As we reported last week, Nike designer Tinker Hatfield fueled “Back to the Future” nostalgia when he announced a project to create a working version of the Nike Air Mag shoes in the film’s second installment.
And the news got us thinking: What other fictional movie and TV accessories do we wish were real?
FN mined the hallowed halls of Hulu and YouTube — and our own dusty DVD collections — and came up with nine items that we’ll forever covet. (Or maybe not forever, if Mr. Hatfield decides to expand his creative assignment.) Click through the slideshow to see them all.
Our first stop was to the futuristic sci-fi genre, which always yields imaginative inventions that solve everyday problems (think “The Jetsons”) or are just plain fantastic (see all things “Star Wars” or “Trek”).
Meanwhile, mystical and magical stories offer up items meant for wish fulfillment, whether that’s a cape that helps a boy disappear from unwanted scrutiny, or glittering shoes that return a young girl home.
Watch on FN
We also found plenty of covetable items in spy/action franchises like James Bond and the new Marvel series “Agent Carter,” which debuted earlier this month on ABC and follows the covert adventures (and misogynistic challenges) of Agent Peggy Carter, last seen in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” And another comic-book heroine, the always-formidable Wonder Woman, has some equally-formidable fashion items.
And last, but not least, it’s hard to talk about accessorizing without mentioning our favorite Beverly Hills fashionista, Cher Horowitz, whose wardrobe was swoon worthy even without the computerized feature. A number of digital firms, including Metail and Swivel, have lately developed similar technology that lets consumers review and virtually try on clothing either in-store or from the comfort of home. Those tools sound very useful, but can they make Cher’s huge closet fit into our small apartment? That would be the best invention yet.
