It must be said, that as a designer I have seen a lot of change in the field of design, especially in the apparel trade. I have seen and used the heavy-skirted dresses and ball gowns that have for years been the traditional normal.
In 1982 we developed the inflatable dress, its skirts just as large, its look just as elegant, but it's now more practical for formal occasions, care and storage as well.
Just imagine, Ladies, that it's a ball; you have to get dressed with all of the hoops and under layers before you even think of the dress itself. Time is pressing and things are just not going well.
Think of this: with an inflatable ball gown, or dress, you step into it, zip it up and connect the hand pump, and in minutes the massive skirt is filled with air and has a beautiful bell shape, and then you are at the party and the envy of every woman there as they walk about sweating, tired from the weight of the traditional dresses they are wearing.
And then, oh dear, wine is spilled on your inflatable dress! Well, you shrug your shoulders, take out a tissue and wipe the dress clean. Your neighbours, however, have to send their dresses to the dry cleaners, and oh what a bill there will be to go with it!
Your inflatable dress is so light that the breeze moves the glossy pvc surface in the wind, and you feel like you are floating around the ballroom.
At home you are not like your neighbours at the ball. Not for you the complicated process of having to hang hoops up, and countless coat hangers to hang up dress, underskirts, and petticoats; you just undo the valve and your dress lets out a hisssssing noise and collapses about you! You then fold it carefully so it can easily be hung up on a hanger or folded down to fit into a shoe box.
Its care is easy; if you find that some idiot has punctured the skirt with a cocktail stick, ok, big deal! You just put a blob of soft plastics glue in the hole and let it dry. No patches, no sign of the puncture; you just put the dress into the washer and let it go through its cleaning cycle like any other laundry before putting it away for another ball.
With the new hot seam welding and small valve inflation, these dresses and skirts are now becoming a favorite in wedding work. Originally started and designed for the fetish market, inflatable dresses, skirts and suits are becoming popular with outside markets as well; they are practical and a whole host of fun, as well as being different from the norm.
These are items that are becoming popular in today's staid and not-that-sober society, where everyone is striving to be different from their neighbours and friends. Besides the practical aspects of this apparel, inflatable dresses and skirts have massive appeal to all those who have a fetish for inflatables of all kinds, from beach balls to a full inflated skirt. They certainly hold their own.
Design-wise they are a very practical product, easy to make and with a massive advantage over latex, in that the material is inert and does not cause any form of skin irritation.
True practical thought must be given to the freedom of movement within the inflatable suit, dress, or skirt, as they do to a certain degree restrict movement. If the person wearing the dress suffers from breathing difficulty, extreme care should be exercised in the wearing of a dress that is inflated too tight, and must never be inflated by mouth as this could cause heart attacks, respiratory problems, dizziness etc. But if care is taken these certainly have a great value, especially with the younger generation, who may wish to impress, and to be different from their elders in society.
