When Nervous System came out with their first Kinematics Petals Dress I remember thinking this might be the first 3D printed dress that was actually comfortable. Let’s face it, usually plastic is a bit rigid and only works for haute couture on the runway, well except maybe Ninjaflex. However, the interconnected pieces in their dress seemed more like scales, and somehow that just seemed natural to me. Well, I just got a lead on Facebook about their new 2.0 version which looks amazing. Here’s the previous version for comparison.
The petals both form like shells on these dresses, yet they are arranged differently. The original one has an appearance of wing feathers in the way the petals emanate on a diagonal, while the new one has a more symmetric look with the petal arrangement suggesting a flower. Part of this illusion comes from the bottom line of the dress (since I can’t really say hemline here). The new one rises in the front center like a tulip, which is quite beautiful and mimics the scallop of the petals. Finally, the dresses use different necklines with the original being a scoop while the new dress opts for a thick halter style. Not only does the halter trim away the thickness in the bodice, but it also suggests a taper like you might find in a flower. You can tell I’m just sticking with that tulip image here. Check out the beautiful movement with dancer Fhi B-Ado!
Both dresses are beautiful in their own way, but I think the new version is more flattering for more figures. It makes me even more excited to imagine what other petal dresses may be coming along. Better yet, I’d love to see a Game of Thrones Daenerys inspired dress that mimics dragon scales modeled by Emilia Clarke. Hey, Kinematics, let’s do this thing! All yearnings aside, these dresses will surely be included in my final survey for the year’s best wearable tech. You’ll be able to see it in person if you can get to The Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences in Sydney, Australia. Make sure you read Nervous System’s post about the printing of these dresses, which is done through Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) using a folding strategy. While you might not be able to afford an SLS setup for dresses, you can start out with some simple 3D printing with this Micro 3D Printer. Small enough to fit in a NY apartment, this printer is plug and play with its simple design. You can use bigger spools of PLA too, as long as you get a stand alone spool to hang nearby. Get ready to be a 3D designer at home and create your own wearable tech.
Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!