An Interesting Concept Made all the more Interesting by Dita von Teese

New York designer Michael Schmidt and architect Francis Bitonti have created a 3D-printed dress for burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. Designed by Schmidt and generated by Bitonti, the floor-length nylon gown was made using selective laser sintering (SLS), where material is built up in layers from plastic powder fused together with a laser. The rigid plastic components are fully articulated to create a netted structure that allows for movement. Spirals based on the Golden Ratio were applied to a computer rendering of Von Teese's body so the garment fits her exactly. Draped over a nude silk corset, the black-lacquered dress is cinched in at the waist and exaggerated at the shoulders, and embellished with 12,000 Swarovski crystals. It was unveiled during an event at the Ace Hotel in New York earlier this week, as part of a showcase of products organised by 3D printing marketplace Shapeways, who printed the dress and were also behind the 3D-printed bikini we showed a couple of years ago.

Check out the the making of the dress here.