Considering how food and fashion go so well together, from bread couture to wine fashion, it’s probably not surprising that researchers in Australia have literally grown a dress from the bacterial skin that forms on red wine. Apparently, it “smells like wine and feels like sludge when its wet”. I wonder how that dress would go over at a sobriety checkpoint? Would it go over well considering that the “cotton-like cellulose creation fits as snugly as a second skin”? Inquiring minds want to know. The product is the brain child of researchers Gary Cass, Donna Franklin and Alan Mullett at the University of Western Australia.

The trio grew the dress as part of a collaborative arts and science project called Micro’be’, designed to use science to convert wine into a cellulose product.Mr Cass, the team scientist, said the ultimate goal was to produce a wearable seamless garment that formed itself without a single stitch.

Their next project in the works is translucent material made from beer bacteria. Hmm. That could mean stunning revenues for the lingerie market considering how popular both beer and bare are with men.

Speaking of wine and apparel, there’s an upcoming design competition for men’s neckwear, ties presumably, sponsored by Franciscan Winery.

Franciscan, a leading Napa Valley winery for more than three decades, invites emerging designers to “tie” their own personal style to the hand-crafted elegance of Franciscan wines by submitting an original necktie design to the inaugural Franciscan Signature Style Competition.

Design luminary Thom Browne, the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s 2006 Menswear Designer of the Year, heads a panel of fashion, editorial, and design leaders who will select the one-of-a-kind men’s necktie that best embodies the signature qualities of Franciscan’s distinctive Napa Valley wines-vibrant and rich, with hand-crafted elegance.

Read the full press release for details. To apply, visit the Franciscan Signature Style Competition. You must be 21 to enter. The deadline is March 31st.

Oh and speaking of contests, we have a winner in our mitten contest. A week’s gone by, I figure that’s long enough for voting. Our winner is Michele Reid from Cremona, Alberta. Congratulations! Michele wins a free copy of The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing. Or, an hour of my time consulting, her choice. Below is a photo of the winning entry:

We still need ideas for our next contest. Hopefully something better than any of my lame ideas. Better speak up quick or the next contest is guaranteed goofy. You have been warned.