When it comes to Her, the movie-going public is a little like a kid ignoring his giant new RC car to play with the cardboard box it came in. Here we are, with a film that asks so many questions that are so relevant to our own lives- questions about the ever-increasing influence of technology and its impact on our relationships- and all anyone cares about are the high-waisted pants.
Don’t get me wrong, the high-waisted pants are great. I love the pants. And it does make sense that people would be falling over themselves to editorialize about Joaquin Phoenix’s fashion choices instead of his digital romance. Not a soul in Her ever speaks aloud about men buckling their trousers above the bellybutton; the inclusion of the pants is both subtle and on the nose at the same time. So when those in the audience realize why the men of Her look so oddly futuristic, they get a fun little feeling of discovery, and immediately decide to write about it on the internet.
And besides, if I had a spare $195 that deserved to be spent on something completely frivolous, I might pick up a pair myself. Because yes, they’re a real thing now. According to The Hollywood Reporter, not only have Her costume wizard Casey Storm and designer Humberto Leon been selling the comfy future slacks on Leon’s Opening Ceremony retailer, but apparently they’ve been selling quite well. If, unlike myself, you do feel like doing a little completely ridiculous spending, you can do so at the Her section of Opening Ceremony’s online store (which has Her-inspired shirts and hoodies as well, but they pale in comparison to the pants’ majestic old man chic).
This kind of thing isn’t unheard of. Start shopping around Google and you’ll find yourself with several choices of Back to the Future hoverboards to purchase- just replicas for now, but the technology is slowly getting there (today we have boards that actually hover, but still can’t support a person’s weight). If something is popular enough in a movie, people will want to own it outside the movie. This is doubly so with fashion; something that’s far easier to replicate than a flying skateboard. Just look at this infographic (from JulesB) illustrating just how often fashion designers deign to turn future clothes into today clothes:
Unlike Effie Trinket or Ruby Rhod’s costumes, however, people might actually wear the Her pants in real life. Obviously, they wouldn’t look like a distressed pixie had just vomited glitter all over their clothes. But real people who know about fashion do think that the high waist is the next big thing.
Says Jenny Le, a manager at Opening Ceremony, “I do think that men’s pants, at least in the next couple of years, will maybe not go as high as the women’s, but I think they are starting to merge. There’s a real cross-pollination with the way men and women are shopping. Its already starting to cross over.”
And then there’s Storm, who says the same thing about our high-waisted future: “I think that is coming for sure, and other forward-thinking fashion people are probably just about to start heading in that direction.”
Perhaps Her’s future designs are so potent that they’ll actually influence the way we dress, and everyone will be rocking this particular look in a few years. Or perhaps the whole movie was just a front for the fashion industry; a conspiracy to get high-waisted pants on the market a few years sooner. But then, consider that Storm also had this to say (having been through the ringer in terms of future pants questions): “I’m so sick of the high-waisted pants.” So if you happen to be wearing your own pair and you run into Her’s costume designer… maybe don’t mention the pants.
