40 Avant-Garde Dresses

Artistic Frocks, From Mile-Long Gowns to Anatomical Dresses

— October 11, 2009 — Fashion
These avant-garde dresses blur the line between art and fashion beautifully—albeit in very diverse ways. Whether it's a mile-long wedding gown, a grotesque dedication frock to Mother Nature or a minidress made of Post-Its, there are clearly no rules in this niche.

My favorite sculptural gown in this slideshow is the bridal gown collection that pays homage to different U.S. cities. Check out these and more avant-garde dresses below.

Implications - As North Americans begin to see similar apparel styles on all of its citizenry, consumers are finding it much more difficult to express their unique individuality. As such, the fashion industry is responding by tailoring styles which not all individuals will find appealing in order to maintain exclusivity. Corporations in other industries may follow in the same footsteps when considering product designs.
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Wedding Gowns as Investment Pieces
Wedding Gowns as Investment Pieces
$250,000 Platinum Dress
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38
9,999 Karat Dress
9,999 Karat Dress
Ring Not Included
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37
Gowns Made of Gloves
Gowns Made of Gloves
Toolgrrl Designs' Blood Countess Art Dress Has a Gory History
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36
$100,000 Money Dress
$100,000 Money Dress
Fashion Made of Sterling Pound Notes
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35
Caged Dresses
Caged Dresses
The Birdcage Dress is a Fully Functional Wearable Brass Bird Cage
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34
Anatomical Attire
Anatomical Attire
Toolgrrl Designs Dresses for Science Geeks and Bio Freaks
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$1.2 Million Gold Dress
$1.2 Million Gold Dress
Coins Give Design New Weight
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32
Dramatic Sculptural Gowns
Dramatic Sculptural Gowns
Beyonce Turns Statuette in Black and Gold Awards Dress
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31
Plastic Bag Ballroom Gowns
Plastic Bag Ballroom Gowns
Credit Crunch Couture in Zsofia Kormos's ‘ReClothes'
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30
Mile Long Dresses
Mile Long Dresses
$5,000 Wedding Gown In Poland Has Thousands of Crystals
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29
Edible Couture
Edible Couture
Spaghetti and Meatball Dress Leaves Fashionistas Hungry-Eyed
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28
Horrific Homages
Horrific Homages
Moist Mother Earth, a Demented $8,000 Tribute to the Planet
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Charitable Needle Dresses
Charitable Needle Dresses
The Blonds & Tim Palen Team Up for "Saw" Blood Drive 2009
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Haute Couture Royal Gowns
Haute Couture Royal Gowns
Dior Celebrates Its 60th Year in Regal Style
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Balloon Couture
Balloon Couture
Daisy's Inflatable Dresses
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Condom Couture
Condom Couture
Dress Made of Condoms for AIDS Charity
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Stinkhorn Fungus Fashion
Stinkhorn Fungus Fashion
Toolgrrl Mushroom Art Dress is Inspired by Mother Nature
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Laser Dresses
Laser Dresses
Hussein Chalayan (Follow-Up)
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Paper Bag Couture
Paper Bag Couture
Grocery Sacks Become Gorgeous Gowns in Hands of Design Students
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Coffee Filter Fashion
Coffee Filter Fashion
Prom Dress Made from Java Machine Discards
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Transformer Dresses
Transformer Dresses
Hussein Chalayan's 2007 Collection
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Bubble Couture
Bubble Couture
Lady Gaga's Giant Faux Soap Bubble Dress by Hussein Chalayan
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Kitchen Sponge Gowns
Kitchen Sponge Gowns
10 Dresses Made of Random Objects
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Post-It Note Dresses
Post-It Note Dresses
Lady Gaga Goes For Geeky Couture on UK Talk Show
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Umbrella Dresses
Umbrella Dresses
Nadav Kander's Chic Orbit Mist Campaign
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Toilet Paper Gowns
Toilet Paper Gowns
White Cashmere Collection: A Touch of Pink
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Unwearable Clothing
Unwearable Clothing
Paper Dresses by Violise Lunn
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Army Camo Bridal Gowns
Army Camo Bridal Gowns
Brides Get Ready for a War in Camo Wedding Dresses
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Dresses Made of Old Shoes
Dresses Made of Old Shoes
'Remade in Chile' Turns Reclaimed Puma Sneaks Into Art
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Inflatable Couture
Inflatable Couture
Dresses Made Entirely of Twisted Balloons
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Cage Dresses
Cage Dresses
Jean Paul Gaultier A/W 2008-9
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Blow-Up Wedding Gowns
Blow-Up Wedding Gowns
Daisy the Balloon Artist Creates Fancy Inflatable Dresses
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Bridal Couture Previews
Bridal Couture Previews
Spring 2009 Wedding Dresses
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Rubber Wedding Gowns
Rubber Wedding Gowns
A Dress Made of 1400 Rubber Gloves
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Corpse Bride Gowns
Corpse Bride Gowns
Tim Burton Inspired Esty Finds
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Architectural Bridal Gowns
Architectural Bridal Gowns
Anne Bowen's Wedding Dresses Are Inspired by NYC Buildings
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Avant-Garde Fashion
Avant-Garde Fashion
Lady Gaga's Style is ‘Walking Art' in ASOS Magazine
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Newspaper Dresses
Newspaper Dresses
Manuel Minino's 'Paper Dolls' Find a New Use for Newsprint
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Dresses Made from Phonebooks
Dresses Made from Phonebooks
The Paper Dress by Jolis Paons
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