Dita Von Teese Dons Mindblowing 3D Printed Gown on Red Carpet-- Could SL Designs Be Next?

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Famed pinup personality Dita Von teese recently donned the first articulated 3D printed dress to an event on Monday, and fashion and science nerds alike have been gushing over the pictures since. The dress has generated a fair amount of geek buzz for two reasons: First, 3D printing in it's current form is often used to create accessories (even by SL designers like Maxi Gossamer) but it's generally too rigid to be considered workable for clothing. Second... Well, just look at her! Granted she could probably make a paper bag look glam as hell, but these are some of the most breathtaking pictures I've ever seen.

There's a lot of engineering behind that bodice, so let's break it down:

The reason this dress is more than a solid lump around Von Teese is explained exceptionally well by the creators themselves in this article on Wired. In brief, the mesh-like design of the dress (inspired by the Fibonacci sequence) can conform to a body "like a chinese finger-trap". The dress itself was designed while the two designers were across the country from each other, then printed in many segments before being assembled into the final wearable piece.

There's no doubt that lessons learned from this design will push 3D printing further, especially in the fashion world. 3D printing allows for levels of detail that might be impossible under traditional manufacturing conditions, which could dramatically expand the kinds of fashion we see on the runways and eventually in our own closets.

Obviously it's unlikely you'll be able to pick up 3D printed dresses of your own anytime soon, but it opens the door to a whole new kind of designer. With the introduction of more flexible 3D printing materials, dozens of SL mesh dresses by self-taught 3D modelers could make it to reality right alongside Maxi Gossamer's printed jewelry.

(Hat tip to Vaki Zenovka for pointing this out!)

Please share this post with people you like:

Tweet

Iris Ophelia (@bleatingheart, Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.

Comments

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Dress! Pretty! Want in SL now!

[Connie Arida]

Fantastic and great idea. ..and what a shot.