 Alicia Lanzeby (Left)  |
| Meaghan Hurley |
It's a fact. Girls search far and wide for the perfect dress for their high school prom. They will spend hours on hours trying on overpriced dresses and fighting with their mothers on how they need it. My thought is that you will be wearing this dress for approximately three hours and their will still be tears and disappointments regarding your date, your up-do hairstyle, and the girl that is wearing the same dress as you (God forbid). Looking back on it now, I wish I had just gone to a consignment or a thrift shop to find that unique dress I had been searching for. I envy Meaghan Hurley and Alicia Lazenby for doing exactly that. They did the prom thing differently and it is very admirable.
They both have a few things in common throughout the prom dress search. It wasn't their first choice to purchase their prom dresses from a second hand shop but it was in fact their mothers ideas. Alicia says "I got it at a thrift shop because my mother was harassing me about how great all the dresses were, and when I went they had a few nice ones; plus they were cheap." I laughed as she told me this because Mom's are always trying to put their two cents in. Alicia then continues to say "I was sick of my mother bringing home cheap ugly prom dresses for me." Alicia made the right decision to go out on her own time and independently buy the dress. Moms can be too much to handle sometimes when it comes to shopping. As for Meaghan, a popular prom date tells me "It was my 6th prom I had to go to and my parents were sick of buying a new dress for each one." So her Mom gave her a $100 limit and she was off in her journey of finding that dress. As many women know most prom dresses at any department store go for an average of $300. This is a challenge for anyone but Meaghan took this challenge on and ran with it. Many daughters would fight endlessly with their parents and complain that everyone else gets a new dress. Megahn did none of that and accepted this challenge.
Alicia purchased her amazing find at a family run consignment shop with the name Victorian Rose Consignment Shop for the low price of $50. If more girls knew that there are other ways to find the dress of your dreams for such a low price, I think more of these high school students would take the time to look through their local consignment and thrift shops. Meaghan bought her dress at ReCreations Consignment in Kingston, MA. Meaghan described her dress as a "flowy floor length babydoll style cream colored one shoulder dress with one black flower." She was also very stoked about it because she altered it a little bit. The dress originally had two straps but she made it into a one strap dress which is what she was searching for in the first place. Buying second hand items gives the buyer more wiggle room to do what they want to it. There is more room for design and putting your own style into it.
When asking Alicia if she felt any different in the dress she tell me "I don't think it matters that it was previously worn, it's a prom dress. The previous owner probably wore it once and wanted to get rid of it; people wear their friends clothes all the time, which are used way more. Plus it was cleaned before I bought it, so what does it matter." This statement is how people should react when wearing a previously owned dress. Some individuals I know are against shopping at consignment/thrift stores because they think its gross. Alicia made a great point, we borrow our friends clothes constantly so why can't we purchase something that has only been worn once or twice? These two ladies were very smart in their buying decision process even if they had a little push from their parents.
I respect their purchases 100% and they look beautiful as well. No one can even tell that it isn't from the most expensive department store. Many girls are into the materialistic culture but these two girls took a different path with the prom culture and it is very admirable.
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