Where can I find a Prom dress for under $100?

Question

For prom, I want a dress that nobody else at my school will be wearing. I can't buy one online because my parents (I'm 16) need to finish paying off their credit card. I live in Vermont, so there won't be very many stores selling prom dresses. Plus, I also want a pretty one. Any suggestions?

This is Vermont; people buy from Debs.

According to my sister, who sews, there isn't enough time to make one; of course, I can always tweak them...

Answer 1

It depends on where in Vermont you're living - you most likely don't have a Macys nearby; you might have a JCPenny or a Fashion Bug...

Manchester has some great outlet stores. My daughter ended up going to Pittsfield, MA to get hers because none of the stores we could find in VT had what she was looking for.

OTOH, a lot of her friends went to either the Salvation Army or Goodwill and then tweaked them. There were some really wonderful results! Some of these dresses originally cost many hundreds of dollars.

Answer 2

just like you, i was looking for a prom dress around 100. the best places for that prices are department stores like macy's and jc penny. for those, you could always look online first for a dress that you like and then go to the store and try it on. but i don't think that all of their dresses are online. another option is to try davids' bridal, their prom section (if you go to davidsprom.com you should be able to search the dresses, which are shown w/ their prices, and find one that is under 100 and to your liking). i did davids prom and i went online thinking that i wanted to spend 100 but i fell in love w/ this gorgeous dress and ecided that it was worth it to shell out the extra money.

also, someone told me about this place called berraboutique which has second hand dresses, they're cheap but im not entirely sure if there is one near your house (this is mostly an online place). check it out!

http://www.berraboutique.com/Search.aspx?Color=%&Size=3/4&Type=2&Cond=%

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 3

Amazon.com has sometimes nice deals.
Or second hand stores. Both Amazon and second hand store options could be further personalized with sewing them to have some special details of your own.
Or if you or someone else that can sew could make one - fabrics should be quite cheap to buy - if you have some sewing skills, time, sewing machine, and can find a pattern that fits you.

Answer 4

David's Bridal is often having their $ninety 9 sale on wedding ceremony outfits. this is the place I have been given mine. additionally, considering that prom season in simple terms ended, you're waiting to discover a advantageous, undemanding white or peach gown at places like JC Penney, Sears, and so on.

Answer 5

Shop at the outlet malls near by. If the stores in the malls have catalogues you could try to order from them and see if you can pay in-store.

Macys clearance rack.(buy and redesign!.)

Goodluck!!

Answer 6

Dress Barn or local listings for a used dress on line maybe.

Answer 7

Thrift stores!

Answer 8

In the Disney tale, it's a fairy godmother who rescues the beautiful Cinderella from servitude with a spectacular gown and pair of glass slippers to don for the Royal Ball so she can dance the night away and dazzle the prince.

At Hazen Union School in Hardwick, it's the student council that is prepared to rescue students from a financial pinch with spectacular gowns to don for the Junior Prom.

With racks of donated dresses spanning the color spectrum, Hazen Union School has launched Cinderella's Closet, a fund-raiser for the student council and an opportunity for Hazen girls to dazzle their friends for $25 or less.

Last week, sophomore Malina Leslie thumbed through embroidery, yards of satin and spaghetti straps with surprise.

"I'm so impressed with how nice these are," she exclaimed to friends in a corner of the high school's cafeteria, where Cinderella's Closet has been set up with the aid of wood shop students who built both the dress racks and a platform in front of a wall mirror.

Student council members, including two male "models," wore a sampling of the dresses at a student assembly, but Leslie said she assumed they picked the nicest gowns to show off.

To even organizers' surprise, Cinderella's Closet has been able to gather nearly 100 dresses — most of them new and some "gently used" — in a variety of sizes, said Patti Foster, student council adviser and cafeteria supervisor. The majority of the dresses – about 75 – came from Needleman's Bride and Formals in Newport.

