Prom closet for low cost gowns: Prom closet offers ‘glitz and glamor’ at affordable price
by Georgia Cox
For some people, buying a prom dress or suit is way out of their budget, and it discourages them from being able to experience their Junior or Senior prom. However, a teacher has a solution.
Business teacher, Jennifer Sams,W started the Prom Closet this year.
“It’s kind of a way to give everybody the same financial opportunity to go to prom,” Sams said. “A lot of people don’t have the same means, and this way it takes the financial burden away from families to buy a dress or a suit.”
Sams was inspired by students who want to go to prom but aren’t financially stable enough, especially in the past couple years with COVID-19 and inflation.
“I don’t think it’s fair if we only give the opportunity of prom to the students who can afford it,” Sams explained. “I thought if we started this now it’s something we can build on, and hopefully help a lot more students out.”
Prom can be expensive for some students. A dress can cost anywhere between $200 and $600 for something they likely will only wear once. Combined with the cost of tickets, shoes, transportation, and accessories, the price can be steep, and that cost is more than some students are able to afford.
Teachers or counselors help set up students with the Prom Closet if they are aware of their situation.
“We ask for teacher input, as well as guidance,” Sams said. “We set up appointments and they can go down and look for dresses or anything they need.”
Some people are buying dresses second-hand, as well as donating their old dresses. These donations are important to the Prom Closet.
“We’ve had a couple suits donated, over twenty-five dresses, shoes, purses, and jewelry,” Sams explained.
Other people have similar ideas about prom dresses.
“I think it’s important that not everyone feels like they have to spend hundreds of dollars to feel beautiful,” said the Instagram account @nafoprom22, an account that posts photos of other people’s dresses. They are also thinking about turning the page into a place where people sell or donate their old dresses.
