We are living in a material world!

Time to get some new material!

Of course, we have all seen that famous dress made of American Express cards, and we’ve been privy to at least one toilet-paper bride. And who can ignore the bevy of “green” clothing out there, made of hemp and bamboo and such.

But there are some crazy new materials out there that are actually meant to be worn! Our modern age is reflected not only in our gadgets (just try to pry me away from my iPhone; I get separation anxiety!), but in our futuristic garb. Here are some of the metals and plastics that we’re adorning ourselves with these days:

1) Polyurethane. I picked up a fantastic pair of leather-look shiny ANLO jeans with this magic ingredient. And check out Tory Burch's "double poly" (-ester and -urethane!) dress at right, available at toryburch.com and featured in In Style's April 2008 issue.

2) Plexiglass. Not just for industrial use any more! See Yves Saint Laurent's naughty plexiglass and metal top (at top left, appearing in W Magazine's February 2008 issue, photographed by Juergen Teller).

3) Laminates. At Rodarte, Kate and Laura Mulleavy have taken to using laminated rayon in their dresses. And you thought that laminator was just for fake IDs!