Use Your Maid's Old Uniform

In 1943 a lot of the sewing books focused on renovating and remaking, using what you already had to make what you needed. For this School Girl's dress it is suggested that you use a flowered cotton house dress and from a plain blue cotton "that was once a part of a maid's uniform."
If you didn't happen to have an old maid's uniform laying around they also say you could check your scrapbag. "Odd scraps of colorful fabric are combined with great success."

Make Warm Knee Caps for Our Soldier Boys

From 'Plain and Fancy Needlework', November 1917, this pattern shows how to crochet Knee Caps. They only take one half hank Germantown knitting yarn, and a No. 3 1/2 hook. And I'm sure the soldier boys will appreciate them! 

Directions

Chain 41, double crochet, always taking the back loop; 8 rows even.

9th Row - 17 stitches, 2 stitches in next stitch, 4 stitches, 2 in next stitch, 17 stitches.

10th Row - No increasing.

Repeat 9th and 10th rows until there are 27 rows. Then work 12 rows without increasing.

Then decrease in the way you increased until work matches first half. Sew up with yarn.

"If you have no one in particular to give them to, send them to the National Surgical Dressings Committee of America, 845 First National Bank Building, Chicago, Ill."

It's 1967 - Let's Wear Paper Dresses!

The Paper Caper - 1967 Paper Dresses

You can't clean them, but you can snip off the dirty parts.

"The Duchess of Windsor has worn it. Joan Kennedy, wife of the senior senator from Massachusetts, worn paper to a fund raising tea she gave last spring and passed out duplicate dresses to her celebrated guests. Pop painter Robert Rauschenberg has a tailored suit of grocery-bag paper. Princess Lee Radziwill owns a gold quilted mini-mini with gold collar and gold side panels to match her newly gold hair. Jolie Gabor lunches in paper after swimming in her pool. A number of brides have worn it to their own weddings. In the south of France a concert pianist beat the heat by wearing a paper dinner jacket designed by Paris couturier Pierre Cardin, after scissoring off the sleeves so they wouldn't get in the way of the keyboard."

If you wanted to get your very own you could check with Scott Paper Co. - two styles at $1.25 each to promote their toilet paper. You could send for paper dresses if you bought Johnston Frozen Pies, or sent two butter wrappers to the American Dairy Association. A Go-Go Light hair lightener box top plus $1.25 could get you two mini-skirted mod-styled paper dresses from the Breck shampoo people..." Air India offered a mail-order sari ("Be the first princess in the palace to own one").

 Lever Brothers offered a fireproofed "Swinging Dress" in three vibrant colors with matching hat for $1.00 plus two Dove, Lux or Lifebuoy soap wrappers. 

No need to worry about that rattling noise when you walk. Fashion expert Eugenia Sheppard thinks it's the most fun since taffeta.

The live paper doll above wears paper bracelets and a metalized paper 'lame' handkerchief evening dress by Elisa Daggs ($12.00) The wig is made of Aluminum foil.

Dressed like a party snapper, tomorrow's hostess may entertain with paper items such as these exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts.

The bikini, made of polycoated Kaycel, costs $4 and is usually a throwaway after four dips.

The slicker of polycoated Lexon ($8) is good for two dozen outings.

Paper haute couture includes a wiggy mini, a key-tag and Green Stamp shift, an 'ermine' cape, informal and glittery evening dress, colorful at-home slippers.

Dance Away A Bermuda Afternoon

"Each spring they flock to Bermuda like birds to a rookery, full of primordial purpose. As a Princeton freshman put it, "You can go to Jamaica for sun. We're here to meet girls." "My friends who came down last year, "said another boy, "told me there were two girls for every guy. That's why I came - simple mathematics."