Paper clothing, in the form of women's dresses and other clothes made from disposable cellulose fabric, was a short-lived fashion novelty item in the 1960s United States.
Individual paper and papier-mâché clothes and accessories (especially masquerade costumes) were used as early as the 19th century. But mass-produced paper fashion was invented by the American Scott Paper Company in 1966 as a marketing stunt. Customers could send in a coupon and $1.25 to receive a dress made of "Dura-Weve", a cellulose material patented in 1958.
These "Paper Caper" dresses, which featured a red bandanna print or a black and white op art pattern, kicked off a fashion craze. 500,000 of them were produced, and other manufacturers soon followed suit.
By 1967, paper dresses were sold in major department stores for about $8 apiece, and entire paper clothing boutiques were set up by companies such as Abraham & Straus and I. Magnin. At the height of demand, Mars Hosiery made 100,000 dresses a week.
Other items made of paper included underwear, men's vests, bridal gowns expensive at $15, children's pinafores "just the thing for ever-sprouting sprouts" and even rain coats and bikinis "good for two to three wearings".
Individual paper and papier-mâché clothes and accessories (especially masquerade costumes) were used as early as the 19th century. But mass-produced paper fashion was invented by the American Scott Paper Company in 1966 as a marketing stunt. Customers could send in a coupon and $1.25 to receive a dress made of "Dura-Weve", a cellulose material patented in 1958.
These "Paper Caper" dresses, which featured a red bandanna print or a black and white op art pattern, kicked off a fashion craze. 500,000 of them were produced, and other manufacturers soon followed suit.
By 1967, paper dresses were sold in major department stores for about $8 apiece, and entire paper clothing boutiques were set up by companies such as Abraham & Straus and I. Magnin. At the height of demand, Mars Hosiery made 100,000 dresses a week.
Other items made of paper included underwear, men's vests, bridal gowns expensive at $15, children's pinafores "just the thing for ever-sprouting sprouts" and even rain coats and bikinis "good for two to three wearings".
Zoe Bradley
