WASHINGTON – The fashion industry has had a decades-long love affair with the art world, resulting in iconic trends with significant cultural cachet: Think tie-dye and batik, op art frocks and sneakers splashed with graffiti.

For this season, designers took the look in a new direction – a three-dimensional one. Hussein Chalayan encased models in coats and dresses molded from acetate foam for his fall collection, while Yves Saint Laurent’s Stefano Pilati applied an architectural slant to billowy blouses. Off the runway, intricate jewelry, modern dinnerware or a sleek, curvy stiletto can add sculptural panache.

•Club Monaco’s “Viviana” cocktail dress combines the season’s top trends – an asymmetric silhouette, a structured shoulder and subtle pleating – while maintaining an aura of chic refinement. ($199 at Club Monaco stores)

•The brainchild of MIT grads Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, Nervous System jewelry is based on radiolarians, which are marine protozoans with structurally complex skeletons. The duo create a range of scientific-chic pieces from nylon plastic, including this Interstice bracelet. ($75 at www.n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com)

•These sultry satin Z-Project platform pumps from L.A.M.B. perch above a 1.5-inch lacquered, sculpted base – just the thing to elevate a basic frock from simple to sublime. ($300 at www.shopbop.com)

•Brooklyn, N.Y.-based designer Emily Miranda crafts her Folded collection of origami-like rings from brass ($80) and fine silver ($125). (E-mail info@emilymirandastudio.com or call 917-476-0499)

•Made from sugar cane fiber, bamboo and reed pulp, Wasara’s Kaku single-use dishes are fully biodegradable and can be used as compost. Designed to artfully display hot and cold foods, they do double duty as an ultra-minimal means to showcase jewelry or to collect keys. ($8 for 12 small plates; $12 for 12 medium plates; and $12 for eight large plates at www.branchhome.com)