And Dita Von Teese is the only one who can wear it
Dita Von Teese is proving once again that she can make anything look good. Designer Michael Schmidt and architect Francis Bitonti debuted the first 3D-printed dress last week, designed specifically with Von Teese in mind. The decision to use Von Teese as inspiration, Schmidt said, was an attempt to reconcile old world glamour with new, futuristic technologies.
The black mesh dress has an alien-at-a-cocktail-party look to it that few but Von Teese could pull off. Inspired by Fibonacci’s Sequence, or Golden Rule, the gown's design mimics patterns found in nature. Schmidt and Bitonti designed the dress digitally, then printed it. Here's how it works: The 3D printer deposits a layer of nylon powder, which is then hardened by lazers. The process is repeated until multiple layers of nylon are combined and you're left with a swatch of material resembling a cast, which is then molded into a dress shape. The white powdery dress was hand-painted and adorned with Swarovski crystals, making it look much more like a wearable object.
If you think it kind of looks like Von Teese is wearing a tire, keep in mind she’s really wearing the future. “This one-of-a-kind gown expresses our aspirations toward bridging technology with the beauty inherent in nature,” Schmidt explains in the video.
Now that the technology for printing clothing is here, we’re left to wonder what this could mean for the fashion industry. Will 3D-printing change how clothes are made? Is sewing a thing of the past? Does this come in cotton? If you’re hoping to find the dress in a store near you, you’re out of luck, because according to Schmidt, “No other woman but Dita will ever wear this dress.” Ah well…another day, another dream.
