When I was little I always used to make outfits for my barbies out of paper or Kleenex. I have always been into arts and crafts. Not so much sewing, so making a dress was new to me. However I was confident that I could use my talents in crafts to create a dress regardless. That was why I wanted to do flowers because that is my forte.
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Kate S.
27
Rolls
55
Hours
Inspiration:
My dress was inspired by bouquets of flowers! I absolutely love flower shops I see all around in cities and wanted to create a dress filled with roses. I have never been very neat, so I knew making a plain Duck Tape dress would be hard for me to keep smooth and not wrinkle. I wanted to make something monochrome but filled with an intricate texture that was interesting to look at (and that hid all of my wrinkles on the base). I used 27 rolls of red Duck Tape (Duck Tape brand purchased at Ace Hardware) and one roll of white Duck Tape for accessories. I made over 300 roses total (I lost count after that). I chose a simple silhouette and monochrome color scheme so that I would not take away from the details of the texture. I tried to incorporate a variety of sizes of roses as well so that it would be interesting to look at. I made these roses just about anywhere you can imagine, at an airport, park, train, etc. I got a lot of weird looks! For the accessories I made a white ruffled mini bag, a rose choker, and a bouquet of white roses. I wanted to keep the accessories on the simpler side but still to incorporate texture.
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Clara K.
10
Rolls
45
Hours
Inspiration:
I was inspired by the color red, how vibrant and confident it is in a way that sort of speaks for itself. I wanted to create a dress around that confidence. Following this, I chose a short dress with a simple style and a sort of open lace up backing. I wanted to create something to dance in, simple but eye catching and fun.
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Hong Bao Tran N.
15
Rolls
120
Hours
Inspiration:
This outfit was inspired by fairies in nature.
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Laryssa A.
6
Rolls
19
Hours
Inspiration:
Both of my parents have immersed myself into our family's Ukrainian culture throughout my whole life. My inspiration came from traditional Ukrainian costume, but taking a modernized twist adding the embroidered patterns onto a suit. Simple pieces of the costumes like the embroidered shirts (vyshyvanka) can be seen today worn during special holidays such as Easter and Christmas. I am fortunate that my family has had some of this clothing passed down to us and am proud to have the opportunity to wear it. It is important to me that I remain part of my cultural activities as much as possible to preserve my Ukrainian heritage, and I plan to continue learning about it to pass on to further generations. I chose red for the designs on the blazer as it is a common color I see on the embroidery of many of our family’s shirts. Red heeled boots and flower headpieces with ribbons are seen in traditional costumes as well, which I tried to replicate to add with the outfit. Finally I added a pair of my Baba’s Ukrainian red beads to not only tie the outfit together but to emphasize the importance of embracing my culture.
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Ayla B.
21
Rolls
72
Hours
Inspiration:
The dress is inspired by my love of the sea and my dream of becoming a marine biologist. The piece aims to bring awareness to the importance of ocean life in the face of over-fishing and pollution.
This turquoise ocean-themed dress features an asymmetrical high-low skirt and a one-shoulder bodice. Additionally, the removeable clear overskirt has an ocean wave pattern. The dress is accented by the fish-themed accessories, including a fish clutch, fish earrings, and fish on the backs of the shoes.
To make this dress, I created my own clothing patterns, which I then cut out in a base fabric. Then, I covered the fabric in layers of tape. This dress went through many, many alterations along the way to make it fit perfectly, but it was well worth it. The final product is fitted to my body and looks fantastic (if I do say so myself)!
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Winter P.
8
Rolls
120
Hours
Inspiration:
My name is Winter– I have always wanted to make a garment based on the winter season. That's how the initial thought process went, but as I took this idea into deeper consideration, I think the snowflake concept really became a more symbolic statement of the suit. As an individual who finds it important to have the right balance of masculinity and femininity I gravitated towards making a suit that portrayed how simple it was to convey both.
I've heard quite a few times that a good tux/suit is fashion’s armor, and I took that quite literally when it came to patterning. From the shoulders, elbow spikes, and half gauntlets, I took inspiration from medieval knights to give the tux the harsh look that ice has. A silhouette is a significant gender identifier in fashion, so I thought I would mix it up. With the super tight waist and dramatized shoulders, this tux was already pretty unconventional, so I decided to take it up a notch with the snowflake tutu that was built into the coat. I got inspiration for this from the snowflake dancers in the nutcracker, and really leaned into the ballerina form.
8 rolls of duct tape, some hot glue, and a considerable sleep debt later, the suit was made. Before approaching the project, I began by designing the tux on a small maquette. I then used a mannequin form to pattern the silhouette, which really helped in the long run, because it kept the design from looking flat and curveless. I made the suit with paper, which I layered with duct tape to give it that stiff effect. Later on, I lined Duck brand bubble wrap with the duct tape to make a malleable textile. I would use this for the pants, arms, boots and part of the top hat.
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Isabella P.
11
Rolls
40
Hours
Inspiration:
The outfit was inspired based on the butterfly tattoo I have in my left arm. The tattoo is in black and white, but for the color skin I was inspired by the Monarch butterfly. I wanted to showcase the butterfly's detail wings but in a different way. Instead of merely replicate the patter on the suit, I chose to made the wings along with miniature butterflies.
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Althea I.
