{"id":5429,"date":"2021-10-11T17:57:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T17:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/?p=5429"},"modified":"2026-05-14T16:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:55:10","slug":"neon-noir-aesthetic-what-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/neon-noir-aesthetic-what-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Neon-Noir Aesthetic?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The term <em>Neon-Noir<\/em> is a film genre, but it can also represent an aesthetic. This aesthetic includes a brooding, mysterious, cyberpunk, and dangerous atmosphere. The neon-noir aesthetic can be related somewhat to the sibling-genre neo-noir (without the &#8220;n&#8221;), including avant-garde fashion, femme fatale style, dark clothing, technology, and neon lights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Recommended<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/womens-techwear-clothing-inspiration-clothing\/\">Women\u2019s Techwear Clothing \u2013 Inspiration &amp; Clothing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Neon-noir?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The term <em>Neon-noir<\/em> (or tech\/cyber\/future-noir) is a more modern sibling genre to <em>Neo-Noir<\/em>, which comes from the film industry. Neo-noir in its turn is a &#8220;comeback&#8221; from another genre called film noir (translation: dark movie or black movie). The original film noir movies were set in a post-World War II setting and had some distinct characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Some common characteristics of all of these genres are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interplay of light and shadows + Low-key lightning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unusual camera placement (to give off a feeling of uneasiness, disorientation, madness, or imbalance)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blurred lines between good\/bad, right\/wrong<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Antiheroes &#8211; making choices out of desperation or nihilistic moral systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Moodiness, cynicism, paranoia and nostalgia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Detectives, drifters, professors, criminals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Femme fatales<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then, in more modern times, came a new wave of art movement inspired by all the new technology and, in particular, the bright neon signs of Japan. This wave then inspired artists, creators, and film directors to incorporate elements of technology and urban lights into movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Neon-noir is a combination of film noir and cyberpunk aesthetics and contains:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bright neon colors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Electronics and technology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The main character experiences urban isolation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Loud and bright<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Examples of Neon-noir movies: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Balde Runner 2049<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Atomic Blonde<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Terminal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recommended: <a href=\"https:\/\/nofilmschool.com\/lets-talk-about-why-neon-noir-important-you\">Neon Noir: The Dopest Film Genre You&#8217;ve Never Heard of<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Neon-Noir Aesthetic &amp; Clothing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, onto translating the genre and aesthetic into clothing. We can go about this in a few different ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, most original neo-noir films took place in the period after World War 2. And so naturally, many clothing pieces can be classic ones, such as trench coats, suits, hats, pearl necklaces, leather items, and so on. This is opposed to modern fashion trends such as cross-body bags, super-bright colors, sneakers, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For females, clothing characteristics can be:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dark clothes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Checkered coats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fur coats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leather jackets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sunglasses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cocktail dresses, pencil dresses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fitted suits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diamonds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leopard prints<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Non-clothing: Red lipstick, polished hairstyles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For men, clothing characteristics can be:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dark clothes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leather jackets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sunglasses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leather shoes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secondly, we have the element of modern society, technology, and cyberpunk. This aspect of the aesthetic is best expressed through background lighting and environment, rather than clothing pieces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The moody urban atmosphere is achieved by:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nighttime scenes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building, roads, tunnels, bridges &#8211; using the city as a character<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Neon lights (especially reflecting off of wet streets, cars, shopping windows, etc)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Characters covered in shadow and\/or neon colors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rain and fog<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I find that the coolest combinations are a blend of old and new. This means incorporating elements of technology, urban cities, and neon lights, as well as classic\/old products and clothing items such as trench coats and suits. Some movies lose the balance between classic and modern when they only think of incorporating futuristic items, but not any history. In real life, things that are authentic are usually a blend of old and new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Further reading<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/futuristic-cities-cyberpunk-concept-art\/\">Concept Art of Futuristic Cities | Cyberpunk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neon-Noir comes from the film industry, but it also represents an aesthetic and be represented through clothing and fashion. Here&#8217;s how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[198,69,187],"tags":[520,548,463,247,562],"class_list":["post-5429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-cyberpunk","category-fashion","tag-aesthetics-en","tag-art-inspiration-en","tag-cyberpunk-en","tag-design-inspiration","tag-fashion-en","entry","has-media"],"gutentor_comment":1,"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true],"ocean-thumb-m":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-600x600.jpg",600,600,true],"ocean-thumb-ml":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-800x450.jpg",800,450,true],"ocean-thumb-l":["https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ciaran-o-brien-rHvBQyfLPjk-unsplash-1200x700.jpg",1200,700,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Wendy Zhou","author_link":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/author\/wendy1111live-se\/"},"uagb_comment_info":1,"uagb_excerpt":"Neon-Noir comes from the film industry, but it also represents an aesthetic and be represented through clothing and fashion. Here's how.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5429"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8862,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5429\/revisions\/8862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendyzhou.se\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}