Real dresses and real disappointment. Collage courtesy of junior Alma Tinoco.
Prom season is upon San Luis Obispo High School, and students are scrambling to find the perfect outfit. To those who don’t want to spend over a hundred dollars on an outfit they might only wear once, buying second-hand is the best option.
While this option is sure to keep the wallets of students happy, it’s not the most reliable.
Weeks before prom, I decided to give second-hand shopping a shot. Thrift stores, yard sales, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Depop— anything that could possibly have a find for an affordable price was given a chance. Prom dresses were found, but the perfect one was yet to be encountered. It didn’t even have to be “perfect,” it just had to feel right. This is where the issues with taking a chance with prom shopping come into play.
Too short, too long, too loose, too tight, too old, too used— the issues always seem to be there. Thrifting a prom dress means that if anything is wrong and can’t be fixed in time, disappointment is imminent. The reality is that getting a used prom dress is a roll of the dice, as the probability of finding something that truly suits the buyer is uncertain. While thrifting a prom outfit provides the opportunity of having something unique, it’s a less reliable option than getting formal wear from a proper formal store.
SLOHS students have several options when it comes to stores like Hey Gorgeous Formal Wear or any boutique selling formal wear around the county. Stores like these are designed to have further variety and choices for prom-seeking customers, but that comes at a price. Literally. Finding the perfect dress with the perfect color, style, and length is bound to cost more. Just looking at official formal wear websites online shows prom dresses going for over two hundred dollars on average. The options and customization are there, but because of that triple-digit price, thrifting looks like a viable option.
In my hunt for an adequate prom dress, it is apparent that buying an outfit second-hand is a wonderful and affordable option as long as there’s enough time to prepare to fix anything that’s off. Other than that, students should be cautious of how they choose to get their formal wear or they will surely be disappointed.
