Sometimes dress designers have drawn on technological inventions for a quite different medium. When Gianni Versace produced metal mesh dresses in the 1980s, they were a by-product of research done with titanium to find a light but strong metal for supersonic airplanes. As modernism meets millennialism, the 1990s have seen another surge of fashion interest in technology, especially for the heavy-duty nylon bags pioneered by Prada and the athletic mesh developed for active sportswear. To the test tube, we have now added the computer. As well as the possibility of fabrics that encapsulate feel-good chemical ingredients within microfiber bubbles, we have microchips that could be programmed to anticipate our needs.
Computers can also create intriguing effects.
Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler have both used digital mechanics for inspiration. And in his latest show, the British designer Hussein Chalayan explored the theme of ''life forces'' using a remote control to open up a metallic dress to allow a bush of tulle to spring out. No, you couldn't sit down in it, but the dress was creatively dazzling. Japanese designers star at fusing fashion and technology. Among many fabric research projects, Issey Miyake invented, originally for modern dance costumes, ultralight polyester pleats.