Looking toward a stylish future

As the fashion industry looks for an alternate universe -- one that has consumers flocking to stores -- it seems intrigued by the ideas of exploration and space.

The designer collections and all the trickle-down clothes that come after them are heavy on a tough look, with strong shoulders, stiff fabrics and tarnished metallic details. Sculpted, monochromatic outfits of black, gray and copper provide the night-sky backdrop to the flashes of neon that are the equivalent of shooting stars.

There were even a few storm-trooper helmets on the runways for fall collections. Clearly, the intention was to send a focused, futuristic warrior to do battle with the economy.

"This isn't the naive kind of '60s futuristic stuff you might think of," said Susan Cernek, senior fashion editor of Glamour.com. "This is more robotic. It's tougher. It's an android crossed with a biker."

Francisco Costa, creative director for Calvin Klein's womenswear collection, prefers to call the vibe "modernist," but he said he sees the space-age connection: "The house gives a sense of strength from structure, and that is actually nature-driven, and space is definitely a part of nature."

For the fall collection, Costa used an asymmetrical crescent hemline to soften aggressive laser cuts, and he played with fashion's equivalent of puzzle pieces that had the effect of mimicking the plates of Earth.

Cernek noted a toggling between the vast galaxy and the core of this planet as inspiration in many collections. They're opposite in some ways, she said, but similar in others: "We're looking for the light at the end of the tunnel."

"We're looking for a fresh start," she said. "Spending patterns have changed with the economy, and this is a fresh start of an uncharted territory."

And retailers do need to turn the page: A monthly compilation of more than 50 retailers' results by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs indicated that same-store sales fell 5 percent last month compared with a year ago.

Pop culture fans those flames with the countless tributes this year to the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's moonwalk, and the popularity of the alien flick "District 9" at the box office.

Improving technology

Technology also has caught up with some of the vision. Italo Zucchelli, the menswear designer at Calvin Klein, said much of the modernity of his fall collection came from a new stiff repellent fabric that bonded foam with traditional textiles. It probably wasn't possible to do five years ago, and, even if it was, it wouldn't have been right for the times, he said.

For Los Angeles-based designer Rory Beca, space represents practically a rainbow of colors. Lately, she has been interested in the work of artist Jacques Monory, who incorporates galactic hues into his work.

"I have always been infatuated with space, even as a kid, because it is beyond anything we really know and understand," Beca said.

That's not to say fashion's future can't borrow from the past. Designer Rachel Roy infused her sleek collection with hints of the 1940s -- a time that she said represents "a world where women were making their own decisions and being independent."

Still, the clothes she presented at Fashion Week -- such as a gray flannel coat with a stiff collar and a black bustier dress adorned with a necklace made of square-cut mirrors -- had some space-age trimmings. And, yes, she acknowledged with a giggle, the shoulder pads are a little "Star Trek."

Don't laugh too hard. Some fashion insiders say the exaggerated shoulder will be among the most wearable trends of the season.

Other wearable interpretations of the galactic look are the liquidlike metallic leggings shown by BCBG Max Azria and Alexander Wang's crystal-studded leggings.

"This becomes an easy way to tap into a trend without revamping your entire wardrobe and without putting on a helmet," Cernek said.

StyleSight's Thomas, though, wouldn't be surprised if some fashion-forward types snapped up Karl Lagerfeld's helmets that had iPod attachments and matching fingerless gloves with a spot for a phone. It would give them something to wear on their Vespas.

"He really thought about how this trend will translate into real life," she said.