ABSTRACT
Diana Dew was the rage of the fashion scene in 1967 because she accomplished something that nobody had thought of doing before; i.e., to make clothing that switched on and off. By using thin, luminated, pliable plastic phosphorescent lamps sewn into the clothes in segments and connected to a rechargeable battery pack worn on the hip, she was able to produce minidresses with throbbing hearts and pulsating belly stars, as well as pants with flashing vertical side seams and horizontal bands that marched up and down the legs in luminous sequence. Dew migrated to New York City in the mid-1960s with hopes of becoming a fashion designer. In late summer 1966, she became a designer for Puritan's Paraphernalia division. By the end of the year she was such a hit that they established a special division called Experipuritaneous and made her president of it. Her electronic fashions hit the market in February.
