Isabel Bruce

Senior Issac Briare wore a custom thrifted jacket to last year’s prom and Junior Fera Thomas wore a purple midi dress with mesh cutouts from the online store, Revolve, to winter formal.

Whispered conversation about mosh pits, awkward slow dancing and uncomfortable shoes are beginning to fill the hallways of Lincoln. Prom season is upon us, and many students must consider what they will wear to this classic high school experience.

Juniors and seniors will be able to attend prom this year, scheduled to take place on April 13 with the theme “Starry Night.”

Students have many different ways to acquire outfits, including thrifting, online shopping or visiting the mall. In addition, there are many non-profit organizations that provide formal wear for free.

Senior Isaac Briare has attended many of Lincoln’s dances including last year’s prom. He has worn thrifted and modified formal wear, designed by his sister Caity. His outfit at last year’s prom was a big hit and received many compliments.

“It was a standard suit jacket that we thrifted for six bucks or something. And then [Caity] added fabric along the sides of it that made it look like blue flames, and [she] added pearls on it as well,” said Briare.

Briare hopes to wear more of his sister’s designs at prom this year, and advocates thrifting formal wear for a plethora of reasons.

“Besides being affordable, I think it’s really cool to do because it allows a lot more creativity and room for you to explore something that you wouldn’t usually wear or think of wearing,” said Briare. “I think that it’s good to express yourself and find new ways to do so.”

In contrast, junior Fera Thomas, who has not yet attended a Lincoln prom, but has attended many dances, sources her formal wear exclusively online. Thomas finds that online shopping has much more variety than in-person stores do. A pro of online shopping in pursuit of formal wear is that most websites have filters to customize what you are looking for, including styles, budget, color and more.

“I bought my last dress and a bunch of them [in the past] online, and there were so many good options,” said Thomas.

Aside from the options to buy new or used formal wear, there are additional options for students to find a great outfit.

Abby’s Closet is a Oregon based nonprofit organization that provides free formal dresses to high school students. They have given away over 40,000 dresses and will hold an event at the Oregon Convention Center on the weekend of March 16-17. Underclassmen looking to attend prom next year should keep this event in mind!

Beyond finding formal wear that meets expectations of style, theme and budget, senior Annie Muerisse raises another common struggle: finding formal wear that fits.

“Our bodies aren’t just all one size, your chest may be a medium and then your torso may be a small, hips may be a large and most dresses don’t take that into account. It’s just hard to find [a dress] that fits you in all the right areas,” said Meurisse.

Thomas’s strategy to find the right size is to order a couple different sizes of the same dress; she also reads reviews about fit online.

Briare has a few points of advice for first time prom-goers with regard to thinking about formal wear.

“Just wear something that you feel comfortable in. And that feels like you or just something that you’re able to dance in and have a good time with,” said Briare.