Not currently on display at the V&A

Paper Dress

1966 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Paper dresses were a brief but spectacular 1960s sensation. They were cheap and disposable, and the simple 2-D shape was ideal for the bold graphic prints that were so fashionable.

In 1966 the Draper's Record announced that Ossie Clark had launched Britain's first range of throwaway dresses. The design, by Celia Birtwell, was printed onto imitation paper made by Johnson and Johnson, formed from bonded textile fibres. The wholesale price was 15 shillings.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Printed paper
Brief description
Paper dress, pale yellow, sleeveless, with rounded neck, designed by Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark for Ascher, 1966
Physical description
Printed paper dress, pale yellow, sleeveless, with rounded neck. Olive green print depicting clustered bubbles or olives.
Credit line
Given by Peter Murray
Object history
Registered File number 1993/1056.
Production
Designed by Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark for Ascher
Summary
Paper dresses were a brief but spectacular 1960s sensation. They were cheap and disposable, and the simple 2-D shape was ideal for the bold graphic prints that were so fashionable.

In 1966 the Draper's Record announced that Ossie Clark had launched Britain's first range of throwaway dresses. The design, by Celia Birtwell, was printed onto imitation paper made by Johnson and Johnson, formed from bonded textile fibres. The wholesale price was 15 shillings.
Associated object
T.307-1993 (Duplicate)
Collection
Accession number
T.306-1993

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Record createdAugust 10, 2007
Record URL
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