Every Single Outfit in Hackers
If computer nerds wore Vivienne Westwood.
Hello and welcome to the Cult Classic Cine Club! Every month there will be a selection of four films curated around a theme. Each following Cult Classic Cine Club send will look like this one, which dissects every outfit worth discussing. Paid subscribers will get additional sends that feature a vintage curation, style notes and more, inspired by each film. The first theme was NEW YORK NOSTALGIA and this is Hackers (1995).
⋆˚౨ৎ ⋆.˚Please note, the NEW YORK NOSTALGIA cine club sends will be wrapping soon. There will be a June theme announcement next week and then a send like this weekly as I finally get into the swing of things! How fun.⋆˚౨ৎ ⋆.˚
I recently bought my boyfriend Rafe an old Apple Macintosh booklet from 1989. It is titled “Who Needs a Computer Anyway?” and features illustrations from cartoonist and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. The joke was that Rafe, both a recreational and professional computer nerd, very much always needs a computer.
The booklet was distributed on college campuses to encourage students to buy Apple computers. It’s an amazing piece of ephemera because it represents a time where people had to be convinced they needed technology. It’s also a catalogue with genuine charm. The idea was that there were different kinds of personas on campus, from the stressed to the clueless to the procrastinator, who could benefit from a computer to get their school work done. But that was it. Computers were sold as a tool, not a home. Computers were sold as something that could help you enjoy your life outside of it, not create one for you.
I kept thinking about this little booklet while re-watching Hackers, a cult classic starring Angelina Jolie as a hot ‘hacktivist’ who wears Vivienne Westwood. It came out in 1995, six years after “Who Needs a Computer Anyway” circulated around college campuses. At that point, computers weren’t just equipped with programs to help students write essays or make pie-charts. The World Wide Web was happening. It was the early days of the internet, where no one really knew what they were doing but joyfully dedicated hours to coding hot pink fanpages for things like Ren & Stimpy, not sure if anyone would even see it. It felt human and weird, like taking a ride through the brains of people you didn’t know with no operative other than connection.
That’s also the appeal of Hackers. The movie itself has a pretty nonsensical plot. There’s a group of high school hackers who have aliases like Zero Cool, Acid Burn, and Cereal Killer. There’s a villainous former hacker who tries to frame them to cover up his fraud under the guise of preventing an oil spill, all with a virus called “Da Vinci.” There are yellow floppy disks they all wield like nunchucks. I find the storyline nearly impossible to follow every single time but it also doesn’t really matter, at least not to me.
The best parts of the film, aside from the outfits, is that it feels like what we all thought the internet would be. The hackers travel through a neon-colored cyberspace that looks like a digitized New York, skyscrapers erected out of long stretches of code. They create cookie monster viruses that eat away at stretches of text like pac-man. They shout things like, “Hack the planet!” with the unbridled optimism of a group that believes technology might save the world. When they’re done, they just step away from their keyboards, wearing punk red parachute shirts and silver armor rings that extend past their knuckles, to weave in between zooming New York traffic while on rollerblades.
That is the campy and technicolored virtual existence I was promised. But I guess it was never real either. It was always this mirage of what could be. I genuinely did google, ‘when did computer nerd stereotype begin,’ after my initial rewatch because the cyberpunk futuristic aesthetic the hackers wore really threw me off. I even asked Rafe, “Hey, how and when did your kind get their reputation for…uninspired outfits?”
Turns out, computer nerds have existed as long as computers have and they never really wore Vivienne Westwood. Back in 2020, the film’s costume designer, Roger K. Burton, did an interview with Dazed where he admitted that the hacker fashion scene was completely uninspiring, so he created his own. “We went on a series of recces around New York, because the hackers over here [in London] didn’t really have too much of a profile: you couldn’t identify them,” he said. “But in New York it was quite a big deal. They’d have conferences, and so on. And, fucking hell, they were so boring. Dressed in black. Some of them were quite old, actually, and they’d obviously been into computers for a long time. It didn’t quite have the glamour or the persona that I really wanted to create so we had to create our own, basically.”
I see where he’s coming from. It’s fun to close your eyes and try to imagine what the world would be like if all the evil computer geniuses who have eroded our reality into a hellish landscape of non-human optimization and algorithmic slop just rollerbladed around after writing some code, while wearing bright tartan and chunky combat boots. What if they just hacked for fun and looked fabulous? For a moment, I’d like to think that’s a realistic persona who needs a computer and not just a cinematic figment of our imagination.
More from Cult Classic: An interview with the costume designer of The Devil Wears Prada 2 that reveals how Miranda wears little to no Prada…The Drama of The Drama’s orange puffer coat…Every outfit from an underrated Chloë Sevigny classic that’ll provide a great blueprint for summer dressing
EVERY SINGLE OUTFIT WORTH DISCUSSING
If computer nerds went cyberpunk.
