Work 1: The Sound Shirt


https://cutecircuit.com/soundshirt/
This shirt is a piece designed by CuteCircuit for deaf users, and it enables the users to “feel” a symphony being performed in front of them through vibrations on their body from the shirt, which contains sensors that pulsate when different instruments on the stage are being played.
A feature of this work that I’m especially inspired by is the vibrations caused by the sensors embedded into the shirt: I have a brother with autism who has certain sensory needs, so I would be very interested in trying to design a garment that people like him can use to get a “massage” from vibrating sensors or pieces that move and vibrate at the same time.

Work 2: Thierry Mugler fall 1995 Couture show dress (also Cardi B’s 2019 Grammy Red Carpet Dress)


https://www.thefader.com/2019/02/10/cardi-b-thierry-mugler-vintage-dress-grammys
This dress by Thierry Mugler is a piece designed to make the wearer seem otherworldly, almost like a sea creature, while simultaneously having them be “in your face” by the way they seem to “pop out” of the garment.
Looking at this piece, I am most inspired by how aggressively it confronts the viewer: it’s dramatic and seems to draw all attention to the centerpiece, the user, and I feel like I could specifically adopt the flared-out ruffles and have them accentuate subtle body motions, such as moving the hips.

Here’s a picture of me in front of the same dress at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC last summer

Work 3: Madeleine Vionnet Evening Dress, spring 1931

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/765647?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&who=Vionnet%2c+Madeleine%24Madeleine+Vionnet&ft=*&offset=100&rpp=20&pos=113
When I saw this dress at the Met Museum, what blew me away was the ethereal effect it gives the wearer, as well as the delicate gold embroidery that caught my eye and made me feel as if only royalty could possibly wear such a garment. A feature of this work that I would adopt is the skirt, namely the combined effect of the gold embroidery and the pleats, as both give life to the dress and could make a garment seem as though it can move with the user.

My Ideas

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“The Bubble Dress”: a dress built to expand and contract, thus creating a bubble that envelops users and “frees” them by contracting after some time, probably going to be determined by a program.

“The Music Dress”: a dress that lights up and displays patterns in the rhythm/style of a piece being played (I was thinking Disclosure: You and Me by Flume)
“Night and Day”: this dress will be pink with pieces of fabric sticking out and roses on the dress when the user’s arms are at their side, but when the user puts their arms down, the underlying fabric will gradually turn darker, the roses will expand and become black, and the pieces of fabric will flatten and become darker.