Sleeveless royal blue dress to the knee with light blue vertical designGarment Overview

This Wandering Wardrobe artifact from the Texas Fashion Collection is "The Paper Halter Dress" by Mars of Asheville, a graphically bold blue dress made circa 1968.

Video host: Annette Becker, director, Texas Fashion Collection.

Interested in checking out this garment?

Host a garment in your classroom by contacting the Onstead Institute at onstead@unt.edu or 940-565-3954 for more information.

Paper as Clothes for Sustainability 

This lesson uses object-based analysis of a paper dress to engage in discussion of materials development for clothing and other everyday objects with consideration for their sustainability.

Associated garment: 1960s paper dress
Subject Areas: Theatre, visual arts
Grades: Middle or high school; can be modified for elementary
Topics/Themes: Fashion history, materials, sustainability
Set-up: Place display box with the garment on a table in the classroom that students can gather around and see easily; remind students not to touch 
Materials: Newsprint, scrap materials, foam, paint/markers, other embellishments

Goal

To help students develop an appreciation and understanding of materials that are used in everyday objects such as clothing and develop a greater understanding of sustainability - reduce, reuse, recycle.

Terminology

  • Fashion trend
  • Fad
  • Sustainability
  • Fashion marketing
  • Fit model

Day 1: Observation: See, Think, Wonder

Students discuss observations of the garment.

  • See: While gathered around the garment, ask students to share observations of what they see, and note questions they may have.
  • Think: Ask students to discuss — in pairs or as a group — questions from the students, or suggest one of the following.
    • Why do you think this garment was made?
    • What would it feel like to wear?
    • How would you buy it?
    • Would you try it on before purchasing?
    • Do you think this would be a good item to try selling online, and why? 
  • Wonder: Ask students to share — in pairs or as a group — the ideas they got from their discussions and encourage them to ask further questions they have about the dress.

Share historical and fashion history context

  • Paper Dresses
  • Vintage Fashion Guild
  • Fashion Tends
  • Fashion Marketing

Introduce Creative Activity

  • Ask students to think about their clothes, and how the materials feel, look, and move as they are worn.
  • Ask students to think about materials that are thrown away, and if there are any of these materials that would be useful in constructing clothes to wear?
  • Provide students with collected waste such as newspapers, magazines, etc. Have the students think about a concept and ask "why?"

Day 2: Materials and Making 

  • Introduction: Refresh 
  • Use a question to create an interactive dialogue

 ***Print with foam, embellish with paint, etc.

Day 3-5: Constructing Ideas

Students execute a design. Consider having an exhibition or show.
 

Materials

  • Markers, pencils
  • Sketching paper
  • Newsprint, newspapers, magazines
  • Foam stamps, or foam to make original stamps
  • Paint