Hello lovely,
When you think of Star Trek, you probably picture enormous spaceships, pointy ears and people confidently wandering into situations they really ought to have thought through first. But take a closer look at the costumes and there’s something rather familiar about the future.
Those bright little dresses, sharply cut tunics, knee-high boots and sleek, geometric silhouettes? You could almost imagine them appearing in a 1960s fashion magazine alongside Twiggy and the latest creations from André Courrèges. And there’s a very good reason for that.
When costume designer Michael Kaplan was brought on board for J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot, he turned to the very decade that gave us the original television series. His reference books included some of the most influential names in 1960s fashion, from Pierre Cardin to Paco Rabanne.
The result was a wardrobe that looked suitably futuristic while retaining a wonderfully recognisable Sixties flavour. So, how did the fashions of Swinging London find their way onto the bridge of the Starship Enterprise? Let’s have a closer look.
The 1960s Were Already Dressing for the Future
To understand the costumes of the modern Star Trek films, we need to travel back to the 1960s, when fashion was having something of a love affair with outer space.
The Space Race was dominating headlines, technology was advancing at a remarkable pace and designers were fascinated by the possibilities of a world that looked nothing like the one their parents had known. Clothing reflected that excitement.
Gone were many of the heavily structured, waist-cinching silhouettes of the previous decade. In their place came short shift dresses, geometric shapes, bold colour combinations, streamlined tailoring and unusual materials such as PVC and metallic fabrics.
Designers including André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne and Rudi Gernreich created clothes that seemed perfectly suited to a future filled with space travel and technological wonders.
At the time, these designs looked extraordinary. Today, they’re among the most recognisable styles of the decade. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s history of 1960s fashion explores how the Space Race helped inspire this new aesthetic, particularly through the work of Courrèges and Cardin.
And if you fancy exploring those original designs in more detail, I’ve already taken a rather lovely trip through the history of Space Age fashion.
How the Original Star Trek Borrowed From 1960s Fashion
When Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in September 1966, audiences were introduced to a vision of the 23rd century that looked surprisingly fashionable for its own time.
Costume designer William Ware Theiss helped establish the visual identity of Starfleet, creating uniforms that have remained instantly recognisable for generations. The now-famous colour-coded tunics made the crew’s departments easy to distinguish. Gold for command, blue for science and medical personnel, and red for engineering, security and communications.
Meanwhile, female crew members, including Lieutenant Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols, appeared in short uniform dresses with black tights and boots. Sound familiar?
Mini dresses were becoming enormously fashionable during this period. Mary Quant and André Courrèges were among the designers who helped popularise shorter hemlines, while models such as Twiggy made them synonymous with youthful, modern style.
Theiss’s costumes fitted neatly into this world of clean lines, bright colours and abbreviated hemlines. Of course, there’s a slightly less glamorous side to the story. According to Star Trek’s account of Theiss’s career, the decision to replace women’s trousers with miniskirts was partly driven by the production team’s desire for sexier uniforms.
It was very much a product of its time, when the miniskirt could represent newfound freedom while female characters were still expected to look attractive for the audience. A rather interesting contradiction, isn’t it? For a closer look at how these silhouettes appeared beyond the television screen, have a peek at my guide to 1960s subcultures and the changing styles of the decade.
Michael Kaplan’s 1960s Fashion References for the Star Trek Reboot
Fast forward to 2009. J.J. Abrams was preparing to introduce a new generation to Star Trek, with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldaña as Lieutenant Uhura. The costumes needed to feel modern enough for a big-budget science fiction film while remaining recognisable to fans of the original series.
Enter Michael Kaplan. Kaplan had already worked on films including Blade Runner, so he certainly wasn’t a stranger to dressing characters for imaginary futures.
But rather than filling the screen with increasingly complicated science fiction clothing, he looked towards the fashion designers who had imagined the future back in the 1960s. In an interview with Wired, Kaplan explained:
“I wanted the film based in the ’60s.”
He wasn’t suggesting that the characters should look as though they’d wandered straight out of a 1966 catalogue. Instead, the decade provided a starting point for the shapes, colours and overall atmosphere of the costumes. Kaplan later told Clothes on Film that he kept books featuring four particular designers close at hand.
André Courrèges: Clean Lines and Space Age Simplicity
If ever there was a designer whose clothes looked ready for a trip into orbit, it was André Courrèges. His work during the 1960s featured sharply defined silhouettes, short dresses, sleek trouser suits and those wonderful white boots that became a symbol of Space Age style.
There’s a clear visual connection between this approach and the updated Starfleet uniforms. The fitted tunics, simple shapes and structured dresses in the 2009 film echo the same interest in modernity and streamlined clothing.
