Scuba-do!

Alexis Asplundh likes scuba diving. So for her senior fashion collection at Savannah College of Art and Design earlier this year, she created a zip-front knee-length dress in neoprene, a material more commonly used in wetsuits. The garment caught the attention of André Leon Talley, the Vogue contributing editor who was in town to curate a show on the Little Black Dress in the school’s gallery. So he included her garment in the  show, which opened this week, amidst couture variations on the classic theme by designers ranging from Fortuny, Balenciaga, and Chanel to Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, and Stella McCartney.

The little black dress, adored for its versatility as armor, uniform, or plumage, gives you “sex appeal without trying to look like you’re sexy on purpose,” notes artist Rachel Feinstein, whose fairy-tale carriage dominates the display and who loaned the Marc Jacobs hourglass gown she wore to the Metropolitan Museum’s latest Costume Institute gala.

Talley also recommended the Asplundh’s look to his friend Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis, who ordered a neoprene suit from the recent graduate. Guess you could say her career is talking off with a splash! Read more

SCAD MUSEUM OF ART PERMANENT COLLECTION; GIFT OF ALEXIS ASPLUNDH, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.