Mythology along with medieval style armor were the focus of this design with the phoenix being the main inspiration for this dress. The story of the death and rebirth of the Phoenix is beautiful and something I often think about. The idea that despite painful and tragic events can happen and you not only can survive it, but will come out new. The detailing of this dress depicts the whole story of the Phoenix along with the armor-like portion of the top acting as a reassurance to one's own strength. Armor can be as elegant as it is strong so I wanted to create the feeling of a woman warrior: beautiful yet deadly.
Stuck At Prom®
Madison W.
10
Rolls
17
Hours
Inspiration:
I love dresses with ruffly skirts. I also love the corset look some dresses have so I wanted to combine those elements to make this dress. So, I cut out rectangle pieces, varying in size, covered them in the duct tape and then stuck them on a cardboard base I made. For the top, I measured out my torso and constructed a corset like top then cut out little butterfly shapes out of silver duct tape for decoration. I then put the skirt and top together using duct tape and string. Also, I chose these colors because purple and silver are one of my favorite color combinations.
Stuck At Prom®
Mc Kinzie B.
10
Rolls
28
Hours
Inspiration:
I have Aphantasia which is the lack of mental imagery. Despite this, I knew I wanted a nature-themed dress so I ended up combing multiple animals together on a piece of paper. Creating something out of tape was a challenge that required many mockups. While it didn't turn out exactly like my sketch I enjoyed the process considering I've never even made a duck tape wallet!
Stuck At Prom®
Izzy M.
12
Rolls
25
Hours
Inspiration:
My horses were the inspiration for my dress. I have two horses, Chip and Rebel. Chip is the horse in my dress pictures. The front of my corset is a memorial for a horse I owned. After a career-ending injury, I hoped to breed and train her foal. Due to unforeseen circumstances, life took a different path, and I could not keep her. Another inspiration for this dress was my hope to go to veterinarian school. If I win this scholarship, I will apply it to my dream of attending vet school to become an equine veterinarian. I made this dress with my horse in mind. I made a cut out in the skirt for his tail and the front shorter so it would be easier to get on his back.
Stuck At Prom®
Delainey T.
7
Rolls
63
Hours
Inspiration:
The inspiration for this outfit was wallpaper that is commonly associated with royalty as it is very detailed for a wallpaper.
Stuck At Prom®
Lizbeth G.
24
Rolls
86
Hours
Inspiration:
When hearing about the Stuck at Prom scholarship, I just knew I had to apply. You see, the one lesson I learned growing up watching my parents is that you can make anything happen. By anything, I mean anything! So to say the least when designing the dress I did not limit my creativity. Have I ever made a dress in my life? No... but I mean if I was going to struggle might as well make it worth it right? I drew my inspiration for this dress from the beautiful traditional “charra” attire in a quinceañera-like style. A quinceañera is an important celebration in a girl's life as it represents the transition into womanhood so without a second thought, they wear big over-the-top dresses to celebrate the occasion. Although it is a prom and not a quince, I was determined to create an intricate design because why go for a simple look when you can be extra? I made a four-piece dress composed of a jacket, corset, gown, and overlapping skirt. By using various colored tape, I was able to capture México's beauty using colorful flowers. To honor mi México lindo, I added the Mexican flag to my purse, but instead of an eagle, I used a heart. For makeup, I did the classic red lip typically worn by Folklorico dancers. I take deep pride in my culture, which is why I choose to create a non-traditional prom dress. I hope this dress gives you a glimpse into how beautiful other cultures are and inspires you to take pride in your own!
Stuck At Prom®
Audrey A.
26
Rolls
60
Hours
Inspiration:
My dress was inspired by the pop culture phenomenon Taylor Swift. She is currently on a tour around the world called the Eras Tour, which has been the "talk of the town" for months now. Her fans called "The Swifties" have overloaded Ticketmaster, turned big cities like Atlanta into A'tay'la, and have gone to extreme measures to experience an unforgettable night with Taylor Swift. She made her debut in 2006 and has not slowed down since dropping her most recent album in our current year of 2023. I wanted to capture her different eras throughout the years into my dress. Each layer represents an album. The top of my dress is green representing her debut album (2006). Then moving on to the gold belt and big bow in the back representing her album titled Fearless (2008). The first layer on the dress is metallic silver and sparkly purple which represents her next album Speak Now (2010). Next is the red layer, and of course represents her Red album (2012). Teal layer represents the album 1989 (2014). The black layer represents her album titled Reputation (2017). The pink layer represents her next album Lover (2019). In 2022, Taylor came out with two albums titled Folklore and Evermore which is the beige layer. Lastly the dark blue layer represents her newest album titled Midnights (2023). Lots of people grew up listening to Taylor Swift. Each layer may also represent a time in your life. Maybe it was your freshman year of high school and you just got heart broken by a guy that you thought actually loved you so now you are in your room at 12am blaring "fifteen" (2008) at the of your lungs. Or maybe it's your 22nd birthday in college and you are driving home with your best friend and not a care in the world singing "22" (2012). Or just maybe you are walking down the aisle of your wedding looking at the man that will love you for the rest of your life with "Lover" (2019) playing in the background. Taylor Swift has written songs that have been core memories through many people's lives. That's what I incorporated in my dress.
