Happy FRIDAY FASHION FACT! Today I’m going more modern than I’ve ever gone before in these posts. And what better topic to go modern with than one that is named for the term? That’s right, we’re talking mod! Specifically, we are talking about the one piece of fashion that arguably epitomized the mod culture: the paper dress.
I’ve spoken about dresses made out of unusual materials before (see: the glass dress) but what is so interesting about the paper dress is how popular it was, albeit for a short time. In 1966, the Scott Paper Company released a marketing campaign where it would ship customers a dress made out of “Dura-Weve” paper for just $1.25 (a dollar for the dress and 25 cents handling.) The material was essentially a cellulose paper mixed with traces of rayon. This gave the dress more durability and flexibility as compared to standard paper. The original Scott Company paper dress was sold in two patterns, a black and white geometric “op-art” print, and a red paisley “bandana” print. Both the simplistic cut and bold patterns of the dress were clearly aimed at capturing the attention of the booming mod culture.
The typically young crowd who followed the mod lifestyle were known to strive for the next, newest, and even most futuristic styles, whether it be music, art, or clothes. They were bold and sleek, and broke away from all things traditional. In essence, they were the opposite of the World War II “Greatest Generation” which preceded them. So how does the paper dress fit into this? The disposable nature of the paper dress was highly appealing to the mod generation. Many believed paper was the fabric of the future, and that one day all clothing would be made out of the material. It was fast-fashion at it’s fastest. The ephemeral nature of the dresses meant that you could consistently (and affordably) purchase new clothing. It also blended well with the art of the day. This was peak Warhol era, and his pop art prints were perfect to adorn the simple shift dresses, as were the colorful psychedelic prints of the time. Paper dresses made it easy to always wear the newest patterns and art.
Several companies quickly followed Scott’s lead, and soon paper dresses were everywhere, as well as other styles of paper clothing, including menswear. Within a year, though, the novelty faded, and the realization of the impracticality outweighed the idealistic image of paper clothing. The fad disappeared as quickly as it began. Yet paper clothing hasn’t vanished completely. Instead, it found it’s niche in hospitals, where it’s affordable and disposable nature is perfect for sanitary purposes. So in a way, the mod’s were right, paper was the fabric of the future, just not in the way they expected.
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