SHAPE-SHIFTING DRESSES

At its heart, fashion is transformative, an outer expression to suit our shifting moods. Turkish-born British designer Hussein Chalayan has also been celebrated for his shifting shapes. He began to explore shape shifting back in 1993 as a student at the Warwickshire School of Arts (UK). His graduation collection, “The Tangent Flows,” featured paper garments, which he buried together with iron fillings in his backyard for several weeks. When he dug them up for their debut, they were beautifully layered with rich texture and rust.

Chalayan’s fascination with shapes in motion has continued through two decades of runway shows. One included models operating remote controls, revealing poofs of tulle under a rigid outer shell (an exploration of flight and technology). Another presented glowing LED dresses. In his 2000 collection, “After Words,” he took inspiration from stories of citizens of Kosovo who, when the region exploded into conflict, had to quickly flee their homes with as many possessions as they could carry. The collection’s debut culminated with models taking the chair covers off a grouping of furniture to rearrange them into geometric frocks. One model stepped right into a coffee table that lifted into a tiered wooden skirt.

But perhaps there has never been a more beautiful realization of the fluid, dynamic nature of Chalayan’s designs than in the Autumn/Winter 2013 collection titled “Rise.” A mesmerizing series of dresses in this collection became something else entirely right before our eyes, as the models glided down the runway. With a single tug to the collar, an elegant silk shift gave way to a flowing black gown accented with iridescent folds. A short organza dress, gloriously textured with layers of fabric in organic shapes over vibrant multicolored stripes, transforms into a long, sleek dress in solid black. A contemporary evening dress with sharp edges and color blocks transforms into softly gathered folds and hazy, earth-toned stripes. The effect is at once astonishingly beautiful and incredibly functional, with each dress delivering two separate, stunning looks.

View the entire "Rise" debut in this Vogue video—the transformations begin around the 2:30 mark—or learn more at Chalayan’s website and Facebook page. To share and view other personal interpretations of shape-shifting, see our March 4, 2013 photo competition.