Chain stores like Target are famous for reducing prices and cutting costs wherever possible, but running a fashion show without any models might be a bit extreme.  That’s exactly what Target will do next week though, using holographic technology to take their place.

The show, as reported by Reuters, will present the designs of Isaac Mizrahi and Liz Lange virtually vogueing in Vanderbit Hall, New York.

Some would say this was an inevitable evolution for models – the only way they could weight any less is to be replaced by photons, which have no mass at all.  (If you twitched at that sentence, congratulations on being an advanced theoretical physicist).

For those worried about machines stealing our flesh-and-blood jobs, it makes sense that they’d start here – there’s a minimum of flesh to replace.  It doesn’t put models out of work (the original holographic images and movement data have to come from somewhere), and allows shows to be planned and repeated perfectly each time.

Holographic technology is a field that has recently been leaping out of science fiction and into real world applications, with uses as diverse as making civilian things visible to the exact opposite – making tanks hard to see (as reported by the BBC).  As the field continues to mature we can expect to see ever more inventive image integration in the real world.

Whether those attending the shows will be prepared to accept a glorified television advert as a replacement for seeing how the clothes behave ‘in the flesh’ has yet to be seen.  What is sure is that this technology will wow the audience, and when you think about it, that’s the sign of a successful show right there.

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Entry was posted on Friday, November 2nd, 2007 at 3:08 pm under Advertising, Technology.

Read more entries by Luke McKinney.
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