Missing scenes from German director Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) were rediscovered a few days ago in the archives of a Buenos Aires museum. Apparently, some of the lost scenes were originally cut from the film as the American Paramount Pictures considered the plot too difficult for the US. The discovery was hailed by film critics as fundamental since the missing 30 minutes might shed light on some of the most obscure parts of the film. 
While critics were debating the importance of this discovery, as soon as I heard about it, I started fantasising not about which truths they will potentially uncover about the plot, but about the trends and fashions they will inspire. I know this might sound rather ephemeral, but Metropolis has been a great point of reference throughout the decades for many designers. 
Set in a dystopian future, the film explores the dichotomy between the working classes and their capitalist exploiters. Indeed Metropolis portrays the life of a privatised city state ruled by Joh Fredersen, in which the ruling class enjoy life while exploited workers toil underground. When Fredersen's son falls in love with the workers' revolutionary leader Maria, scientist Rotwang creates a robotic gynoid in Maria's form to provoke disorders among the workers.
On a style level there are two different sets of trends in the film that clash between themselves: the regimented style of the workers’ uniforms and the outlandish fashions of the women living in the upper spheres of Metropolis; Maria the Art Deco icon of the film and Maria the futuristic robot. The costumes and accessories for the characters were designed by Aenne Willkomm, but the robot figure was instead created by Walter Schulze-Mittendorff. Maria caused an impact throughout the decades as the theme of the robo-woman was often rediscovered in fashion.
In the mid-‘90s, Thierry Mugler reinterpreted the robot-like body armour turning it into an aggressively sexy piece that left some of the parts of the body exposed. Collection after collection, Hussein Chalayan comfortably embraced technology, creating dresses in foil-like fabrics or in metal that could reconfigure themselves on the body, constantly changing shapes. 
Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquière caused a sensation with his extremely expensive copper and gold robot leggings from his Spring 07 droid-inspired collection. Ghesquière kept on exploring the robot theme in his Spring 2008 collection that featured sculptural outfits inspired by car bodywork with enhanced shoulder lines and hips.
Dolce & Gabbana’s S/S 07 collection featured instead mini-micro sci-fi dresses in metallic colours, ideal for the glamazons of the Third Millennium.
A couple of seasons ago the futuristic theme was all about metallics and materials, but, for this Autumn, future is represented by the sharp cut of the outfits. 
In Stefano Pilati’s Autumn 08 collection for Yves Saint Laurent women look like automata and dress in a stylish version of the austere Metropolis workers’ uniforms, with stark grey or black dresses or skirt and trouser suits characterised by a precise cut and, perfect, though rather stiff, geometries and silhouettes.
Alessandro Dell'Acqua also chose some rigid and precise cuts for his sculpted orangey bronze silk jackets; 6267's Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi went for the robot-meets-Art Deco approach with narrow black coats with furled collars and black and white column print dresses, while robots meet sportswear in some of Miu Miu’s creations and in its sculpturally futuristic shoes. 
Last but not least, Olah Gyarfas, the designer behind the up-and-coming Romanian label Rozalb de Mura has made an entirely black collection entitled “The Thing” in which all the outfits have a futuristic cut, but that peculiar robotic theme has been applied especially to accordion-like tubular collars that adorn puffed-up polyamide jackets.
So what will the missing Metropolis scenes reveal and, above all, what will they inspire? We will have to wait before discovering the final answer. In the meantime, we can watch again Metropolis, trying to find out more connections between the film and futuristic fashion.
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