News Flash: Newspaper Print Has Emerged in Fashion

News Flash: Newspaper Print Has Emerged in Fashion

Print isn’t just for paper. With news becoming more accessible than ever, a place you can now expect to see the latest scoop is on your clothes. Your read right, a black and white trend of newspaper printed fashion has been increasing its influence in streetwear all 2020.

Brief History 

Matilda Butters Dress 1866 (Photo: australiandressregister.org)

The trend dates back to the 1800s where Matilda Butters, the wife of an Australian politician, sported the print in the form of a cream colored silk gown to a Mayors ball in 1866. The gown became known as “The Press Dress” and it was made up of 14 different newspapers that displayed only front page news stories. The dress is one of the earliest examples of the trend that has been coined to have paved the way for the print to sprout in high fashion. 

First Bikini in 1946 (Photo: Getty Images)

Twiggy wearing a newsprint dress in the 1960s (Photo: Pinterest)

The newspaper print trend reemerged in 1935 thanks to Italian Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli. The designer became inspired while on vacation in Denmark where she viewed fishwives wearing hats made out of newspaper in Copenhagen market. This lead Schiaparelli to use newspaper clippings that were about her own work to create a newsprint textile to craft and sell hats, blouses, scarves etc. The trend again trailed off and reappeared in 1946 when the first bikini was made with the print by a designer named Louis Réard. Newsprint fashion reached a peak in the 1960s where the pattern was a statement in womenswear, and was often seen in the form of dresses. 

John Galliano S/S 2000 Christian Dior collection (Photo: dashinfashion.com)

In the year 2000, designer John Galliano debuted his Spring/Summer collection for Christian Dior which featured pieces such as dresses and coats that sported the newsprint. This collection generated controversy due to the fact he was inspired by the homeless in Paris, and the “Tramp Balls” era in the 1920s where the wealthy dressed up as the poor for leisure. He continued to adopt the trend in future collections and contributed to the print further popularizing in high fashion over the years.

Reappearance in Today’s Fashion

Jeremy Scott 2019/2020 Fall Collection (Photo: Pinterest)

Jeremy Scott 2019/2020 Fall Collection (Photo: denimjeansobserver.com)

Today, newsprint fashion has boomed in streetwear and high fashion. The trend has evolved into not just dominating womenswear but menswear as well. The print has also expanded beyond only appearing in dresses and coats. In Jeremy Scott’s 2019/2020 NYFW Fall collection, the vintage print was incorporated throughout the line in the form hats jackets, coats, pants and even boots. Many celebrities have even adopted the trend which further popularized it into streetwear. Earlier in the year Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber was spotting opting for the trend in the form of tailored pants. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion has recently further popularized the print where she wore a catsuit and cowboy hat covered in the print to promote the theme of her upcoming album “Good News.” 

Kendall Jenner (Photo: Miamipixx/Backgrid)

Megan Thee Stallion “Good News” (Photo: dazeddigital.com)

Newsprint printed fashion is a versatile trend that constantly evolving. It is clear that 2020 favors the print and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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