Must-see in 2013” lists are everywhere at the moment, and topping the blockbuster-expectation scale is the sequel to JJ Abrams’s 2009 re-imagining of the TV classic Star Trek. Though the film, Star Trek Into Darkness, is not due out until May, fashion is already dipping a toe in the Trekkie water, and embracing that science-fiction basic: the hologram.

Consider, for example, Marc Jacobs’ hologram pink sheath sequin dress, Hussein Chalayan’s silver holographic leggings, and Stella McCartney’s rainbow Olegram Hologram clutch, which sold out at Saks and in Stella McCartney shops upon arrival, perhaps because it had already received the ultimate style seal of approval when Kate Moss became an early adopter and toted it around Paris last year. Now Purseblog.com is reporting early mania for Proenza Schouler’s PS11 mini classic metallic hologram bag (even at a not-so-mini $1,895). What was once fashion’s experiment is officially a trend.

“For designers, holography is a new frontier: it presents a new challenge of how to look at fabrics and design,” says Lucy Offen, a fashion student at Central Saint Martins who won the prestigious 2012 Swarovski Scholarship in part for her use of holograms in her collections.