Garment 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