In Peau d’Ane, a young princess orders impossible wedding gifts from her father in order to avoid marrying him: three dresses made of immaterial materials. The first is to be made of the sky and should be as light and airy as the clouds. The second is to be made of moonbeams and the third is to be made of sunlight and should be as blinding and warm as the sun above.

Valérie Lamontagne is working on three wearables projects based on the Charles Perrault fairy tale. The three Peau d’Ane dresses will translate the qualities of the sky, moon and sun within various geographical locations at all times of the day.

Utilizing wireless and solar-powered energy sources, the patterns on the interactive costumess will morph according to information transmitted from a wireless weathervane to a computer chip implanted in the fabric.

The Sky dress will change structure and sounds based on changes in the sky. The more clouds in the sky, the larger the inflatable plastic dress will grow, much like a cloud. The more wind outside, the more the dress will “sing” as air is propelled through plastic pipes. Rain will make the dress vibrate as the rhythm of the airflow in the dress is regulated.

On the Sun dress, a checkerboard of LEDs will be set in motion based on UV and sun intensity readings. The greater the intensity of the sun, the brighter the dress will glow. The more UV rays outside, the more the dress’ LEDs will flash, like a warning/danger sign.

The Moonbeam dress will change colours based on the 28 day cycle of the moon using conductive threads, epoxies and heat-sensitive paint. The dress will be embroidered with conductive thread to trigger responses in the paint and represent the moon cycle as it appears and disappears.

Pictures.
First image from Jacques Demy’s movie Peau d’Ane.