I distinguish several layers of how people present themselves in different social states, from intimacy to strangers. Layers and armour can be used to represent the"OUTSIDE". People can see INSIDE through the armour, but the refracted and distorted INSIDE of the transparent material is not the real INSIDE.

I did a lot of material testing to choose a transparent material for the armour, for example, heat-shrink board, acrylic and silicone. In the end, UV resin was chosen because it had the best transparency and was the easiest material to shape.

Because of the fluidity of the resin, shaping becomes a difficult task. After many experiments, the parts of the transparent armour were pieced together to form the complete OUTSIDE.

OUTSIDE affects INSIDE and INSIDE affects OUTSIDE, and light is a great way to express that. Light is mapped through transparent armour and coloured organza that can illuminate OUTSIDE. I describe my INSIDE as "psychedelic smoke", so I used lightweight organza and hand-painted psychedelic prints printed onto the fabric using heat transfers.

I ended up using flesh-coloured mesh as a lining to make the dress wearable. In order for the armour to appear to be hovering outside of the body, there needs to be some distance between the transparent armour and the body. I used thin steel wires as supports to hold up the distance from the body inside the armour.