Frocks In Space: What If Fashion Designers Like Chanel, Boss, De La Renta And Others Made Space Suits? [ILLUSTRATIONS]

Space is the final frontier -- and no less so for fashion. With the nascent commercial space industry ready to leap into the skies, many companies are hard at work making new kinds of space suits that will offer more flexibility, at a cheaper cost, than ever before. However, the forms of even the newest generation of space suits are still almost wholly dictated by functional and safety concerns. But our imaginations can leap ahead, to a time where the kinks of making materials work in near or total vacuum have been solved by scientists, and the aesthetic baton can be passed to the designers.

Therefore, here are a few imaginary renderings of what some of the more famous clothiers might dream up for the fashionable astronaut:

The classic suit for ladies who lunch, now available for ladies in space! Coco Chanel made her clothes less constricting than the waist-nipping designs of her day, while still retaining a sleek, fashionable line; we envision a similar kind of space suit that meshes comfort with snazziness.

Ground Control to Major Tom; the papers really want to know whose suits you wear! The sleek lines of Hugo Boss recall some of the best of 1970s science fiction; why not carry that spirit into the 21st century?

Ever dream of getting married on Mars? Oscar de la Renta's dramatic gowns are adapted for space travel by taking the hemlines up a bit. We imagine the frilly bits to be high-tech ruffles adapted for gas exchange on a suitably atmospheric planet.

Along with an eye-catching red to turn heads on any space station or Martian colony, this suit sports specially designed fabric lined with foil to reflect sunlight and harmful cosmic radiation while this explorer is out doing fieldwork. The headpiece is a communications array designed to lock onto a nearby satellite.

Any space suit made by the late Alexander McQueen would surely be a space opera in and of itself. McQueen specialized in high gothic drama, and we imagine he'd want something suitably epic for an interstellar line. This outfit's towering gold-plated colar can unfold into a personal solar sail, and the integrated space boots contain a small supply of rocket fuel. Enough for a suitably dramatic landing, we think.