Find the perfect prom dress that won’t empty the pocketbook
April 9, 2010
By Chantelle Lusebrink
NEW — 12:30 p.m. April 9, 2010
Searching high and low, high school senior girls are scouring the malls for dresses decked in lace, beads, satin or chiffon this spring. But finding the perfect dress can wreak havoc on parents’ pocketbooks.
With prom dresses priced at more than $250 at many major department or specialty stores, the perfect dress can feel out of reach, especially when you add shoes, hair, makeup, dance tickets, pictures and accessories.
So, why not achieve your daughter’s prom dreams and save a bit of cash by shopping at Stella Vintage April 12, 15 and 19?
Liberty High School seniors Alli McDonald and Kate Borgnes teamed up with their mothers and Stella’s to help girls at Hazen, Issaquah, Liberty and Skyline high schools get the dresses of their dreams for a fraction of the price.
“It is my way of being able to reach out to our community and feel like I made a difference in our local area,” Kate said. “I know there are a lot of people that are struggling right now.”
Kate said the program she, Alli and their mothers, Karen Odegard and Vanessa McDonald, have designed is a way to help every girl feel special on the only night designed specifically for seniors to celebrate their accomplishments together.
Karen Odegard “is a customer of mine and it was about this time last year we started talking. Both of us had daughters who were juniors last year, and we talked about prom dresses and how expensive they were,” said Martha Flittie, owner of Stella’s. “Eventually, it turned to talk about the economy and our daughters looking for dresses, and thinking about families that are in financial need.
“Since many girls only wear dresses once, we thought wouldn’t it be great to have some way to help girls get great dresses without having to spend all the money?”
In the past year, the girls, their mothers and Flittie have been asking for donations of prom dresses from girls throughout the area. High school students, recent graduates and college students donated dresses, many of which were only worn once.
After collecting more than 120 dresses, the girls help hand-select about 90 of them — considering style, appeal and design — to be cleaned, said Karen Odegard, Kate’s mother.
“We have some beautiful dresses that are in immaculate condition,” she added.
Since Highlands Dry Cleaning in the Renton Highlands helped sponsor some of the cost for the cleaning, the dresses will be priced between $15 and $30.
In addition, the girls said, there are stylish dresses in a wide variety of sizes.
“We have a range of sizes, which is really nice,” Kate said, “not just sixes or fours. And we have a lot of short and long gowns.”
Girls and their families don’t have to provide proof of financial need, like other programs, Odegard said. However, they will need to pay cash and will need to have student identification with them.
The idea isn’t to make money, the women said. The sale is meant to break even and if there are additional funds earned, the teens will pick a local charity to donate the rest of the money to, Odegard said.
The sale nights, which begin at 5 p.m., are meant to be as special and as fun as going to any major store, Flittie said.
To help recreate that feeling, Flittie, Odegard and McDonald have asked local hair stylists to be on hand to help girls figure out what hair style might go best with their dress, and Flittie will be on hand to give advice on accessories and shoes, some of which can be purchased at the boutique.
Only the three adults will be there to help girls choose their dresses, so they feel comfortable shopping without the presence of their peers.
“I’m just so excited to see some little girl come in and find her dream dress, try it on, have stars in her eyes and walk out with it all bagged up,” Odegard said. “We hope to find a home for every dress and make the girls feel special.”
“My hope is that we’ve made a difference in people’s lives and made people more aware that people in our area do need help,” Kate said. “I also hope that we’re leaving something behind for people to get involved with when I go to college.”
Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com.
If you go:
Prom Dreams sale
- 5-8 p.m. April 12, 15 and 19
- Stella Vintage
- 195 Front St. N., Issaquah
- 425-392-2882
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