Featured Video: Paper Dress Fashions (1968)

The Scott Paper Co. created a $1 paper dress in 1966 as a promotional gag, but the disposable outfit became a fashion trend for a while during the 1960s. A simple mini-skirt was just a few bucks, but a paper bridal gown could run about $15. Some background from a 1967 Time magazine piece:

NEED MERCHANDISE DESPERATELY read the urgent telegram. The West Coast’s Joseph Magnin Co. was about to open ‘News Stand’ boutiques carrying paper dresses in its 28 stores; informal sales had proved so successful that the chain was nervously awaiting an onslaught of customers. The same happy nervousness is now sweeping other stores across the nation. Paper clothing, apparently, is here to stay.

It was only one year ago that Scott Paper Co. introduced disposable duds as a promotion gimmick with a sleeveless shift selling for $1. It was so shapeless that it recalled a paper bag; scoffers put it down as just a paper gag. But for a country already accustomed to throw-away cups, plates, napkins and diapers, paper clothing seemed only a logical next step. Scott sold 500,000 dresses in eight months, and the strong response had other manufacturers and designers joining the paper chase.”