Unfortunately, the ultimate prom experience usually comes at a hefty price tag. People are expected to buy tickets, rent limousines and tuxes, and buy beautiful gowns, all for just one night of fun. So if you can’t afford a dress, what then? One organization wondered this as well and set out to make prom a life-changing night for everyone…
The Dallas Public Library in Texas has every type of culture your heart desires: books, films, art, music, newspapers, and… fashion? With the rising cost of evening wear, the library is doing something pretty special for its younger members.
The library has collected dresses, cute shoes, plenty of awesome accessories, and anything else a teenage girl might need when preparing for prom night, and the best part of their offerings?
They’re giving it all away for free! The program, which started back in 2014, is called Fairy Tale Closet and honestly, the name says it all. Young women get to try on hundreds of beautiful pieces and wear the one they love the most.
This is especially important for girls who come from lower-income families, who shouldn’t be left out of such a special social event but who also can’t really afford to buy their own dress for the occasion.
“Prom is an expensive rite of passage,” said Melissa Dease, Youth Services Administrator. “We started the Fairy Tale Closet to help every teen feel like a princess, regardless of their family’s economic need.”
Each year, students from all over the city flock to the event, spending the afternoon trying on gowns and shoes and dreaming about the fun night they’ll have with their friends when spring rolls around.
One of these students is 18-year-old Dallas student, Tamora Phinisee. “Really, we could not afford a new dress, so to be able to have it free – it’s nice,” Tamora said. “I get to pay for the important stuff I need, and still have some savings for college.”
Surprising to some is the quality of the free dresses. These are no simple hand-me-downs – they have been donated by the city’s favorite gown shops, charitable organizations, alumni, and corporations like Neiman Marcus.
“For people who can’t buy their own gowns, something like this is really amazing because they have some beautiful dresses that I never expected to be here,” said one of the lucky ‘shoppers’. “But yet, they’re here and they’re free and it’s awesome.”
The library hopes to accomplish more than simply providing a free service to their community; they’re also trying to boost the self-confidence of these young women while helping them save a bit for college.
On the other side of the country in Helena, Montana, a generous student has taken it upon herself to organize a similar type of event by collecting dresses wherever she can and allowing students to pick them up at no cost.
Lauren Helbling, a high school senior, teamed up with Niceness is Priceless, which is a school group that works to spread kindness and inclusiveness. Students who borrow dresses can choose to bring them on back if they’d like to do so, but they don’t need to so in order to participate.
Last year, someone donated a truly one of a kind dress. It was fitted, pink, and huge! Volunteers weren’t sure it would be anyone’s cup of tea. But then one student saw the dress and it was instant love. It was a moment that stuck with her. “Everybody needs a dress,” she said.
She also collects formal wear for men too, but they don’t see much of it donated. Helbling believes that’s because tuxedo rentals cost less than investing in a big-ticket item like prom dresses. She is hopeful that soon they’ll have plenty of options for boys in need, too.
Additionally, she plans to expand beyond prom and help teens out with other types of formal wear.”Anyone in the Helena community who needs one can borrow a dress,” Helbling said. “It’s just nice to see these pretty dresses get worn again.”
Of course, donating nice things to people in need is no new concept, but it is a wonderful one. Children and teens, in particular, don’t always deserve the lack of equality they face, whether it’s financial, racial, or even medical.