OUTFITS ONE AND TWO (0:10:53): Dade “Zero Cool” Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Ramon “The Phantom Phreak” Sanchez (Renoly Santiago) clearly stand out from the rest of the student body. The film sets us up immediately to see them as cool, not geeky.
Dade also just moved to New York and his camouflage fishing vest gives that away. You can sense he’s trying to belong. There’s a little bit of edge there but the utilitarian nature of the vest has a more nerdy vibe than his hacker peers give off. Then there’s Ramon, who wears different shades of clashing leopard print in a way that feels quintessential New York.
OUTFIT THREE (0:11:12): Out introduction to Kate “Acid Burn” Libby (Angelina Jolie). She’s asking Dade about his transfer forms while wearing a blue Vivienne Westwood t-shirt that reads: Too fast to live, too young to die. The ‘50s style pixie-cut, extensive ear piercings, and skull-and-bones t-shirt send across an obvious message: she’s anti-establishment. In the world of Hackers, those that are skilled at computers don’t just dress well, they use their techy smarts for subversive good. They view themselves as misunderstood vigilantes with an impressive typing speed.
When she turns around, she reveals her backpack, which is so long it almost hits her at the back of her knees. After doing some research, I found out that this is a military parachute deployment bag. Some users on twitter have even been so inspired as to try to recreate their own.
Throughout the entire film the main cast is dressed so well you barely notice anyone in the background…except for this diva making eyes at Dade. Her impressive pattern-mixing with the harlequin-style tank and plaid skirt instantly caught my eye.
OUTFIT FOUR (0:15:22): But back to the hackers. Dade’s signature piece is this biker jacket from the ‘70s that Roger found on Portobello road in London. The biker fits feel right for someone who rollerblades around New York and also skates around cyberspace.
Previous New York Nostalgic Cult Classic Cine Club Sends:
OUTFIT FIVE (0:15:36): Every hacker in Hackers dresses punk but Emmanuel “Cereal Killer” Goldstein (Matthew Lillard) is the closest thing to a authentic New York street punk. His military-style jackets are covered in patches, his necklaces are adorned with multiple charms and his belt loops always have something dangling from them. He feels like a magpie who bops around New York, picking up trinkets others have deemed trash.
In an interview, Roger also revealed that a lot of the shirts and patches Cereal decorates himself with are of his anti-heros like Charles Manson and Frank Booth in Blue Velvet. Once again, these hackers fancy themselves as misunderstood champions, not nerds.
OUTFIT SIX (0:15:56): This cat t-shirt with New York written in script underneath it was actually from a souvenir shop in Times Square and the lights in the rose initially lit up, although it stopped working ahead of filming. Why do we not have New York merch this good anymore? I am tired of the I <3 NY shirts. I want a stern-looking airbrushed cat holding a battery powered flower!
OUTFIT SEVEN (0:16:17): One of the most interesting things I read while researching Hackers was that Angelina Jolie was extremely reticent about doing the film initially. When she met with Roger about the costumes, he said she was fairly stand off-ish until she saw the clothing he wanted to put her in. Eventually she was so sold on the whole thing that she chopped off all her hair for the role, which surprised everyone involved.
Cutting her hair was key too because Kate was meant to be an androgynous tomboy. She barely reveals any skin, instead mostly opting for mock neck tops. Still, she has all the boys eating out of the palm of her hand.
This outfit is actually a fencing top and pants, worn with ice hockey knee pads. It looks so good in part because these outfit pieces are taken entirely out of context. They were never meant to be worn together but Kate makes them feel at home on her. There’s also a really beautiful irony to all these hackers being dressed for physical activities when in reality, they aren’t really doing anything that physical. They’re mostly sitting around typing. Like…why is Kate wearing one leather glove and a full finger length armor ring and a beeper worn around her wrist to play arcade games? It’s ridiculous and it’s perfect.
OUTFITS EIGHT AND NINE (0:20:25): Continuing with the theme of wearing sportswear, Kate is wearing an oversized New Jersey Devils hockey jersey. She definitely doesn’t give off the impression she watches hockey. She does though seem like someone who would appreciate the team’s use of devil horns in the logo (same). As for Cereal, he looks like he is wearing Praying, 25 years before the brand ever came to be.
OUTFIT TEN (0:23:35): Just wanted to take a moment to appreciate Ramon’s shirt. Roger said that each member of the group was supposed to have a very specific persona and he always imagined Ramon as being the Salvador Dali of his friends. He’s always wearing surrealist patterns that clash in a way that somehow feels right. Here he’s wearing this top with red plaid pants but later on we see him swap those bottoms out for the leopard print pants he wears in the beginning. Nothing goes with the top so everything goes with the top.
