What Does Retro Robot Normcore Look Like?

Dressing for a world without belt buckles with inspiration from Her (2013) and Sunny (2024)

Imagine a world without denim or belt buckles or ties or baseball hats. Or a world where a homebot poses a potential threat between tidying your kitchen and entertaining your mother-in-law. These are the universes of Spike Jonze’s Her (2013) and Katie Robbins’ Sunny inspired by The Dark Manual by Colin O'Sullivan.

We’ll save the film criticism for

Elissa Suh

, and stick to the stunning costumes that make both of these pieces of media worth examining on an outfit level.

Her came out when I was a Senior in high school. Moving to New York was all I could think about most days, besides the sacred ritual of deciding what to wear before pulling up to school for Bible and Advanced Art and whipping right around to watch Glee before volleyball practice.

Getting dressed wasn’t for anyone but myself. The movies I watched had a direct impact on my outfits. There were a lot of Audrey Hepburn “inspired” outfits I’m grateful were never documented. One movie in particular, Her, was a favorite of mine, and top of mind when I was slipping into sky-high pants and taking care to fasten the top button on almost every shirt.

The film is set in a warm, nostalgic future with the haze of loneliness that makes me want to cry just thinking about. The outfits have been described as “radically unsexy” which feels apt. Shapes are either cropped and neat or big and voluminous; very few pieces straddle the middle.

Casey Storm, the Oscar-nominated costume designer of Her who has worked with Jonze since the early nineties, describe his reasoning around their choice to put almost every character in high waisted pants like this. “Spike liked to describe them as your pants giving you a hug around your waist. It’s an emotion that felt nice to us. When I think of them, I think of my grandpa, whose pants were basically attached at the nipples. And that has a sort of sweetness to it, too.”

Prints are few and far between. Theodore, the lead character played by Joaquin Phoenix, wears outfits inspired by his namesake, Theodore Roosevelt, if Theodore Roosevelt lived in the 60s with access to AI. The style of Her is a meditation in subtraction. Less clutter. Almost no accessories. Clean lines and warm hues.

Watching my longtime favorite, Rashida Jones, in Sunny last week, I couldn’t help but notice some parallels. Tonal color combinations? Check. Massively oversized tops and orthopedic shoes? Double check. The TV series is set in a world apart from Her, but the notions around how we might dress in a hypothetical future remain vaguely familiar. The costume designer, Analucia McGorty, drew inspiration from ’60s and ’70s Japanese Noir and Wong Kar-wai films. As an anti-Emily In Paris stance, she notes, ”I wanted to draw attention to the fact that this is a regular person’s closet with a limited number of garments that they wear on loop, like most of us do.”

Here are some of the items or ideas that I like to think these universes share. Use this as a guide to thinking of your closet in a fresh, futuristic way or as the start of acquiring pieces that might come in handy for both outrunning an assassin the woods or ponying up to a cocktail at your neighborhood bar.

Red in all its shades

My favorite color to accessorize with, red, is, as it turns out, just as cool in the future. Everyone has a different shade that works for them. Remember when we were all wearing red lipstick and it was like “oh are you a cool red or a warm red?” That applies here. I like a poppy red, but not too orange. Burgundy is everywhere and for good reason. Pull out the red item in your closet and punctuate an otherwise simple outfit.

Rashida Jones carries a really good red backpack in Sunny. The girls on Reddit can’t quite identify it, but here’s one that’s close.

It’s $50 secondhand on Poshmark.

Hear me out…this is Vera Bradley. It’s $150 and nylon twill and my ass was back at Bennington you bet I would be pulling my marked up essays out of this bad boy.

I’ve had this bag in black for years from Lindquist and can’t say enough about how amazing it is. Not to mention, that’s a damn good red.

This vintage bag from Etsy is kind of a two for one with the tonal tip we have coming up. It’s $35.

I could see my little sister being into this vintage Miu Miu bag. It’s under $300. Actually, if you’re reading this Jim, lmk if you want it for Christmas.

A vintage tunic under $40 for good measure.

High waisted + wide leg pants

Pants are essential to the cinematic universe that is our future. You’ll note an obvious lack of denim, nothing tight, and plenty of height in the waist department. Interpret this how you wish, but for me, it’s a reminder how much more comfortable I feel when I swap out tight trousers for something with a little give. And it turns out, my two go-to pairs of cotton pants like this were both from a Delaware thrift store for under $5 each.

Believe me—I am also shocked to include a pair of Beyond Yoga trousers but I own these and can’t believe how un-work out-y they look IRL.

Rachel Comey pants are truly the best and luckily abundant on the secondhand market. These are velvet and $150.

This is a very Rashida Jones color from Sunny. These are Argent and under $300.

You know I love that these Alex Mill pants come in a longer inseam option. Go in store and play with sizes. I think super oversized chinos are lowkey sexy.

These $70 Rosetta Getty pants feel like they’re straight from Her.

Crisp shirts

The secret here is really just taking care of your shirts. Hang them up. Bring them to the cleaner when necessary. Buy them in high quality materials.

I’m 95% sure this is the exact shirt Rashida Jones wears in the show with a grey sweater tied across her chest.

I just saw this one IRL at Modern Citizen and can attest it feels more expensive than $120.

Go tonal

The cornerstone of the looks in Her and certainly part of what makes the outfits in Sunny so great is tonal coordination. If you’re wearing navy, try pairing it with royal blue. Pink plus red. Grey and white. The list goes on. Another way of thinking about it, and I know I’m referencing Jenna Lyons two letters in a row, is to create monochromatic outfits when in doubt. Imbibe visual interest with texture and the end result is always chic.

This dress is $168 and made of vegan leather that feels wearable and elevated at once. I’d wear with white shoes for a tonal story.

This Fame + Partners dress plus a red in a contrasting shade would be a perfect example. Also, it’s a great wedding guest dress for under $100 if you’re a 2.

Cashmere plaid and tonal? It’s a yes from me. This is Guest In Residence.

Borderline Orthopedic Shoes

This is a bonus category. The shoes in the future are comfortable. Lucky us?

These bad boys have come in and out of my closet at least two times. My best friend used to wear them when she worked at a book store. I wore them nannying. They’re great shoes and dare I say…kind of cool?

But fear not. You can buy them under $50 on the resale market easily. And even in a metallic finish if you’re that kind of clog person.

These are, thank you Reddit girls, the exact shoes Rashida Jones wears in a scene, but you know…maybe not for the faint of heart. They’re under $100.

These are a little lighter on the sole, but Dr. Martens will always be cool to me. Plus, they’re under $200.

Here’s a happy medium from Caribou x Sorel available in only a few sizes. On sale for $113. AND waterproof.

Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, shop my Notion template, and as always, respond to this dispatch for my direct line x