F MINUS
In 1966 the Scott Paper Company, as a marketing stunt, offered consumers, for the low price of $1.25 and a coupon, a paper dress made out of "Dura-Weve," a cellulose material patented almost a decade before. That marketing ploy paid off as it kicked off a craze the likes of which the fashion industry had not seen before. Paper dresses were mass produced and by 1967 they sold in major department stores around the country for about $8. Consumers could also purchase paper underwear (perhaps the precursor of disposable diapers?), men's vests (why???), girl's pinafores (but no boy's clothing?), wedding gowns (a deal at $15), raincoats (hard to believe they would be waterproof) and even bikinis (only good for two or three wearings!).
There was "talk" about paper garments taking over the entire clothing market. Paper clothing was just one of many new disposable products available in the 1960's when disposable cutlery, plates, razors, pens and lighters became readily available. My parents had disposable pens and lighters and we occasionally used paper plates and cutlery. But when I begged my parents for a paper dress, they emphatically put their foot (feet?) down with a resounding "No child of mine will wear disposable clothing!" For them, it was a cost thing. My mom could make me a dress for a lot less than $8 and it would last for years eventually being handed down to my sister, cousins and sometimes neighbors. Even a store-bought dress was less than $10.
The "talk," however, was wrong and the novelty soon wore off. By 1968 - just one year later - paper garb had disappeared from the clothing market. Why? They didn't fit well, they were uncomfortable, the colors could rub off, and they sometimes were flammable (watch out for those new disposable lighters!). They ended up as waste in a landfill in a society becoming more aware of the environment. And the hippies arrived on the scene with their flowing, romantic vintage-style clothing. The wind had changed...
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