Have you ever wondered what a female spy wears?  I admit, I haven’t given it much thought.  Outside of popular television shows like “Alias” or retro “Get Smart” episode’s where ‘Agent 99′ is doing karate kicks on the bad guys while wearing a bright yellow mini dress and go-go boots, the fashion sense of a spy isn’t something I’ve ever taken much notice of, but I recently read about the history of clothing worn by female spies and then found out designer Angel Chang also discussed it at an exhibition of her Spring ‘08 collection at Ralph Pucci International last week. 

According to FWD, Chang’s latest collection was inspired somewhat by a visit to the International spy museum in Washington D.C., where she learned that female spies during WWII would sometimes smuggle intelligence in the form of messages, which were written inside clothing. 

I remember watching a movie some years ago about WWII and in one scene, the female lead had hidden a message inside her coat. She was captured and taken in for questioning, asked to remove her clothing for further inspection and the message was never found.  Eventually, they set her free and she (and her coat) reached their destination. 

FWD also reviews Chang’s collection, which they say, incorporates technology developed by the military, like a linen jacket which has been lined with a silver anti-microbial fabric, which acts against wounds having the potential to become infected and metal has cooling properties, which would make it an ideal fabric for spring and summer. Other fabrics in the collection have wicking properties, making sweat almost non-existent.