OUTFITS ELEVEN AND TWELVE (0:31:53): Razor and Blade might just be the best dressed characters in the entire film and it’s such a shame we only got to see these outfits they’re wearing over a grainy television broadcast.
Razor is wearing a rainbow stripe shirt that was made by designer Dean Bright, who was friends with Roger and also attended Central Saint Martins alongside John Galliano. Underneath the top, Razor has on a blue and purple tartan blazer, which matches the Vivienne Westwood top Blade is in to his right.
Blade is also wearing a Westwood ‘Time Machine’ Armour jacket from the Fall/Winter 1988 collection. The same jacket is currently retailing on The Real Real for $3,500. The design was based on a medieval knight’s armor with removable pieces at the elbow and shoulder. Once again, the computer nerds are dressed like they’re going to war and it’s so camp.
OUTFIT THIRTEEN (0:39:03): Cereal is wearing a vintage Dead Kennedys “Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death” punk t-shirt. His t-shirt collection is so epic and he is definitely the only hacker that could pull it off.
OUTFIT FOURTEEN (0:40:26): The garter belt situation Dade is seen wearing here is actually a horse bridle that’s been repurposed. Roger said he wanted him to appear ‘tied up.’ It feels right that we would see this accessory as Dade is about to be questioned by the FBI and threatened by the film’s villian, Eugene Belford (Fisher Stevens).
OUTFIT FIFTEEN (0:43:31): Dade has his signature vintage ‘70s biker jacket and Kate has her signature Suzuki biker jacket. This jacket makes its first apperance as they’re really starting to feel like a duo.
OUTFIT SIXTEEN (0:44:18): Once again, a fun example of leopard print on leopard print by Ramon. This made me realize I need a pink leopard print tank top immediately.
OUTFIT SEVENTEEN (0:44:32): Even Dade’s party outfit maintains the quirky utilitarian edge we’ve seen in almost everything he wears. He layers a Quiksilver barbed wire print top with an orange fluorescent sailing jacket on top.
We never really get a good look at the pants he’s wearing, which is a shame given they’re Vivienne Westwood bondage pants from the Clint Eastwood collection.
OUTFIT EIGHTEEN (0:44:39): As Kate and Dade start to come together more, their growing connection begins to manifest in their outfits. Their looks begin to mirror one another’s. They feel more similar than not. First there was the biker jackets. Now there’s the bondage. Very apt.
At the party, Kate is in an original punk ’70s bondage suit that a young New York designer had made for herself before Roger somehow acquired it. Allegedly this was one of Angelina’s favorite looks.
I love how she’s hovering over him here, the sound of her knuckle armor ring clinking in his ear. The straps on her suit aren’t adjusted correctly and she’s partially unzipped. She’s undone but still in control. Dade is always more tense, he’s clearly skilled but lacks the confidence Kate exudes effortlessly. Even his bondage feels more buttoned up.
OUTFIT NINETEEN (0:45:05): Paul “Lord Nikon” Cook (Laurence Mason) was meant to represent the ‘very essence of cool’ according to Roger. I had no idea what “Reusch” was until I looked it up after seeing it stamped across his chest. It’s another sportswear brand that’s still around today, although none of the designs feel as fun as this one. In general, rewatching movies from the ‘90s serves as another reminder that brands are just not having the kind of fun now they were having back then.
OUTFIT TWENTY (0:45:42): This knit glitter Lou Reed top probably has the most lore out of any item in the entire Hackers wardrobe.
Roger bought this top at a vintage store in Manhattan. When he tried to find more information on its origins, he came across a video of Lou doing press in Australia where he spots a woman, wearing this exact shirt that she made, in the audience. He called her to stage and asked if she would make the tank for every member of the band and the entire crew. How it ended up in New York twenty years later at the vintage shop is still unknown. Whose to say this wasn’t even Lou’s very own?
OUTFIT TWENTY-ONE (0:45:54): Marc Anthony being in this film and wearing a shirt that says ‘Baddies’ on it while at a house party really threw me for a loop. He’s an FBI agent who doesn’t really command any attention or do anything interesting besides being Marc Anthony out of context.
NOT AN OUTFIT BUT A MOMENT (0:52:19): I just love how Dade spray paints his keyboard camouflage. I asked Rafe if this was realistic and he said: “Customizing keyboards is actually a deep part of programming culture.” The more you know!
OUTFIT TWENTY-TWO (0:52:25): Kate is the kind of girl to either wear an entirely sheer top or a mock neck shirt. Clearly there is no in-between. While at home coding she decides to wear the sexiest top in the entire film for no one but herself, a total power move.
