3-D-Printed Wings Hit The Victoria's Secret Runway

You can’t really browse through the blogosphere this morning without catching a flurry of glitzy snaps from last night’s taping of the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. It’s almost enough to make us rethink ordering that cream-cheese bagel. But, besides the toned abs, skivvies, and rock-star roster of supermodels and performers, one other element that never fails to catch our eye? The larger-than-life, painstakingly produced wings, of course.

This year, Victoria's Secret switched things up and tapped the tech-savvy pros over at Shapeways and Swarovski to produce the first-ever 3-D-printed wings for model Lindsay Ellingson. This innovative design approach (which was also produced by architect Bradley Rothenberg) involved a scan of Ellingson’s body and then used its advanced printing methods to create a geometric snowflake motif that is then encrusted with sparkling Swarovski crystals. As more buzz starts to swirl around this techie process, it’s interesting to see the new ways it's utilized in the fashion space. You’ll have to tune into CBS on December 10 to see the beauts in action.