Abstract
Exaggerated expressions of contemporary fashion have exceeded historical precedents in volume. The purpose of this study is to understand the aesthetic characteristics of expanded form In contemporary fashion. To take dresses beyond their flat shapes into three-dimensional forms, it was investigated into volume of dresses by using the void and the mass. The void Is rarefied space and the mass is densified space. The void of dresses could be constructed from the boning such as panier and stiff textiles as organza lining. The mass could be constructed from padding. Fold, pleats, twist, and the layering of fabrics show features of both the void and the mass. Contemporary fashion designers relied on the void rather that the mass to make the enormous volume because of the weight of the mass. X-silhouette and the expansion of skirt and sleeve were dominant as the result of accentuating the body with a waistline. However, many of expanded dresses were so voluminous that they obscured the body's outlines. Some forms were strange and shocking. Many designers explored the void and there were a multitude of methods to construct the void: compartments of air, architectural techniques, technical textiles, fold such at origami. The aesthetic consciousness of expanded dresses could be classified into 7 categories, the giant, the dynamic, the deconstructive, the historical, the comedic, the rhythmical, and the technical character.