Kaplan specifically mentioned Courrèges when discussing his references, making him one of the most firmly documented fashion influences on the reboot. I’ve explored his work in much greater detail in my fashion history of André Courrèges, including the collections that helped define the Space Age look.
Pierre Cardin: Geometric Fashion for a New Century
Pierre Cardin had a wonderfully imaginative approach to fashion. During the 1960s, he experimented with circular details, strong geometric shapes, innovative materials and clothing that often seemed to belong to an entirely different century.
His famous Cosmos designs are particularly good examples of this fascination with the future. Cardin’s influence is useful when looking at the more structured elements of the Star Trek wardrobe, especially the clean, architectural quality of the uniforms.
This doesn’t mean a particular Starfleet jacket was copied from a Cardin original. Kaplan’s references were broader than that, drawing on the overall fashion language of the period. If you’re curious about the man behind those fabulous creations, you can read my Pierre Cardin fashion history.
Paco Rabanne: When Fashion Became an Experiment
Paco Rabanne took the futuristic fashion obsession in a rather different direction. Instead of relying entirely on traditional fabrics, he experimented with industrial materials, linking metal and plastic pieces together to create dresses that looked more like wearable sculptures.
His 1966 collection of experimental dresses challenged ideas about how clothing should be constructed. You can see an original example in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
Rabanne’s experimental approach provides a fascinating point of comparison with the technical costumes in Star Trek Into Darkness, particularly the protective suits and unusual costume materials.
It’s worth making a distinction here, though. Kaplan named Rabanne as a reference, but that doesn’t establish a direct connection between any single Rabanne design and a particular space suit. The influence lies in the wider approach to imagining clothing beyond everyday conventions.
Rudi Gernreich: Freedom, Movement and Unusual Silhouettes
Rudi Gernreich was another designer who challenged the fashion establishment throughout the 1960s. His designs included striking geometric patterns, stretchy jersey fabrics and clothing that questioned traditional distinctions between menswear and womenswear.
He was particularly interested in allowing the body to move freely, something reflected in his use of flexible, uncomplicated shapes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes his work as combining experimental fashion with an optimistic vision of the future.
That makes him an interesting reference for a world in which clothing needs to feel practical, modern and comfortable enough for rather more than a trip to the shops.
There are certainly similarities between Gernreich’s modernist tunics and the streamlined look of Starfleet. But, as with Kaplan’s other references, it’s the overall design philosophy that matters, rather than a documented one-to-one copy.
Lieutenant Uhura and the Return of the Mod Mini dress
Of all the costumes in the modern Star Trek films, Uhura’s red uniform is probably the easiest to connect with 1960s fashion. Zoe Saldaña’s version takes the familiar red dress worn by Nichelle Nichols and gives it a sleeker, contemporary finish.
The shortened hemline remains, but the dress has a more defined, fitted shape, with subtle details that distinguish it from the original. Pair that silhouette with black tights and boots and you’re looking at an outfit that wouldn’t have seemed entirely out of place during the height of the Mod movement.
The resemblance becomes particularly obvious when you compare Uhura’s uniform with the simple, youthful dresses worn by models such as Twiggy. Those abbreviated hemlines, neat shapes and striking solid colours were hallmarks of the period.
And while Twiggy herself isn’t documented as a direct inspiration for Kaplan’s work, the connection between the film costumes and the broader Mod aesthetic is difficult to miss. For a better idea of what women were actually wearing in the mid-1960s, have a look at my Get the Look: Twiggy guide. It’s an excellent place to explore how the simple little shift dress became such a powerful fashion statement.
Even the Hair and Make Up Have a Sixties Feel
The references don’t stop at clothing. Take another look at Uhura’s eye make up in the 2009 and 2013 films. The defined liner and softly glamorous finish have something in common with the beauty trends of the 1960s, when eyes became the focus of many fashionable make up looks.
Wired also noted the beehive-style hairstyles worn by some background characters in Star Trek Into Darkness, further establishing the film’s connection with Sixties beauty. It’s all handled quite subtly. Nobody needs to look like they’ve stepped straight out of a vintage hair salon.
If you’d like to borrow a little of that look for yourself, my 1960s make up guide covers the eyeliner, lashes and eye shadow styles that helped define the decade.
The Little Costume Details That Make Star Trek Feel Modern
One of Kaplan’s cleverest decisions was to preserve the familiar Starfleet colours while updating the fabrics and construction. The reboot uniforms retained their distinctive command, science and operations colours, but the material was given a subtle repeating Starfleet insignia pattern. It’s a lovely detail that isn’t immediately obvious until you look closely.
