With prom coming up, seniors aren’t the only ones searching for the perfect outfit. In fact, science teacher Melissa Anne Povey is making her own dress in the weeks leading up to it. Her and her husband are planning to attend this year’s prom as chaperones, while many seniors are finding their own ways to get their formal attire.
Povey isn’t jumping into sewing her own dress with no experience. In fact she has been interested in sewing from a young age.
“I grew up in my mom’s sewed clothes and even when I was a little girl, I’d play with fabric,” Povey said. “I probably started sewing doll clothes when I was eight years old and I made my first shirt for myself in middle school.”
In fact, the idea of sewing her own dress for prom is not new to Povey.
“My mom sewed my prom dresses for high school, so I chose them and designed them,” Povey said. “The other piece of making things is that you can kind of have this creativity involved.”
Part of her desire to sew her own dress comes from the idea of creating something unique.
“I know that nobody anywhere on the planet is going to have the same prom dress as me,” Povey said. “Not like teenagers are gonna have the same one as me, but I like that idea.”
Additionally, finding the ideal dress for prom can be challenging.
“I feel like there’s such a big stress of people finding the perfect prom dress for themselves,” senior Gabriela Fonvielle said. “So right now I’m kind of in that space where I’m just looking for a dress that calls out to me.”
Thrifting can appeal to shoppers because of the various benefits that older dresses have compared to newer dresses.
“I love vintage prom dresses,” senior Jane Vos said. “It is good for the environment to thrift, and I honestly think that vintage dresses usually are better made than more modern dresses, just because there’s just more heart put into it.”
Still, finding a dress that is on theme for prom can be tricky. This year’s prom theme is “Night on the Bayou.”
“I really like the prom theme,” Fonvielle said. “It gives people a lot of room for imagination.”
However, Povey questions the theme’s relevance to Seattle.
“I am disappointed in the theme,” Povey said. “We are not from the south; we aren’t from New Orleans or Louisiana.”
She also expresses her dislike for the theme itself.
“What is this bayou stuff?” Povey said. “When they announced it, when you say bayou, only two things come to mind, crocodiles or racism.”
Regardless of the theme, students share their excitement for the dance.
“Hopefully it lives up to the expectation, because it’s the first dance that I’ve really thought about my whole life since I was a kid,” Fonvielle said.
While the dance isn’t until the end of May, attendees are already planning their attire for the evening.
“I’ve always dreamed of the perfect prom,” Vos said. “I’ve been thinking about my prom dress for a while, and I just really want it to be perfect.”
