Help repairing paper garment

[Marlea]

I was asked by the owner of the vintage boutique that I work at to repair this wonderful paper dress/kimono. I am so afraid to start, even if the tears are relatively small. I have looked online for advice, but only found suggestions of taping on the inside of the dress. I know that these sort of pieces are rare, I do not want to harm it by trying to help it!

Thank you for time. I hope your new year has been going well!

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

Frankly, I think taping the back sounds like a pretty good idea but do be sure to wait for the more learned opinions of others.
If you do end up taping, be sure to use an acid-free tape. Scotch brand makes some, marketed for photos, documents, and scrapbooking.

 

[Pinkcoke]

I would be more inclined to make a patch of similar weight paper and acid free glue.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

I recommend that you seek the advice of a paper restorer or conservator, as it's a specialised skill and different to textiles.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

I agree with Nicole on this one. I once had a set of lovely 1940s paper curtains and a friend at a University repaired them for me as a favor, using some sort of papier mache' technique. No idea how he did it.

 

[Jonathan]

Don't use tape - ask your librarian where they have paper restoration done or where to buy supplies for repairing paper. Honestly, I think your best bet is not to repair it at all. Paper dresses are marginally rare because they weren't that popular but most that survive are in good condition because they were kept in their original package for the last 50 years. They really aren't wearable because they are meant to be disposable, so people who collect them, like I do, don't really care about a small tear, although they don't expect to pay a mint condition price.

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

Looks like I shoulda just stayed out of this one, LOL!

 

[Jonathan]

Looks like I shoulda just stayed out of this one, LOL!

You aren't wrong - in a way. I suspect it is some kind of rayon or paper tape that would work, but it would applied with a water soluble adhesive, not a precoated surface, like Scotch tape. So you aren't wrong - it's just not commercial tape.