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The dress on the form in the studio, next to a long run of windows.

Textile Innovations

Snake Skin Inspired Dress

A dress of hand-cut, layered organza scales over a black slip, built from microscope studies of shed snake skin.

Category
Textile Innovations
Year
2026
Role
Solo
Course
RISD Apparel
Tools
Hand cutting, Sewing, Draping, Microscopy
Materials
Organza and chiffon in grey, cream and tan, Black slip

Worn

The dress worn, front and back, by the studio window.

The idea

A dress made with layered sheer fabric that captures the organic patterns of snakeskin. Its translucent construction echoes the rhythm and texture of scales, translating microscopic details into a wearable piece that balances delicacy with strength.

Research

I studied a shed skin from the nature lab under a microscope. The variations in color became the tones of the dress; the scale rows became the pattern pieces.

A shed snake skin in a specimen box over a light.
Shed skin under the microscope: pointed scales grading into rounded, pearlescent cells.
Rows of brown scales, the repeating pattern behind the dress.

Making it

Each piece of fabric was hand cut and sewn. I used soft grey, cream and tan to mimic the snakeskin's glow, then draped and pinned the scales in overlapping rows on the form.

Testing the translucency of the organza scales.
Draping and pinning the scales on the form.

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