Little Golden Books gown

Do you remember enjoying the Little Golden Books series as a kid? I sure do! Apparently the first set of golden books was published in 1942, including such popular titles as Three Little Kittens, Mother Goose, and The Poky Little Puppy.

Some of my favorites included The Saggy Baggy Elephant, The Little Engine that Could, and of course my boxed set of Mickey and Minnie Mouse golden books that celebrated Mickey's 60th Birthday.

Now the book series itself is wonderful, and will always hold a soft spot in my heart. However, I now have appreciation for the collection in a whole new form: A Little Golden Books gown! Oh my goodness.

Combining books with fashion: That's my kind of style!

Boston-based artist Ryan Novelline -- Don't you just love that his last name has the word "novel" in it?! -- constructed the gown entirely out of recycled and discarded golden books. How amazing is that?

The skirt is made of the books' illustrations sewn together with metallic thread. The bodice is made of the signature gold bindings. I can't even begin to imagine the time and dedication it took to complete such a work of art. Not to mention how many books... Just check out the process pictures and you'll see what I mean!

Normally I wouldn't condone ruining so many perfectly good books, but the finished product is quite magnificent-- and at least he used old, recycled books. Better to use them as a piece of art than to throw them in a landfill, right? Quite clever, that Ryan Novelline.