To express and suit a variety of unique styles, female high school students attending prom this spring turn to thrifting in addition to acquiring prom dresses from alternative sources.
According to junior Ava Collaton-Lomas, purchasing her prom dress from Worthwhile Thrift in Collegeville gave her the opportunity to “express my creativity with my look.”
“I like thrifting, it’s just fun,” Collaton Lomas said.
For Collaton-Lomas, her concern for issues such as overconsumption and mass production within unethical industries, along with the desire for creative freedom, led her to thrift her prom dress as opposed to purchasing a new one.
“I knew I wanted to either thrift or upcycle a dress, because there’s already so much made in the world, I want to reduce the amount that I consume,” Collaton-Lomas said.
Worthwhile Thrift in Collegeville carries a variety of long, formal dresses, specifically during prom season.
They recently had a prom pop-up shop at their Horsham location. “We stock them year-round. Things kind of shift seasonally as to what we’re able to offer because it depends on what people are donating,”
Worthwhile Thrift employee April Chronowski said, “and currently it does seem like we’re starting to see right around prom season, an influx of those longer, sparkly dresses.”
For Chronowski, seeing teens browse and shop for formal dresses is “really cute.” She has worked in various thrift stores since she was 16.
“I love seeing high schoolers and everyone prioritizing finding unique pieces and the treasure hunt that comes with thrift shopping,” Chronowski said.
According to Chronowski, customers are drawn to Worthwhile’s prom dress selection because of their sustainability, sparkles and “90s kind of vintage.”
For junior Sarah Hewlett, purchasing a brand-new prom gown from DressCode in Collegeville was the best fit for her.
Hewlett particularly liked the friendly customer service and trendy styles, which helped solidify her decision.
“I walked in, and I was immediately greeted by this woman, and she was almost assigned to me, and she helped pick out my dress,” Hewlett said. “It definitely was expensive, but I know I feel happiest this way.”
Dress Code employees made Hewlett’s dress shopping experience extra memorable. Hewlett said she plans on returning to Dress Code to shop for senior prom next school year.
Junior Adelyn Besnard is wearing her mother’s prom dress this year because “it’s easier.”
Besnard said she wasn’t looking for a dress yet when she stumbled upon her mother’s. “We were just going through her closet, because I needed a prom dress,” Besnard said. “I didn’t even look in any stores or look online or anything. I liked that one.”