My own (disposable) piece of history

They're here!!! They arrived!!! They're...they're...ALL MINE!!!

What the hell am I talking about? Well, let me explain...

Vintage hunting opens your eyes to a whole new world - that of fashion history. It doesn't take long before you start learning about the trends of different eras, the fabrics they used, the styles that were popular during various decades, sewing techniques, labels, brands...the more you search and buy, the more you discover. It's fascinating stuff (at least I think so), and while many people may not see fashion through the years as something important or relevant, it is a part of history, and history always has something to tell us about what life was like in times past. There's no doubt that fashion has always reflected the ideals and morals of every time period (modesty in the 1920s, anyone?), which is why my recent purchase has me so excited.

I'm a huge fan of 60s mod (I'm listening to David Bowie's Space Oddity as I write this). For fashion in particular, the bold patterns, bright colours, sleek and simple silhouettes and futuristic space-ageyness of style from that era is fantastic and fun. I won't give a history lecture here (you can always check Wikipedia), but the post WWII youth of the early 60s were the first generation to have their own disposable income from after-school jobs to spend on themselves. Fashion geared towards youth flourished during this time, and mod-style (short for Modernist) was born.

The 60s are known for mass-production and consumption due to the post-war economic affluence. Materialism and modern conveniences took hold, (hello plastic cutlery and canned food!) and fashion was no exception. There was one particular mod fad born out of this time that I find quite remarkable: disposable paper clothing. Yes, clothing made from cellulose fabric that was made to be worn and then thrown away.

Again I'll spare the history seminar (the links will take you to pages where you can learn more), but in brief, paper clothing  was a short-lived fad that allowed people (especially young women) to order cheap, colourful clothing (usually for around $1) that they could alter with scissors, wear a few times, and then throw away. What began as a marketing tool and novelty item quickly became a craze. Clothing (dresses in particular) had colourful prints and iconic images such as Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup cans and the Yellow pages. Convenient, cheap and trendy, those were the 60s!

I'll take the dress over the soup any day.

A perfectly patterned paper picnic party!

The craze eventually died out since paper clothing wasn't very practical or comfortable, and turned out to be extremely flammable. Paper clothing became obsolete by the late 60s and was relegated to the dustbins of history.

Not quite.

Fast forward 40+ years. Paper clothing? Suddenly a very hot (and expensive) collectors item. I had never heard of paper clothing until this year when I came across a paper dress on the website of a vintage retailer here in Toronto. I did some research, and was hooked. I just found the whole thing fascinating. And after ogling the colourful paper dress of one vendor at this year's Toronto Vintage Clothing Show (for display only...though I did inquire), I was determined to get one myself.

I quickly learned that these things are not exactly easy to find, or very affordable. Which makes sense; unlike other vintage items that stand the test of time, these garments were made to be tossed away, so one could say that there's relative scarcity (apart from deadstock), since people tended not to hang on to them. Which is why they've become coveted collector's items for vintage fashion die-hards. Like me.

Etsy had a few dresses (including an original Yellowpages dress for $2,000), as did Ebay. Prices ranged from $30-$2,500. After keeping my eyes on a few dresses on Ebay, I bid for a colourful dress and apron set still in their original boxes. And lost.

Just my luck though, when the seller contacted me to say she had another identical set she could sell me. Huzzah! $70 and 3 weeks later, my precious gems have arrived. I couldn't be more pleased with my little piece of history:

I've always fancied displaying a colourful paper dress on an antique dressmakers' mannequin as a decorative piece for a living room or bedroom (or perhaps my own vintage shop one day, post-midlife crisis?) I can't exactly wear them, and leaving them in their original packaging would be a shame (considering they lost value the minute I pulled them out of the box...oh well!) And if one day I decide to get rid of them, there's always Ebay. Who knows, maybe in another 40 years they'll be worth $10,000!

THE DETAILS:
Era: 60s
Material: Cellulose
Label: The Disponsables
Made in USA