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Function and Form Collide at Angel Chang

Clothing got a technological twist at Angel Chang's first capsule collection presentation at the Arts Corporation Studio in New York on Thursday, September 7th.

Unlike most designers who primarily draw inspiration from fashion's past, Chang's innovative looks, like a light-emitting raincoat and a heat-sensitive dress, were a refreshing step forward towards fashion's future.

One of the most visually engaging looks was a five-layered cream charmeuse skirt that boasted a series of hidden 3-D images concealed behind a bold array of "Magic Eye"-inspired graphic prints. Upon closer inspection, these bold prints gave way to even bolder imagery such as machine guns, fighter jets and grenades.

"We wanted to underline how war is a part of every day life," explained 3-D technologist Adam Beckerman, who collaborated with Chang on this series of single image random dot stereograms (SIRDs). "These images are also strong as they are beautiful."

Keeping in stride with the technology theme, built-in MP3 pockets added an extra punch to a yellow jumpsuit and popped collar. The sporty ensemble and soft silhouette looked comfortable enough to wear to the tennis courts and possessed just the right amount of casual chic to take to the streets.

One of the downfalls of Chang's debut collection was its size: with only seven looks, Chang's mission to fuse fashion and technology seemed limited and shortsighted. What's more, the haphazard draping and, at times, unflattering silhouettes made it difficult to get a sense of her design skills.

Despite overall fair execution, there's no denying that the fashion world can't learn a thing or two from Chang's attitude towards inventive fashion. "While our roles and lifestyles have changed drastically over the last 40 years," wrote Chang in her line sheet, "the structure of our clothing, oddly, has not."

So long as people continue to plug away at their computers with their iPods glued to their ears, Chang's future in fashion is as secure as it is innovative.

		* Vera Wang Resort: Surreal Sophistication * Jason Wu Resort: French New Wave Refresher