predicate the negative prospect for the future are presented as the extension of modern fashion phenomenon rather than as simple fantasy or imaginary concept.