"We thought it was a worthy cause. We're always excited about somebody trying to do something for some of the girls who need it, money-wise," said Pat Chase, a saleswoman at Needleman's. The store also donated certificates for the student council to give to Hazen boys for $20 off tuxedo rental.

The dresses are discontinued styles that Needleman's can no longer order for a wedding party. Some may have small flaws, such as missing beads, from being tried on. Chase said Needleman's tried to sell the dresses on clearance first and every so often gives its unsold stock to good causes, such as a local theater group for use in plays or, in this case, Hazen Union School.

The prince behind Cinderella's Closet is school Principal Peter Mortenson, who got the idea from a teacher at a New Hampshire school where he once worked, who started a Cinderella's Closet there. Mortenson said his own wife and daughter liked the idea and used to buy dresses for the project when they found them on sale.

When Mortenson made the switch to Hazen, his daughter asked what she should do with dresses she still had to give, and Mortenson asked if anyone at Hazen was interested in starting a Cinderella's Closet.

"The student council here has taken on the idea and really run with it," the principal said. "They've gone far beyond anyone's expectations and are continuing."

The student council collected a shipment from Needleman's in October and a second at Christmas. It has priced most of the dresses at $10 and will use the proceeds for an annual school spirit day called Winter Carnival, to buy gifts for the school (last year's gift was two picnic tables), provide a $300 scholarship for a senior going to college and sponsor a child in Egypt, said council members.

A final goal, of course, is helping girls look beautiful on prom night.

Last week, student council president Dora Elliott, a senior, pulled back a white sheet, revealing the dresses, and notified girls in the school's lobby that Cinderella's Closet was open for business. A small group rushed the racks of dresses in blues, purples, greens, reds and even orange, checking styles and sizes before quickly changing in a kitchen bathroom and Foster's office.

Leah Gustafson, a 17-year-old junior, tried on a dress she described as "greenish and sparkly." She already has a dress for the prom, which she bought at a thrift shop, but she admired the green gown priced at only $15.

"Some people are spending like $150 on a dress," she noted.

It might seem that they're hoping for an edge in the judging for "prom court" — a king and queen, prince and princess, and six attendants (three male, three female) chosen by their peers. But while appearance counts in the balloting, so does whether they're having fun, dancing a lot and keeping their shoes on, Gustafson said.

She disclaimed any interest in wearing a crown and sash.

"I think that a lot of people take it seriously. I don't really care about the whole court thing. I just want to have fun."

Several Hazen girls said that simply having a good time – and dressing up and looking pretty – is what prom is all about.

"Four hours of dancing with friends" is how Leslie described the prom's allure.

"It's just a night to feel pretty, just a special night," said junior Naomi Salls, who looked through Cinderella's Closet in search of a flowing dress that is "frilly at the bottom."

Mortenson called prom "truly a celebration of a wonderful time in our students' lives." Cinderella's Closet allows more students to participate in the celebration, he said.

Hardwick, Foster said, isn't a poor community but is home to many lower-income families. "As a parent I believe at least it gives a choice for the girls," she said of the discount dress shop. It's meant for girls in financial need, although others have had fun picking out their favorites to try on.

"I think it's a really good idea," Salls said. "There were a lot of pretty dresses in there."

Open Tuesday and Thursday afternoons until the prom May 14 in the school gym, Cinderella's Closet has sold just two dresses so far.

"I didn't look for a huge turnout. I'm happy," Foster said. "I'd like to see more go. To get it introduced is hard."

She would also like to see Cinderella's Closet branch out. The plan next year is to work with home economics students to help girls with alterations and further cut the expense of prom. And Cinderella's Closet will open to students from a second school in the supervisory union, Craftsbury Academy.

Foster also has an offer of jewelry but no place to display it, since the school is short on space.

"I keep telling the principal I want a (real) boutique," she said.

Answer 9

Go to a vintage store.

Answer 10

1 word: Macy's