The supposed Utopia 'San Angeles' is protected by a police force sporting fascistic and slightly camp uniforms. These uniforms have slight futuristic touches like mandarin collars and a little fax machine on the belt instead of a weapon.
Bob Ringwood wasn't too impressed with the final result as he felt they chose actors who looked too tough and made the uniforms less an ironic contrast. The police chief's uniform also looks militaristic, with his tunics mandarin collar fitted with patches resembling German officer collar tabs.
San Angeles is ruled by Dr. Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) who wears many kimono-like garments with raised collars similar to Edwardian men's suits. The intention according to Ringwood was how, according to the script, people would cover themselves from the sun.
Another reason according to Ringwood was to imply that Asian countries now had more cultural dominance, and historical Asian fashions now were more widespread. India is another one of the nations mentioned as having became more powerful, which is seen especially with how Cocteau's white outfit is worn with a Gandhi cap, possibly as a way of trying to show himself as a man of peace.
His associate, who is aptly named Associate Bob (Glenn Shadix) wears a patterned peach kimono, with a similr belt as to his superior.
The various other citizens of San Angeles also sport fashions that seem to be a mix of Japanese and Indian traditional garments, with some high fashion influences.
The staff of the cryoprison wear smocks that also seem to be in a slightly kimono-like design, made of a shiny blue-green material as well, with ribbed strips down the sleeves and collars.
Even Stallone is made to wear similar garments for when he has dinner at Taco Bell (or, Pizza Hut, if its the European cut), sporting this wide-shoulded shirt made of a patterned dark grey material.
The aforementioned Taco Bell/Pizza Hut dinner scene also has us see the most standout dress of the film; a jewelled short dress worn by Huxley (Sandra Bullock) which is also briefly worn with a grey jacket covered in greyish imitation fur.
Other dresses in this scene include the one worn by Bob's partner, which is black with cream and white lining over the chest, and Cocteau's associate wearing a shiny metallic vest over her grey dress.
The staff at Taco Bell wear dresses and suits, the dresses having a floral material over the back and shoulders, the suits having it over the sleeves with similarly coloured sashes over the waist.
Ringwood opted for a different approach entirely when designing the uniforms of the 'Scraps', the underground dwellers opposed to San Angeles' reign, and who Wesley Snipes' villain Simon Pheonix must inftrate
The Scraps had a look Ringwood described as '
Mad Max but not punky'. Phoenix's Scrap armor in fact seems to be constructed out of what seems to be cut up tyres, arranged to have a raised collar. Edgar Friendly, the leader of the Scraps, wears a makeshift armored jumpsuit, itself worn under a grubby overcoat.
