HUNDREDS OF PAPER DRESSES

Have you read the book, THE HUNDRED DRESSES by Eleanor Estes? Lois Slobodkin's beautiful watercolor illustrations echo the wistful tone of this classic story. Never out of print since its 1944 publication, this tender story offers readers of all ages a timeless message of compassion and understanding. At its heart is Wanda Petronski, an immigrant girl in an American school, who is ridiculed for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. When she tells her classmates that she has one hundred dresses at home, she unwittingly triggers a game of teasing that eventually ends in a lesson for all.

Many of us, even as young girls, were drawn to beautifully made dresses, fancy frills, and fashion! My first exposure to haute couture was probably from the Hollywood musical, FUNNY FACE, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. I'll never forget the shot of Audrey, descending the broad stone stairway at the LOUVRE MUSEUM in Paris, looking like the "Winged Victory" herself, arms extended above her head, with her red drape billowing behind her as she floated past the Greek goddess, NIKE. (Edith Head and Givenchy made quite a good team!)

Haute couture is French for "high sewing" and refers to custom-fitted and designed clothing, made to order for a specific customer. I recently came across a different kind of couture: dress design as art, in the form of dress sculptures and paper dresses.