OUTFIT TWENTY-THREE (0:52:58): Because the film’s costume budget was not very high, they had to get creative. While they did clearly have plenty of Vivienne Westwood, this red parachute top was actually a Viv dupe from the ‘70s. The original was from her store Seditionaries and is part of The Met’s permanent collection.
OUTFIT TWENTY-FOUR (0:55:00): Once again, Cereal has the most impressive punk band t-shirt collection that was entirely sourced secondhand in New York and worn by real life punks.
OUTFIT TWENTY-FIVE (0:55:53): Ramon is wearing a vintage ‘90s Pierre Cardin patent leather varsity jacket. Roger was dedicated to giving him a surreal vibe, down to the logos he wore on his jackets. I love how the blending of the letters P and C form a small curly wave.
OUTFIT TWENTY-SIX (0:56:22): Another Vivienne Westwood piece, this jacket was gold denim with red stitching and huge lapels. Kate’s makeup throughout is incredible but I particularly like how the eyeshadow here perfectly matches. Even her lipgloss has just the right amount of sparkle.
OUTFIT TWENTY-SEVEN (0:56:51): Dade and Kate can only agree on one thing: they both want to see the other in a dress. At least, that’s what’s at stake for their hacker-off. Whoever loses needs to wear a dress on their date.
Naturally, Kate’s fantasy is seeing Dade in a dress reminiscent of the iconic red latex jumpsuit Britney Spears wore for her 2000 “Oops!... I Did It Again” music video.
OUTFIT TWENTY-EIGHT (0:57:11): Kate’s preferred top once again is…
OUTFIT TWENTY-NINE (1:02:15): …a mock neck Quiksilver short-sleeve tee. What works the most about this silhouette for Kate is how it really accentuates her haircut and ear piercings.
OUTFIT THIRTY (1:13:38): Hackers takes place in late summer but Paul is wearing this long shearling jacket anyway. I guess if Roger made up the rules for how hackers dress in general, why not also make up rules for how they dress for the seasons? If anything this outfit choice helps further suspend the film in an imaginary realm, where nothing makes any sense but it doesn’t really matter.
OUTFITS THIRTY-ONE AND THIRTY-TWO (1:19:39): Speaking of confusing outfits for summer: the fur accessories Razor and Blade are wearing around their necks! And inside a sweaty club at that! They actually came from a junk shop in Coney Island. Roger said he had to shift through so much crap before finding these treasures. And he didn’t even find them like this. Originally, they were pastel colored coats of fur, which he then trimmed so he could use the fur to accessorize different outfits throughout the movie.
OUTFIT THIRTY-THREE (1:33:12): Let’s go Knicks! This was a fun vintage Knicks hat to come across with everything going on right now. Apparently they were pretty good in 1995 too.
OUTFIT THIRTY-FOUR (1:35:59): Honestly, I’m convinced the reason Razor and Blade don’t get that much screen time is the fact that they would have stolen the spotlight from the main characters with their outfits. This yellow zig-zap stripe top? The textured purple tartan blazer?…
OUTFIT THIRTY-FIVE (1:36:11): …These playboy bunny earrings!?
OUTFIT THIRTY-SIX AND THIRTY-SEVEN (1:36:11): Dade won the battle but he still ended up wearing a dress, kinda. Roger designed him a frock coat with Japanese-inspired sleeves that he wears over his Vivienne Westwood bondage pants and boots.
Galliano had just come out with his Japanese-inspired collection at Dior and they really wanted Kate to wear something from the collection in this scene but it was too expensive.
Instead, Roger also designed this mini Kimono dress inspired by one that Kate Moss wore on the runway. It’s the most overtly feminine piece Kate Libby wears throughout the film, which makes sense given how she’s softened by the end. She’s given in to her affection for Dade and doesn’t feel the need to be so tough around him all the time. Naturally, the dress still has that tomboy edge she gives every look with her chunky combat boots. When they both take a dive in the pool you can also see her garner belt, which is not unlike how Galliano styled the real dress.
The previous Cult Classic Cine Club sends for NEW YORK NOSTALGIA was about: The Daytrippers and The Last Days of Disco. The next and final send for this theme will be about: Do The Right Thing. Paid sends featuring a vintage curation based on all the films and a new theme for June are incoming.
Also coming up on Cult Classic: Some thoughts on Euphoria fashion.
This deep dive is absolutely incredible. Time to rewatch Hackers.
I wonder how much this costume designer unwittingly influenced the matrix and early 2000s “edgy” fashion (snowboarding goggles) just because nerds dressed like shit