As unbelievable as this seems to me in adulthood I somehow missed the entire phenomenon of Back To The Future in July 1985. When I was older I also missed out on seeing both sequels in theaters. At least I was part of the marketing experience. Pizza Hut “2015” neon sunglasses anybody? I’m not sure why, I even missed out on the 25th anniversary screenings. Like with Ghostbusters today, Back To The Future is one of those classic ’80s movies that theaters do show periodically.

I was around 8 when I saw BTTF for the first time. I don’t remember if it had been on TV yet. I do remember ‘ol golden arches selling the movie on VHS for $5! That was a bargain considering I’m old enough to remember within a few years of that retailers were selling VHS movies for $100. I know I saw that at least once. Was the market unregulated?

Regardless of how I first saw Back To The Future I liked it immediately. Sure I didn’t understand everything about it or the deeper nuances of time travel. I liked (and appropriately disliked) the characters, Hill Valley, (which I wanted to visit) and of course the DeLorean, a car because it has stainless steel panels works well enough with the Flux Capacitor to allow people and a dog to travel through time.

Second to Ghostbusters I watched Back To The Future whenever I had a chance. If it was on TV, our own copy, and of course when a certain bird network aired it with a special when Back To The Future II was in theaters.

Back To The Future II

By the time (really no pun intended) Back To The Future II was out on VHS (and maybe laserdisc) I was into science fiction movies a little more. Some of which involved time travel. I always loved the idea of what the future would bring. I still remember in elementary school reading a Weekly Reader that talked about living on the moon in the year 2000. It was 1986.

I was excited to unexpectedly see Back To The Future II at a family friends house around 1990. Who wouldn’t want to visit Hill Valley in 2015? If Hill Valley were real, it wouldn’t be a big deal to see it now as we’re well into 2013. Hill Valley itself doesn’t technically exist. The Universal back lot, Whittier, City of Industry, Pasadena, CA for example are real places where the trilogy was filmed.

Spengs McFly

Somewhat similar to Ghostbusters I would reenact BTTF in a way by being Marty. Or really replacing that character with myself. Just wear similar clothes, have a skateboard (or in middle school years a cardboard version of the hover board) and I was a star. 8)

When I needed a break from Ghostbusters in the mid 2000s and at some point turned to BTTF I thought it might be time to put together a more accurate version of Marty’s wardrobe. I knew it wouldn’t be screen accurate because some classic clothing is hard to come by. Nor did I want to be 100% screen accurate. I had this idea (still do) that if BTTF had been made say in 2007 “Marty” would have a style that would reflect more “trends” of the 2000s. Some articles of clothing would be recognizable that a person would still know who you’re suppose to be. And why would he still have a cheap digital watch, own a tape cassette player, and carry a small video cam corder? He’d probably have a iPod and a cell phone. I know, the camcorder was Docs.

I posted what my idea of “Marty” would dress like on the BTTF forums. I don’t think BTTF fans really got it. I could understand, Marty’s clothing is something you could wear beyond an event or Halloween. Why not wear something that reflects more of your own style?

I did my research and bought clothing and items similar to Marty’s. I didn’t have the vest. I either didn’t find one I liked or didn’t buy one. For the Nike Bruins I bought a pair of Nike Cortez. Which weren’t really me. I love Nike, I probably preferred my Vans then. The clothes became more clothing then costume. They were comfortable enough that I would wear them for years.

I started thinking this past weekend if I don’t upgrade my Ghostbusters costume this year, maybe I could get back (yeah) to my “Marty” idea. It would be about the same, except this time I would want a closer representation of the jacket and I would want the vest. For “accessories” maybe this time I would buy a digital watch and maybe even a tape player. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them in 2013 being sold in pharmacy chain stores. Although I could use new sneakers I don’t know yet if I would definitely buy a pair of Nikes that are similar to the Bruins. I like casual skate sneakers and other vintage sneakers. Updated/hybrid versions of Nike Bruins aren’t really my style. By the way I know my style. I don’t usually say my style.

With this happy idea in mind I started reading up again and looking for the clothing and items I would need on-line. I would want to look at shirts and vests before making any final decisions. Like with my Ghostbusters flight suit their isn’t some rush right now. If I decide to put the costumetogether I can share it on the site.