Olivia Rodrigo designer explains how dissolving dress works
The designer behind Olivia Rodrigo's dissolving dress has explained how it works - revealing the gown she debuted on The Unraveled Tour is made from a "special paper-like material" which melts away when it comes into contact with water.
The designer behind Olivia Rodrigo's dissolving dress has explained how it works.
The 23-year-old pop star amazed fans during the first show of her Unraveled Tour in Hartford, Connecticut on Friday (25.09.36) when she debuted a baby blue gown which seemingly melts away to reveal a red corset dress underneath as she's pelted with rain during performances of her song The Cure. Now designer Hussein Chalayan has revealed the costume is made from a "special paper-like material" which melts away when it comes into contact with water.
Chalayan told WWD: "There is an outer dress, which I wanted to keep very simple and pure, so that the reveal would be more powerful.
"It is made from a special paper-like material that dissolves when it comes into contact with water, revealing a contrasting colour lace and tulle corseted dress underneath.
"The timing was definitely a challenge, as Olivia also has to be able to sing while under the water. There has therefore been a lot of back and forth and testing to get the timing and dissolution to happen in the right way."
Chalayan - who debuted dissolving dresses on the catwalk a decade ago - added Olivia was part of the development of the costume and approved "each step of the process".
The dissolving dress is said to mirror Olivia's video for The Cure in which she physically unravels as red yarn streams from her body.
Olivia previously admitted she's very particular about her clothes and make-up when she's on tour.
During her Guts World Tour - which ran between 2024 and 2025 - the singer revealed she needed "really thick" lipstick and finding the right lip product was "very important" as she didn't want it to transfer to her microphone or all over her face.
She told People magazine: “I have an amazing make-up artist named Karissa who comes with me everywhere and helps me out.
"The lipstick is very important. It has to be really thick on your lips, because if it moves a little, it’ll get on your microphone and then it’ll be all over your face by the end of the show.
"So the lipstick is very, very important. You have to have a very strong one."