17
Rolls
70
Hours
Inspiration:
Since I was little, my mother loved taking us to the local gardening center and letting us pick plants for our yard. She loved to garden, and could always be found outside tending to her plants. We were taught the skills nobody wanted to know: weed picking, raking, mowing the lawn, and more. As I grew older, I began to understand the sheer amount of effort it took to maintain such an expansive piece of garden (I had a basil once, tragically it did not survive). Despite the long periods of time without rain, and the incessant gophers, my mother always remained steadfast in her gardening practices. I believe that it represented a sense of comfort and pride for her. For this dress, I decided to recreate the gardens we have, not just because of their beauty, but because of how they represent my mother’s love, and her determination to help everything around her thrive. I hope that one day I will be able to have the same green thumb she has and, moreover, the same faithful love.
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Addie A.
8
Rolls
44
Hours
Inspiration:
Lights, Camera, Action! On a black and white canvas, a story flows. From the very first movie and years beyond, movies have not only been a source of entertainment to people, but inspiration as well. Movies allow us to unlock our imagination and creativity, sometimes our inner child. . From black and white, to color, to augmented reality, it infuses past, present, and future into a bigger picture: shaping my life from childhood.
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Nikol Z.
10
Rolls
24
Hours
Inspiration:
Thinking about creating an outfit for PROM, the idea of transition kept coming up in my mind: a transition from childhood to adult life. I chose to use butterflies as the central piece of my costume because they are the perfect representation of transition, hope, and personal transformation. Caterpillar transforms into a beautiful, colorful creature, just like people who go through this important stage of life. For my pants, I chose black color and a long straight design, to symbolize the grounding and foundation that are important to have during turbulent changes in life. My overcoat is a light nude color with long flowy sleeves, serving as wings, hope, and ambition one has when entering adulthood.
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Jayda B.
11
Rolls
62
Hours
Inspiration:
After finding this website I went to the stores to see my color choices and those with color were pretty expensive so I went with the classic black and white. Whenever I see black and white with fashion, I think of Cruella Devil so I did some searching for designs and found one I really loved and tried replicating; however, doing such a task was not easy. My first attempt was to try using a table cloth and wrap my body with the duct tape to get the dress figure, but instead I ended up becoming a walking burrito. So then I completely scratched that idea and went to re-watch Cruella. When watching the movie I saw a dress made of newspaper and thought about doing the same. This idea ended up working out and so now here I am.
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Neha N.
14
Rolls
120
Hours
Inspiration:
My dress is a true reflection of my passion for art and for this outfit, I am drawing inspiration from two of my favorite art forms: fashion and architecture. To the renowned designer Issey Miyake, who incorporated beautiful pleats into the fabric, reminiscent of his famous Pleats Please Line from 1993. I wanted to demonstrate that pleats are possible with Duck Tape, although this was challenging and time-consuming, I am very pleased with the end result. The pleating technique adds a unique touch and brings Miyake's artistic vision to life.
I also drew inspiration from the captivating works of Antoni Gaudi, a talented Spanish architect. The mosaic pattern on my dress is directly influenced by Gaudi's artistic style, particularly seen in his masterpiece, Casa Batlló. The sleeve incorporates the intricate roof design found in his masterpiece. Additionally, the necklace emulates the captivating top edge of the roof in Casa Batlló.
I also wanted to capture the essence of Gaudi's architectural brilliance through the intricate mosaic design, adding depth and visual interest to my dress. Furthermore, I incorporated elements from Gaudi's iconic creation, the La Sagrada Familia church. The design in the back of my top is inspired by the church's stunning stained glass windows. The vibrant colors and intricate patterns of the stained glass are reflected in my design, creating a captivating and ethereal look, which was all accomplished by using different colors of Duck Tape.
By merging the artistry of Issey Miyake's pleating technique with the architectural splendor of Antoni Gaudi, my dress becomes a testament to my adoration for art while simultaneously showcasing the boundless possibilities that exist. Furthermore, I aspire to inspire other young artists to dream big, explore uncharted territories, fearlessly take calculated risks, and venture beyond their comfort zones.
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Willow G.
14
Rolls
25
Hours
Inspiration:
I really wanted to have a mature take on how my childhood self would've wanted to dress at prom. So i decided on hot pink and flowers, something my childhood self loved. i think my childhood self would love this outfit.
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Lily H.
22
Rolls
49
Hours
Inspiration:
My tux is inspired by biblical angels and church architecture. These two things are combined in my tux through the wings, eye patterns, and arch designs.
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Madison S.
20
Rolls
16
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration was a ball gown mixed with a ballerina theme, as the theme for my actual prom was a victorian ball! I love the color pink and I know everyone wants to feel like a princess on prom, so I felt like these themes meshed well together and created a perfect dress! This dress was a very fun experience to make and showed me that working hard can achieve great things.
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Harleen P.
16
Rolls
34
Hours
Inspiration:
For my prom dress, I went for a mix of a traditional prom dress and a lehenga. I wouldn't to represent my own cultural identity in my dress. To create my dress, I made giant sheets of duct tape and treated them as if they were fabric and made the dress just like normal,
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Ani H.
16
Rolls
110
Hours
Inspiration:
I drew inspiration from the works of Gustav Klimt and the iconic “Starry Knight” painting. I sought to capture the essence of these intricate patterns, gold accents, and color schemes. The dress includes a petticoat, corset-style bodice, and small handcrafted beads that come together to make a larger picture.