From Hospital Gowns to Paper Couture

From Hospital Gowns to Paper Couture: The Unlikely Origins of '60s Disposable Dresses

When I first heard of paper dresses, I was confused. How would you wash a paper dress? I was a young child, and didn't realize these dresses were supposed to be disposable. Throw away a dress? That sounded wasteful, but they were only $1.25, whereas a nice fabric dress would run you $3 or $4. Paper dresses were popular with young women who wanted to be on the cutting edge of fashion. You have to wonder whose bright idea this was in the first place.

Like many great things, it all started with toilet paper: In the spring of 1966, the Scott Paper Company, a major manufacturer of disposable household paper goods, launched a promotion for its colorful new line of bathroom tissue, napkins, paper towels, and other products. Along with a couple of proofs-of-purchase, customers could redeem a mail-order coupon for a preposterous new concept, a paper dress. The advertisements offered two designs, a red paisley bandana pattern or a black-and-white Op Art print, both at the low price of $1.25 including shipping.
While wearable items had been made from paper in the past—think paper folding fans, crepe paper costumes, or paper soda-jerk hats—they’d never truly caught on as mainstream fashion. But Scott’s “Paper Caper” dresses were a surprise hit, and by the year’s end, the company had received nearly half a million orders. Several other businesses jumped on the disposable clothing bandwagon, as hip young women clamored for the cheap paper shifts advertising their favorite political candidates or candy bars, or featuring groovy patterns and modern photography. Yet like these disposable garments, the trend was also short-lived; by the end of the Go-Go Sixties, the fad was already passé.

Well, to be honest, by the end of the "Go-Go Sixties," women needed fewer everyday dresses because they were wearing pants. Read the fascinating history of the '60s paper dress fad at Collectors Weekly. Don't miss the gallery of groovy dresses at the end.