dressin(g)progress #3
infinity dress

This project, a compelling blend of installation and performance, explores the transformative potential of The Infinity Dress through a feminist lens. Drawing inspiration from Lydia Silvestry’s original design, Yelena recreated this versatile garment and conducted an hour-long performance in front of a mirror, improvising endless styling possibilities. By doing so, she challenged the boundaries of fashion as a medium of self-expression and adaptability. The performance hinges on the unique nature of The Infinity Dress, which reduces the concept of a dress to its fundamental essence—a black tube with adjustable flaps. This simplicity invites reflection on the historical and cultural construction of femininity, echoing feminist theories that critique the commodification of women's bodies through prescriptive fashion norms. The act of improvisation, unplanned and spontaneous, embodies a rejection of societal expectations, asserting autonomy over how the body can be adorned and perceived. The Infinity Dress itself carries ambiguous origins, its brilliance attributed not to a single author but to collective innovation. This multiplicity resonates with feminist calls to value collaborative creativity over hierarchical authorship. Lydia Silvestry’s 1976 launch of the dress arose from necessity—her need for a versatile garment to navigate professional and social spheres. This pragmatic origin story situates the dress as a tool for empowerment, allowing women to reclaim control over how they present themselves across different contexts. By revisiting and reimagining this garment, Yelena connects the personal and the political, celebrating the dress as both a symbol of resourcefulness and a critique of fashion’s rigid paradigms. Her project reaffirms the feminist ethos that clothing is not merely functional but a canvas for resisting, reinterpreting, and reshaping the narratives imposed upon women’s bodies.

• art
• year: 2011
• medium: performance
• duration: 1 hour

Short video

Long video