The manipulation of a garment’s ground fabric is one method that

Americans have used to create ornamentation. Two dramatic

examples are Charles James’s La Sirène evening dress, which is

both ornamented and shaped using horizontal pin tucks, and Isabel

Toledo’s "patchwork" dress, made from several finely fluted panels.

Ralph Rucci’s evening dress is constructed from bands of fabric

knotted on top to create a mesh-covered bodice, then unfurled to

make the 117-piece, gored skirt.