Clothing as Canvas

The phenomena of the paper dress is something that has long intrigued and inspired me. First introduced to the market in 1966 as a novelty item by the Scott Paper Company, paper dresses were an instant hit.  Released from the narrow constricts of what was considered acceptable attire in an era of sexual and workplace revolution, women quickly adopted the freedom of these cheap and sexy paper dresses. I've written many posts about the paper dress in the past, and was delighted to discover that The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto has several on display in their Jennifer Ivey Bannock Exhibit on the fourth floor.

Time Magazine dress, Printed paper designed by Walter Lefmann and Ron de Vito
USA 1967 Gift of Time International of Canada Ltd.
ROM 967.77 (Photo by ROM staff)

According to Dr. Alexandra Palmer, Senior Curator Senior Curator Textiles & Costume at the ROM "the newest display entitled Clothing as Canvas presents paper fashions that emulate textiles and fashion and textiles that copy printed paper from the 1940s to the present." 

Besides the striking Time Magazine dress, I was drawn to a paper gown created by Toronto designer Ruth Dukas in 1967 for a gala event in support of the National Ballet of Canada. The volunteer committee asked several fashion designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Courreges, Pucci and Geoffrey Beene to create paper dresses for the evening's event and auction. The Ruth Dukas dress (shown below) is made of painted paper, glued on cloth flowers and sequins. If I hadn't been told that it was paper, I would have guessed that it was cotton.

Evening gown by Ruth Dukas 1967
Printed paper, glued on cloth flowers and sequins
ROM 968.200A, Gift of the National Ballet of Canada

Also on display are textiles that look like paper including a silk knit dress designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior ready to wear 2000-2001. The fabric of this dress is printed to look like a fictional Dior newspaper with reviews and commentary on his collection and was worn and donated to the ROM by Torontonian Kara Alloway. The printed textile of the Dior dress echoes a scarf created by Elsa Schiaparelli from the 1940s (which is also on display). Given my background in newspaper publishing, I lingered for a long time in front of these items - so long in fact, that the security guard nervously hovered close by until I left the gallery.

John Galliano for Dior, 2000-2001 Ready to Wear ROM2002.39.1 Photo by ROM staff

Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario
416-586-8000
www.rom.on.ca

Photo credits: All photos were provided by the ROM and are subject to copyright.

Amsterdam International Fashion Week AW11: SuperTrash

Parlour Games with Proust

Photo of Marcel Proust

Lately it has been me, me, me on my blog which is something that literary giant Marcel Proust would abhor. And even though I vowed to take his lessons of living to heart in my recent post, I could not resist sharing with you an amusing parlour game that Proust used to play with his friends after a dinner party.

Vanity Fair has an online version of this game in which you answer the questions and your answers are matched to celebrities. But if you'd rather just play with me, here are the questions and my answers. I strongly advise drinking a glass of wine or two before you play!

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A weekend away with my husband in Paris or London

2. What is your greatest fear?
Dying of Parkinson's disease in which I am trapped inside the prison of my body, like my father did and like my mother soon will 

3. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Marie Antoinette

4. Which living person do you most admire?
Artist Cindy Sherman because she took what she feared the most and made a career out of it

5. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
A desire for validation of my work

6. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of manners

7. What is your greatest extravagence?
Fashion and books

8. On what occasion do you lie?
To avoid hurting someone's feelings

9. What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My hair

10. When and where were you happiest?
 In this moment

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To have more self confidence about my work

12. If you could change one thing about your family what would it be?
That we saw each other more often

13. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
 Learning to find joy within the moment even through difficult times

14. If you died and came back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
 A tree

15. What is your most treasured possession?
 Photos of my husband and boys

16. What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery?
Time spent with people who complain

17. Who are your heroes in real life?
 My husband

18. What is it that you most dislike?
 Lack of courtesy 

19. How would you like to die?
 In my sleep

20. What is your motto?
This too shall pass


In the online Vanity Fair version, my answers most closely matched Joan Didion (88%), author of the book The Year of Magical Thinking.  I was a little surprised by this at first, but then I read a reviewer's comments about my show All is Vanity.

Among the myriad of associations elicited by your images was Joan Didion's 'The Year of Magical Thinking' (written by Didion following the death of her husband and daughter). Ingrid's images are a true interpretation of the magical thinking we all experience following the loss of someone dear to us. The images resonate and to me, are universal. (To read DF Krouskie's entire review, read the loop gallery blog here.)

If you do the survey, please share your answers!