Photo courtesy of junior Jane Culbreath

With prom season rapidly approaching om May 21, San Luis Obispo High School students are on the hunt for the perfect prom dress. Many factors contribute to this search: the perfect style, an affordable price, and, most of all, a dress that makes you feel beautiful. Buying a prom dress secondhand or borrowing a dress is a great way to satisfy these needs and also reduce the waste of a one-time purchase.

  Buying a dress at a thrift store or a secondhand online store such as Depop or Poshmark is one way to save money and reduce waste. 

  “I have a dress, and I found it at the Goodwill bins for like four dollars. I was really excited because it’s just so gorgeous, and I’m just really excited to be able to go get all dressed up,” said senior Grace Farmer. 

  Many high quality dresses are donated after being worn once, and thrifting them gives dresses the opportunity for more life. 

“I saved a lot of money by buying it secondhand, and I know that I’m helping in some way to not create more waste from producing extra clothes,” said Junior Olivia Cuisick.

  However, there are also downsides to trying to thrift a prom dress. Firstly, it takes much more time to scour thrift stores for a dress than it takes to quickly search the internet and add to cart. 

  “I think looking around at thrift stores and searching a couple of months before to look at dresses is a really good thing to try to do to think ahead for these activities,” said Farmer. 

  Furthermore, buying a dress brand new allows for more options and dresses that can be purchased in any size. Finding the right fit is important to feel comfortable and beautiful.

  “It is a special dress for your day and you want to feel pretty in it,” said senior Emmersen Hill. 

  Despite these factors, searching at thrift stores and other secondhand options is a good first step to reducing waste, saving money, and finding a unique dress for a special occasion.