The costumes in Star Trek Into Darkness also introduced more specialised clothing, including formal uniforms, shuttle suits and protective equipment. Kaplan explained that the crew needed different outfits for different situations, much as members of a modern military organisation would.
After all, wearing the same little tunic to a formal meeting, a hostile planet and a potentially disastrous space mission does seem rather impractical. Some of the more elaborate costumes also relied on sophisticated construction techniques. The protective suits in Into Darkness had to accommodate practical requirements such as ventilation, cooling and communications equipment.
There was a balance to strike between the imaginative future of Star Trek and clothing that actors could actually wear. And rather than making every costume aggressively futuristic, Kaplan deliberately kept many civilian outfits understated. Even Scotty gets a rather fabulous moment in Into Darkness, wearing a shirt that Kaplan described as his idea of a futuristic Hawaiian shirt. Clearly, casual Friday has survived well into the 23rd century.
Star Trek Beyond: A Fresh Take on the Original Sixties Uniforms
By the time Star Trek Beyond arrived in 2016, the film series had a new costume designer. Sanja Milkovic Hays took over the wardrobe, working with director Justin Lin to give the Enterprise crew another updated look.
The resulting uniforms had cleaner lines, revised collars and a slightly more formal appearance, while retaining the familiar Starfleet colours. Chris Pine even noted during the film’s press tour that Kirk’s updated shirt used a more muted mustard-green shade, bringing it closer to the original series.
There was also a welcome practical change to the women’s uniforms. Hays introduced sleeves that allowed female officers to display rank markings more visibly, something Karl Urban praised during interviews promoting the film. The decision acknowledged an important element of Starfleet’s identity while keeping the recognisable visual style of the original designs.
The new costumes still belonged to the same family as their 1960s predecessors, but they reflected different priorities and more modern production techniques. And that is perhaps the most interesting part of the whole fashion story. Each new version of Star Trek has interpreted the original uniforms through the attitudes, expectations and technology of its own time.
Why 1960s Fashion Still Looks So Futuristic
There’s something wonderfully peculiar about the way we imagine the future. The fashions that once represented tomorrow often end up becoming unmistakable reminders of yesterday. A white Courrèges boot, a Cardin tunic or a shiny Rabanne dress might have looked daringly futuristic in 1966. Today, those same pieces immediately bring the Swinging Sixties to mind. Yet the modern Star Trek films show how easily those design ideas can be updated. A clean silhouette, an unusual fabric or a bold colour combination can still look fresh when approached with a little imagination. It’s one reason I find 1960s style so enjoyable to wear today.
You don’t need an entire vintage wardrobe, and you certainly don’t need to dress as though you’re heading to a fancy dress party. A simple shift dress, sleek trousers, a sharply tailored jacket or a pair of statement boots can bring a little Space Age style into an everyday outfit. Perhaps leave the Starfleet insignia at home, unless you’re feeling particularly committed.
Who designed the costumes for the modern Star Trek films?
Michael Kaplan designed the costumes for Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). Sanja Milkovic Hays designed the costumes for Star Trek Beyond (2016).
Which 1960s fashion designers inspired the Star Trek reboot costumes?
Michael Kaplan specifically identified André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne and Rudi Gernreich as fashion references for his work on the first two reboot films.
Were the original Star Trek uniforms inspired by 1960s fashion?
Yes. The original television costumes reflected several contemporary trends, particularly bright colours, short mini dresses and simple modern silhouettes. The women’s uniform dresses closely followed the rising hemlines of the mid-1960s.
Why does Star Trek use different coloured uniforms?
The uniform colours traditionally help identify crew departments. In the original series and the modern reboot films, gold represents command, blue represents science and medical personnel, and red represents engineering, security and related operations
What is Space Age fashion?
Space Age fashion was a major design movement of the 1960s influenced by space exploration, technology and visions of the future. Designers experimented with geometric silhouettes, short dresses, unusual materials, bright colours and futuristic accessories.
Final Thoughts
I rather love the idea that some of cinema’s most recognisable futuristic costumes owe so much to designers who were already dreaming about tomorrow more than sixty years ago. From Courrèges and Cardin to the original Starfleet mini dresses, the connections between 1960s fashion and modern science fiction are fascinating.
And the best part? Those original fashion designs are still every bit as interesting as the costumes they helped inspire. So next time you’re watching Star Trek, take a moment to appreciate the wardrobe between the explosions, spaceship drama and questionable decisions from Captain Kirk. You might find there’s a little more Swinging London aboard the Enterprise than you expected.
Until next time, stay delightful darling.
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