THE DRESS MADE FROM PENNIES

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The E-Sylum: Volume 25, Number 6, February 6, 2022, Article 30

THE DRESS MADE FROM PENNIES

Dresses made of meat are sooo 2010... Today's fashion choice is a dress made from coins. -Editor

Mike Nixon of Pearland, TX writes:

"My wife inhabits a whole ‘nuther part of the internet universe than I do…she came across this and sent it to me, I found it interesting and thought the E-Sylum audience would too. The video of the young lady describing how she did it and the sheer amount of work it took is entertaining."

While some may choose to put their change in a piggy bank, others use it as the material for marvelous creations. Artist Shay Rose (aka Crescent Shay) used over 2,000 pennies in her latest handmade garment: a shimmering cocktail dress with cross-back straps and a bottom fringe.

The 22-year-old maker is well-known on social media for her imaginative projects (including her transformative green screen dress). For this endeavor, Shay collected hundreds of pennies, which she then cleaned thoroughly, and drilled holes in along the sides. This allowed her to sew these copper pieces together and create the bodice and skirt of the dress.

Shay modeled the completed dress in her Instagram photos, showing off the lustrous effect of the coins in sunlight. From far away, the 2,652 pennies blend together to create a sequined effect. However, when you look at the frock up close you can admire the meticulous detail Shay put into weaving all of the coins together in a neat chainmail pattern. The statement dress could easily pass as a 1920s-era costume from The Great Gatsby.

Nice, but how much does that WEIGH? Will we see one at the next ANS Gala? Or walking the floor at the ANA? -Editor

Mike adds:

"She mentions how heavy it is in the video, says she thinks it must weigh 10 pounds, and that she had to re-do the straps with fishing line because they broke when just using thread. Do the math at 2.5 g per coin and it comes to 14.6 pounds. She also shows that wearing it for the time it took to take the photos left red marks on her shoulders."

Perfect for a mannequin at the ANA museum! -Editor

To read the complete article, see:
Iridescent Cocktail Dress Is Handmade From Over 2,000 Pennies (https://mymodernmet.com/crescent-shay-dress-made-of-pennies/)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

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