CarnalNation

Circuit print!

I’m insane for it. This might be a kind of a specialty taste, but I’m seeing it all around right now. If you are a science-fiction/fetish crossover person (and there are plenty of us) you may find it particularly alluring.

The idea of computer circuitry-as-fashion is old as Tron, but I can’t say the fashions impressed me much in 1982—though I spent the ‘80s fucked up on heroin, so I don’t remember it especially well. Too bad, as both Jean Giraud (Moebius) and legendary visual futurist and industrial designer Syd Mead contributed to the concept art of the original Tron. I should probably watch it again. The upcoming new Tron film, Tron: Legacy, has costumes designed by Michael Wilkinson, who did the sexy fetishy costuming for Watchmen. (Silk Spectre’s latex outfit was built by Syren in Los Angeles, the same company that did Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume.)  The movie looks deliriously badawesome, which is how I describe the kind of science fiction movies I like best, and I’m sure we’ll see a certain amount of aesthetic fallout in clothing design. The circuit-board theme has always been part of Cyber style, which has been around at least ten or twenty years; I’m not especially into Cyber/Raver style for myself, though I enjoy the kids walking around in their fleece spacesuits looking all posthuman. I do love the Cyberdog store in Camden, and the astonishing British artist Dominic Elvin, who did its interior design. If you want to wear a modern art sculpture on your head that makes you look like a Borg, you can get one custom-made by him.

And if you want totally insane fucking clothing to wear to the Apocalypse—in Space!—check out Cryoflesh. Still in raver land, the U.K.'s Technokitty has adorable stretchy mini and maxiskirts, and a very cute bustier with a circuit front panel.

In the last few years the circuitry aesthetic has crossed over to the fetish fashion scene. It started with the excellent Australian corset company Gallery Serpentine. They’ve had their “Dead Tech” print available for several years. It’s printed in uv-reactive greenish white ink on black pvc; you can get it on satin too. They did a specialty collection of  Steampunk designs recently,  with the Dead Tech print in gold on black pvc and burgundy satin—jaw-droppingly hot.   They’re not on the site anymore but Annette at GS is amenable to doing the design to order.