[Tom Biederbeck] What a way to wrap the week! With wrapping our theme this month, a recent arrival from Daily Candy was a timely gift: featured video of star wrapper Alton Dulaney rapping rhapsodically on his favorite theme — how to “make your package a celebration, when you put the present in presentation.”
The video (here) must be seen to be appreciated, so we won’t spoil the fun. Suffice it to say we agree with our friends at DC — Dulaney’s got mad stage presents. Smartly attired and resembling an amalgam of David Byrne, Buddy Holly and Pee Wee Herman, surrounded by a funhouse of wraps, ribbons, bows and ornaments (which rain down on him as he raps), Dulaney rhymes on wrapping odd shapes and keeping baked goods wr-appetizing. And if you’re in need of help, he offers “sound” counsel: “When you get ready to whip it into shapery, head on over to the nearest Kate’s Paperie,” neatly tying into his job as visual director at New York City’s celebrated paper emporium.
No wonder Dulaney swept the field and walked with a check for $10K at Scotch Tape’s “Most Gifted Wrapper” competition at Rockefeller Center in NYC — see the story and more video here — where he showed his skills on items of progressive difficulty, from a candy dish (sweet pleats) to a set of golf clubs to a grand piano! According to Daily Candy, rumor has it he even wrapped a person once (breathing holes included).
We hope to do an interview with the slim-but-phat wrapper down the road. Until then we recommend you follow his advice, as we always do: “No exposed edges, crisp corners and tight folds” and “Always remember that packaging is part of the present. It’s not what’s inside but how you present it. You can take something small, and with the right packaging it becomes something special.”
Tom Biederbeck reflects: Come to think of it, that’s good advice for holiday dating, too. Here’s to an attractive package!
