The Newspaper Dress Creations That Put Our MAC Senior Model Team in National News

There are photo shoots you plan for weeks.

And then there are the ones that start with a crazy idea that refuses to leave your head.

Back in 2015, that’s exactly what happened at Marci & Christy Photography.

For years, I had carried around an idea inspired by a fashion event I had seen in Chicago. Designers were creating clothing from unconventional materials, and I kept thinking the same thing:

“I want to build a newspaper dress.”

At the time, our MAC Senior Model Team was already creating unique experiences for high school seniors throughout Indianapolis and Central Indiana. We were constantly looking for ways to give our girls something different, something creative, and something they couldn’t get anywhere else.

So one summer morning, Christy and I decided it was finally time to try.

Building Fashion From Newspapers

The plan sounded simple enough.

Take a stack of newspapers. Add creativity. Add determination.

What could possibly go wrong?

As it turns out, quite a bit.

The first challenge was finding enough newspapers. We quickly discovered that our small Indiana town didn’t exactly have stacks of newspapers sitting around waiting to become high-fashion gowns. Thankfully, one of our model’s families came to the rescue with saved newspapers that helped us complete the project. According to ABC News, we ultimately used approximately 50 newspapers and plenty of duct tape to construct the dresses. (ABC News)

The dresses were built directly onto our senior models because there were no zippers, patterns, or traditional sewing techniques involved. We simply created the designs as we went.

Even more surprising?

Each dress took less than two hours to construct. (ABC News)

When Everything Almost Fell Apart

Then came the flood.

In the middle of creating the dresses and preparing for the photo shoot, water began flooding our garage-level studio.

At that point, most reasonable people would have called it a day.

Instead, we grabbed everything we could carry, moved the entire production upstairs, and kept going. ABC News later reported on the unexpected studio flood that nearly derailed the project before it was finished. (ABC News)

Looking back, that moment perfectly describes what it has always taken to run a successful senior model program.

Creativity is rarely neat.

Sometimes the best ideas happen because you refuse to quit when things get complicated.

The Images That Changed Everything

When the dresses were finished, we photographed two of our MAC Senior Model Team members in dramatic editorial-style portraits.

The results were better than anything we had imagined.

The girls immediately began sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos with their friends through social media. The images started gaining attention online almost immediately. (ABC News)

Then something happened that completely surprised us.

ABC News picked up the story.

You can still read the original feature here:

ABC News Feature: Indiana Mother-Daughter Make High-Fashion Gowns Out of Newspapers

Shortly afterward, local television coverage followed as news stations came out to cover the project. (ABC News)

What started as a fun creative experiment for our senior models had suddenly become a national story.

More Than Just a Dress

Looking back now, the newspaper dresses were never really about the dresses.

They were about giving teenagers an experience they would remember.

That philosophy became the foundation of the MAC Senior Model Team.

While many early senior representative programs focused primarily on referrals and marketing, we found ourselves becoming more interested in creating unforgettable experiences. The photos mattered, of course, but the friendships, confidence, creativity, and memories mattered even more.

That shift has shaped our program for more than two decades.

A Legacy That Still Lives On

One of the most surprising discoveries came years later.

A 2025 academic publication discussing upcycling and sustainable fashion referenced the original ABC News story about our newspaper dress project as part of its historical research. (Ukrainian Art Science)

What began as a creative senior photography concept in Indiana had become part of a broader conversation about fashion design, creativity, and repurposed materials.

Not bad for a pile of newspapers and a roll of duct tape.

How the MAC Senior Model Team Has Evolved

Today, the MAC Senior Model Team looks very different than it did when we first started.

Yes, we still create incredible images.

But the program has grown into something much bigger than photography.

Over the course of the year, girls participate in creative group shoots, build friendships with seniors from schools across Central Indiana, gain confidence in front of and behind the camera, and become part of a supportive community.

In many ways, what started as a traditional senior representative program has evolved into something that feels more like a sisterhood.

Some girls come for the pictures.

Most stay for the friendships.

And while the newspaper dresses are long gone, the creativity that inspired them continues to shape every MAC Model Team experience we create today.

If you’d like to learn more about the current MAC Senior Model Team, visit our MAC Model Team Information Page, explore our Senior Pictures Portfolio, or contact us to learn how you can become part of the next chapter.