11 Ways 'Back to the Future II' Predicted Today's Style Trends

Image via Complex Original

When Griff Tannen and his crew are about to mess Marty's day up with the “Kirk Gibson Jr. Slugger 2000” bat over the water in 2015's Courthouse Square, you can get a really clear peek at Griff's black mesh T-shirt. While not a perfect idea as the temperature cools down, it's definitely a style that has crossed over to now—and in more ways that you'd think.

Of course designers like Nasir Mazhar and Dsquared2 have incorporated mesh into their catwalk collections, but the rise of sportswear plays its own unique role as well. As tech fabrics and athletically-driven materials affect the way designers craft their collections and cater to their audience, lighter materials like, well, mesh have crossed over from Parisian maisons to VFILES.

The hoverboard chase post-Cafe 80's is basically the pinnacle of Back to the Future II 2015 style. While Data, Spike, and Whitey (Griff's three-piece gang) are chasing Marty on their hoverboards, you can't help but notice Whitey's insanely printed pants. Aside from nailing the all black fit, his bottoms are something straight out of a KTZ presentation. Sure, he has what seems like Chinese characters on his legs (which is something recent runway shows have been mining to mixed results), but there's no denying that you'd be able to find those wildly graphic bottoms at Opening Ceremony or Asos.

Bruh, if you aren't on the dad cap wave, then you really aren't living in 2015. Soft, flexibly-brimmed caps have effectively become the de facto headwear that has everyone from OG labels (like Ralph Lauren), to low-key cult brands (like Anti Social Social Club), and even Drake's OVO churning out their own renditions. The best part? They often come in equally soft colors like blues, creams, and pink—natch. While Marty's hat is color-changing, you can definitely see that the headwear in the movie has plenty of the colors that we've come to love in 2015's coolest soft caps.

When your dad was a much younger man, you know that Marty's light wash jeans were anything but terribly-fitting “dad jeans.” Now, looking back, it's a good thing that brands have brought back denim in brighter blues. As one of the few sartorial carry-overs from all of the Back to the Future films, it's hard not to imagine Marty in his signature slim-fit Levi's. He even has denim stacking on his red-and-white Nike Bruins! You don't have to exclusively shop at Levi's if you want timeless washed out denim, but we do recommend that, whatever pair you decide to cop, you don't wear your jeans inside-out. That's one part of 2015 that we're happy stayed in the movie.

To be honest, it was well before 2015 when “quick-drying” materials hit mass circulation. Brands like The North Face, Patagonia, and Carhartt have had everything from “weather-resistant” proprietary fabrics to heavy-duty Gore Tex grace their practical outerwear over the years. However, we have to give it to Marty and his version of 2015. We don't know of any jackets that have an automated dry cycle, much less a jacket that talks.

Sure, outerwear is being outfitted with actual tech—shouts to Opening Ceremony, Tommy Hilfiger, and mophie—which proves that in some ways reality has actually fulfilled its end of this bizarre 2015 bargain. Sadly though, we're still another decade or two off from having our Alpha Industries bomber jacket customize itself to our bodies, or remind us that we're warm and dry.

Griff wasn't playing around when he pulled out his rocket-powered Pit Bull hoverboard—neither were his boots. It's not really common to see a pair of leather boots so intentionally adorned with spikes (unless you're wearing a lot of Louboutin), but there's definitely a connection between Griff's footwear and some modern reworks of the timeless Timberland boot (we're looking at you Hood By Air Avalanche boot). Of course Griff's badass boots, complete with Kaiser-like toe spikes and a wide ripple sole, look like a pair of Dr. Marten-like boots that were customized by members of a punk band that happened to work at the local surplus store. Whether you're signing up for basic training, or scheming up a plan to ruin the McFly family for generations, this style certainly made it to 2015.

It was both a surreal and slightly depressing scene watching the McFly family sit down for dinner in Back to the Future II. On the one hand, with the advent of wearable tech vis-a-vis Google Glass and the Apple Watch, those of us in the real world can experience the futuristic levels of connectivity promised to us when the film released back in July 1985. On the other, it's a surprisingly relevant reminder of how the connectivity of our personal devices has made us disconnected when we are around other people. No matter how you feel, there's no denying that, of all the predictions featured in the film's futuristic kitchen, we're seeing video glasses before we're seeing anything like the Black & Decker Hydrator.

On the low, Data was a beast. Half man, half machine, it's clear that he's one of the most “futurized” characters in the entire film franchise. Of course, in Back to the Future II, he uses his vest to call Marty a chicken (an insult that generations of the McFly family can't seem to stomach), but it's almost bizarre how similar garments have crossed over into our clothing. Of course, when you see guys wearing a tactical military vest, it's usually on a Yeezy Season runway…and without the added sound technology. Unfortunately, the rest of Data's teched-out ensemble has crossed into our reality. Besides, if you want a soundboard, just download one for your smartphone—that's some real future tech.

The Tannen family may be a breed of inter-generational bullies, but damn could they assemble a stylish crew. Whitey, clearly ahead of his time (or with the times, depending on how you look at it), adopted a genuine man bun underneath his balloon dome hat. While man buns have been linked to hair loss and leave you without a chance at scoring, they're clearly a sign of 2015 bad-assery according to the film. Yes, man buns may have crossed the reaches of time and space to be surprisingly relevant in both Marty's 2015 and our 2015, but the cultural meaning clearly didn't hop in the DeLorean on the ride into the future.

Data's tech didn't make its way into our timeline—at least not in the way he's styled it—but the extraneous straps hanging down off his outfit, well, that's something that's appeared today. Whether you're a deep-digging Raf Simons disciple, or simply love Stampd's modern-day “Strapped Bomber,” you can see that it's a unique detail that adds an almost-authentic military layer to the outerwear. I guess in the film's version of 2015, being strapped up has more to do with your clothes than anything else.

The most iconic style to emerge out of the Back to the Future franchise, the Nike Mags are easily the most lusted-after artifact from 2015. Somewhere between the light up sneaker you had in second grade and a pair of high top Nikes, it's one of the most “future” sneakers that kinda-sorta-actually happened.

Sure, Nike has released the sneaker to the public in 2011, but without its trademark “auto-lacing” technology. But starting today, Nike's announced a new crop of Nike Mags (complete with auto-lacing). Maybe there's hope for our future after all.