Winter Matrix Trend Turned into Summer Matrix Fashion

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As you all may have seen, The Matrix look has been everywhere on and off the runway this past winter. The Matrix is a movie from 1999 and has three other sequels that came out in 2003 and most recently, 2021. The film is a mind-bending superhero thriller with a blend of cyberpunk sci-fi and existential drama. 

Each character had their own specific look for specific reasons. Trinity moves through the Matrix world with fast speed, so the shiny clothing she wears symbolizes this throughout the film. Her costumes are also purposely made very form-fitted as she is always in tight situations and needs to move around freely without anything getting in her way. Neo wears a coat to add to his superhero aura. It looked like a cross between an ancient Chinese robe and a priestly garment. 

With the rise of the newest movie, these looks have turned the fashion world into a reenactment of The Matrix itself, but in real life.  A lot of the looks consist of edgy aesthetics and slick looks such as long trench coats, slicked back hair, leather, latex, funky small sunglasses, hints of green to mimic the dripping lines of computer code in the film, and everything else mostly shown in the color black.   

Past runway shows like Christian Dior’s 1999 collection were heavily influenced by the aesthetics of The Matrix. Fast forward to 2017 & 2018, the resurgence of matrix attire was seen with designers such as Vetements, Balmain, Balenciaga, Off-White, and Alexander McQueen. This past Fall 2022 fashion week, Hardware LDN and the all-black looks in Valentino’s collection served many matrix-inspired looks down the runway as well. 

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A lot of celebrities have been keeping up with the trend. Kim Kardashian wore the Trinity outfit in her patent leather trench coat and small sunglasses with her hair slicked back- the epitome of the matrix look. Bella Hadid, another fashion icon constantly photographed on her street style, adds hints of green into her outfit wearing a green zip-up sweater vest over a black crewneck with black cargo pants and the typical small matrix sunglasses. 

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We are observing how this trend can be incorporated into summer trends. Below are some looks from the winter that we can transform into a summer look.

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For the summer we definitely would agree that slicked back hair would keep our hair out of our face in the warm weather. It also looks cool, so that is definitely a plus.

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Long trench coats are not needed in the summer obviously. Leather may not be ideal in the summer heat either, however, brands have made the material more versatile for other seasons. For instance, a lot of brands have been making leather sleeveless going out tops and leather shorts that are breathable enough for the summer.

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Sunglasses are a year round necessity, especially in the summer when the sun is glaring in your eyes overtime. The small matrix-style sunglasses, originally handmade and designed by Richard Walker for the film, would be a great addition to the summer fashion essentials.

Black being one of the main colors in the matrix look, is not so hard to find in general when shopping for clothes since it is one of the most popular colors. Black will look sleek no matter what.

Kym Barrett, The Matrix’s costume designer, had no idea that her vision from the film would create this much of an impact. It had such an immense impact that it has remained in the fashion world for decades.

In an interview with Glamour, Barrett says: “I was trying to tell a story about what it would be like to live in that world. I never had a hard number on when in the future it was set, but I wanted it to feel like it was in a world of bigger possibility, and now we are in that world.”

The clean, minimalistic, sharp lines of the matrix look has created a revolution. People were so eager in recreating the look that it exploded immediately at the MTV Movie Awards back in 2000 when the first film came out the year before. It is still very relevant in our fashion choices today and most likely will never fade away.