COUNTER COUTURE: Hatsune Akaogi: Paper Garments

With the rise of hem-lines and a look toward the future, America seemed infatuated with the idea of disposable clothing. The short lived fad of paper dresses lasted for a mere two years between 1966 and 1968 but the idea of never having to do laundry in the space age saw an enormous popularity, first introduced by the Scott Paper Company. The simple A-line design and the printable material that the dresses were made of gave another platform to display not only the popular prints of pop art and op art but also provided another facet for marketing and advertising. The dresses were sold in plastic packaging for only a few dollars, being accessible to the masses, but also launching a whole industry of paper boutiques, selling a wide range of paper goods.

By looking to the paper dresses of the 1960’s for inspiration and a starting point, I have created three garments all made from paper of different sorts.

The first is an orange and white rendition of the original “Paper Caper” dresses, as the Scott Paper Company called them, with the A-line silhouette and a tie-back closure. This dress is made from beverage napkins that I have quilted together and a hem completed with paper doilies.

The second is a fun and simple party dress with a white bodice and a black full skirt. The bodice is acrylic-painted Pellon interfacing, a material that is closest to the 93% cellulose and 7% rayon used in the original paper dresses. The skirt is tissue paper ironed on to fusible Pellon.

The final garment is a kimono-inspired red evening wrap dress. It includes an obi-like belt with a large bow in the back. The dress skirt and bodice are both made from paper tablecloth. The skirt and obi have layered crepe paper sewn in rows. The bow itself is made from layered tissue paper.

Some original 1960s paper dresses