[Warning: this post exposes my inner-nerd. So what does that make me? A nerdy fashionista? A fashionable nerd? I’m cool with either.]

Earlier this week during my mundane morning commute via Metro, it dawned on me that QR codes (which are ubiquitous on every freakin’ ad plastered throughout every station) look a lot like houndstooth. Allow me to illustrate. When I got home from work, I used this QR code generator to create one for the Ferragamo website*:

Quick Response: it took me two seconds flat to create this QR code for www.ferragamo.com

Now here’s a look from the Ferragamo Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear collection:

Head to toe houndstooth

Maybe a designer (e.g. Prada or Proenza Schouler) will come up with a dress made from fabric printed with repeating QR codes. And if you scan a section of sleeve or skirt, you will be taken to a mobile-optimized site with enticing info about the garment and brand, the nearest bricks-and-mortar store with the dress in stock, and the option to place an online order.**

Hmm, I guess I’m longingly anticipating cooler weather and new fall clothes!

* If you use a QR-code-reading app on an iPhone or iPad, the website—due to its Flash elements—will not display in Safari. If you’re using an Android device, you’re golden.

** IMHO, this proposed frock would feel right at home as part of MoMA’s upcoming “Talk to Me” exhibition.
Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects opens on July 24, 2011.
MoMA | 11 West 53 Street | New York, NY  10019 | 212.708.9400 | moma.org

Update on Sept. 21, 2011: QR codes were everywhere at New York’s Fashion Week. Check out the Frans Baviera dress with a code on the bodice.