Dress Impression With Wrinkled Cowl, 2007. Glass sculpture by Karen LaMonte.
Clothing both protects and projects. It is an armor and costume, plumage and camouflage.
– Karen LaMonte, American artist.
I recently stumbled upon this sculpture by Karen LaMonte at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR. Isn’t it something? I love the contrasting feel of soft draped fabric and inflexible glass.
With the idea of creating a series of life-sized dresses in glass, in 1999 Ms. LaMonte traveled to Prague, the world renowned location for large scale casting. After her first successful piece, she realized she wanted an absent human presence within the dress. From there she created a process using a live model plus rubber, wax and fabric. For her work she has to use an industrial factory and a team of eight men, all specialized craftsmen. Each piece takes nine months from start to finish.
Ms. LaMonte was initially inspired by the the idea of dress as metaphor for the body and human presence. With each glass dress she says she is exploring beauty, the allure of fashion, and the mystery of the missing figure.
OverDressed for Life 
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