The 1960s were a time of innovation and exploration. While science ventured into space with a series of missions culminating, in 1969, with the Apollo 11 touching ground on the Moon, fashion foresaw a broad cosmic future, experimenting with new technologies and fabrics.
We have put together a collection of vintage items inspired by the metallic trends and modern shapes of 1960s Space Age fashion and the retro futurism of that era as it evolved into the 70s and 80s.
Predicting women's fashion in the year 2000, the ‘Space Age’ designers Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, Paco Rabanne and Rudi Gernreich designed sleek silhouettes in plastic materials, accessorised with vinyl go-go boots, metallic or vinyl gloves, helmets and plastic goggles/ oversized sunglasses. They utilized geometric shapes, bright accents of colour as well as a white and silver palette.
Above: Courréges by William Klein
André Courrèges’ innovative designs embodied the spirit of the space age, with their simple, clean lines and futuristic aesthetic. He released his Moon Girl collection, including white go-go boots and tall, spherical hats, in the spring of 1964. He used high-shine PVC to construct stiff A-line skirts that held their own when twisted and contorted in fashion shoots.
Givenchy designed the all-white look for Audrey Hepburn in How to Steal a Million (1966) but Courréges designed the chinstrap space bonnet and Oliver Goldsmith designed the goggle glasses.
His interest in intergalactic glamour only grew from there. Three decades later, Courrèges was still sending space-inspired looks down the runway.
Courréges April 1993 (Kurita Kaku/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)
Paco Rabanne is famous for his chainmail and metal disc creations utilizing hardware. His phenomenal designs for Jane Fonda’s 'Barbarella' in 1968 have become iconic.
Pierre Cardin’s 1966 “Cosmos” collection, included wool-shift mini-dresses with huge cutouts. In 1971, he released dress capes with cutouts and in 1992, he created modernist dresses in two tone colours similar to his earlier work. He often included wide brim or circular crown hats/bonnets.
Cardin, 1966
Cardin, 1968. Photography by Yoshi Takata.
Cardin, 1968
Cardin, 1971 cape dress
Cardin, 1992 (Pierre Cardin archive)
Emilio Pucci designed the Braniff Airlines uniforms in 1965 which included plexiglass space bubble rain helmets to keep the air hostesses hair in check between flights!
Pucci air hostess helmet
We were also inspired by TV shows of the period such as Buck Rogers, UFO, Star Trek and Space: 1999, which was costume designed by Rudi Gernreich.
UFO (1970-71)
The 80s had their own love affair with retrofuturism, bringing in vibrant colours and metallic sheens. At Paris Fashion Week 1986, the Fall-Winter collection by Thierry Mugler was brimming with embellished star motifs, silver and gold tones and broad shoulders with draped cloaks evoking stormtroopers.
The bold, space-themed, and alien-like collections of designers like Mugler and Claude Montana overtook the relatively innocent vision pioneered by Courrèges and company.
With billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk set on conquering the space travel industry in the modern period, we have seen a renewed interest in Space Age style in recent years. Balmain’s FW ’21 collection was staged as a rocket hanger with the moon over the models while Chanel’s runway the same year had a life size rocket in the middle of the runway.
Micro skirts, white boots, capes and PVC materials have all made a comeback in the 2020s.
KWK by Kay Kwok’s SS24 show was notable for its intergalactic experimental designs.
Courrèges and Rabanne presented space age looks during Vogue World 2024 in Paris. Rabanne also released a space age inspired pre-Fall collection this year featuring metallic and chain mail dresses.
Rabanne PF '24
Metallics have been huge in 2024, as seen on the runways of Versace, Nina Ricci, Prabal Gurung and many more. It doesn’t look like this trend will die down anytime soon!
Rabanne SS '24
We have included lots of shimmering gold and silver motifs in this collection inspired by the cosmos! Sequins, beads, lamé, glitter and rhinestones shimmer and sparkle like stars in the night sky!
Also included are modernist geometric cut pieces, white Courréges-esque items and bold splashes of colour in between!
Browse our Space Age Collection here!
To read more about Space Age fashion designers, see our blogpost here!
*Cover image: Bert Stern for André Courrèges.