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Don’t pay ridiculously high prices for a prom dress. It really isn’t the best way to approach shopping for this special evening—especially if you’re on a budget. But having a great dress without spending all your savings (wouldn’t that money be more useful during your graduation trip?) doesn’t have to be a conundrum. On one hand, a prom dress is not the kind of item you’ll get a lot of wear out of. On the other hand, it is something you’ll always remember and of course you’ll have pictures to help you recall every little detail of your adornments that night.
So obviously, you want to find an awesome dress that’s uniquely you. But hitting the department stores is probably not the way to go for three important reasons: one—it is here that you’ll have to pay way too much, two—if the store’s return policy won’t allow you to return the dress after prom, you saved nothing (though it is not advised, if you choose this option ask upfront about the store’s return policy and be very careful with the dress) and three— choosing a local department store dress greatly increases the odds of choosing the same gown as someone else. And really, who wants that to happen? This is your night to shine, not to mirror someone else. So let’s take a look at some other, more creative options that are far more cost effective and will indefinitely lead you to a more unique selection.
#1 The Hand-Me-Down Dress
When it comes to prom night, the hand me down dress is not necessarily taboo. You probably don’t want to borrow a dress from someone who went to last year’s prom at your school, but you most likely know someone (a friend from another school, a relative, a friend of a friend) who has the perfect dress just hanging in their closet. This is the fate of most prom dresses: they collect dust until they finally make their way to a thrift store or to a classified ad. This is why you don’t want to pay a fortune for yours. If you can find a dress you like that you can borrow and that happens to fit, you’re set. If not, offer to buy it so that you are free to have it altered to fit or even to change up the style a bit.
#2 The Thrift Store Dress
Nearly every city and town has a thrift store, a Goodwill, a Salvation Army, etc. In these stores, you are likely to find at least more than a few dresses to choose from. You should know upfront that they’re probably not going to have your size in the dress you like the most. That’s okay. You’ll score a dress so inexpensively here, you’ll easily be able to foot the bill for dry cleaning and alterations. So by choosing thrift store dress, you’ll end up in a custom-fitted gown that no one else at the prom will be wearing. This option practically guarantees one of a kind couture that is all you. Especially if you find a vintage gown. If you opt to have the dress altered, there is often the option of giving the dress a makeover so that you are assured radiance.
#3 The Classifieds
As prom season approaches, a slew of prom dresses appear in every newspaper classified from sea to shining sea. These dresses can vary from the pricey to the dirt-cheap—cost does not always indicate the dress’s value, though. More often that not it depends on the seller’s attitude about getting rid of their old prom dress. For the more attached, letting go of it may carry a higher price. Even still, you are likely to find several options you really like, despite the legwork involved in going and looking at the dresses. Because these sellers avoided a middleman (such as a consignment shop) most of these dresses will be dramatically less expensive than ones you’ll find in shops. And usually the price is listed in the ad, so if one is out of your budget, you don’t even want to make that trip unless you feel like haggling and possibly compromising your own budget.
#4 The Consignment Shops
As I mentioned above, these shops may charge slightly more than an individual will because they’ll be receiving commission or “middleman fees” from the sale. Consignment shops are a good place to look because the dresses you’ll find here are going to be very gently used and typically they’re thoroughly inspected for flaws by the shop owner before he or she agrees to sell the dress. Another benefit is that you’re likely to find a wide variety of styles, colors, and sizes all in one place so you may find something that fits perfectly with respect to both size and cost.
#5 Another option is to go to a fabric store and find a pattern and material. Be warned though, this requires serious skill. Actually sewing your own dress from a pattern is not an easy undertaking for the inexperienced seamstress. But if you are exceptionally skilled with a sewing machine, or know someone who is and will help you, this may be your ticket to custom made threads for the prom, probably the best alternative to an expensive designer gown. This may not be the cheapest option however; fabric can be expensive. But you get to be the designer and are sure to be uniquely you.
Whichever option you choose, pick something you feel comfortable wearing and the accentuates your inner beauty. And, of course, it goes without saying… make sure you save enough room in your budget for a great pair of shoes.
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