Stuck At Prom®
Lindsay W.
15
Rolls
30
Hours
Inspiration:
The inspiration for this outfit was the Queen of Hearts, she is my favourite villain and I have always thought of her fashion as on point. I really just liked the colour scheme. I have always been interested in fashion and this was a wonderful way to start doing what I have always wanted to do. The final product was a lot different than what I had been imagining but I love the outcome even more than I thought.
Stuck At Prom®
Aubri S.
14
Rolls
66
Hours
Inspiration:
This design was inspired by music. Music has the power to evoke emotions, transport us to different times & places, and unite us with others. Because music is not just black and white, the mirror duct tape is meant to represent the way music constantly moves and changes. There are several instruments included in this design: piano, violin, tambourine, and electric guitar. The notes on the skirt are a measure from an actual song.
Stuck At Prom®
Shonterria I.
10
Rolls
98
Hours
Inspiration:
This simplistic prom dress was inspired by the type of clothing my mom would wear. My mom passed away this November. I wanted to share the simplistic energy my mom had and the way she tried her hardest in all things.
Stuck At Prom®
Sophia D.
17
Rolls
35
Hours
Inspiration:
I drew a lot of inspiration for my design from the 1950s ball gowns. There are a lot of extent garments with a similar type of petal effect, and even more with the different color underskirt. These types of dresses have always been my favorite, and I figured if I’m making dress out of duck tape, might as well go big or go home! For the bodice I taped over a fabric base and for the petals I taped over paper bases in order for it to keep tis structure. I really liked the ombré detailing that a lot of the 50s dresses had and I’ve always liked gold leafing in art and architecture, so I incorporated it into the design of my petals. I really wanted the colors to pop against one another and for the dress to be a classic yet modern showstopper, and I think I really achieved the look I was going for.
Stuck At Prom®
Johnna H.
10
Rolls
72
Hours
Inspiration:
"April showers bring May flowers!" With Spring's arrival, my state's bipolar weather has been the center of my attention. I wanted to do something spring related, so I turned the most common spring quote into a dress. I used the tutorials available on the Duck brand website to make the flowers, which was extremely helpful! The most time-consuming part was definitely figuring out how to get the dress on and off. I only cried twice while making this dress. I'm so proud of myself!
Stuck At Prom®
Tamara H.
4
Rolls
2
Hours
Inspiration:
i got inspired by the met gala
Stuck At Prom®
Haroutune K.
8
Rolls
8
Hours
Inspiration:
I remember hearing about this contest many years ago. Now that I am finally a senior in high school, I was surprised to see the Stuck at Prom Duck Tape contest still running. I originally wanted to go with my Armenian heritage and use a flag colored tuxedo theme, but my mom had some pink and white duck tape already for a tooth related project she was doing for work, my dad had some HVAC silver tape for construction projects at home, and I already had black I was using to reinforce handles with over the years. Being practical and resourceful, I chose to use what we already had.
Stuck At Prom®
Stella G.
11
Rolls
37
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for this dress is a mix between the dramatic effect of a Met Gala look and the spookiness of a spider during Halloween. I named this design "Xoxo Charlotte" based on the children's book, Charlotte's Web. One theme clearly depicted in Charlotte's Web is friendship. Throughout this process, my amazing best friends supported me by really "trusting the process" and coming for hours while I worked.
Stuck At Prom®
Keiley S.
20
Rolls
264
Hours
Inspiration:
This dress is inspired by the ocean and all the beautiful things inside it. I have always loved the water and all the animals that live in it. I wanted to have animals on my dress to reflect what I want to do for a career. I thought, what better way than with the ocean. There are many colors and creatures that are all unique. I used four different colors to make the coral and seaweed at the bottom of the dress. The animals are meant to be silhouettes with the dark blue tape; my shoes are also made from this tape to make it look like an octopus eating my foot. The white ruffles are meant to look like waves all around my dress, and the knee area has drips to make it look like I was jumping into the water. The crown is made to look like it is made from coral with little shells on it. I was trying to make a mermaid silhouette dress to emphasize the ocean theme. This dress was the first thing I ever made from scratch, and I ran into a lot of problems along the way, but I figured it out after some trial and error. Thank you, Duct Tape, for giving me this chance.
Stuck At Prom®
Elizabeth H.
22
Rolls
60
Hours
Inspiration:
I was inspired by a peacock that lived near our house growing up, but I wanted to incorporate this in a wearable, more modern way. I incorporated this in my design with the high-low cut of the skirt, how the bodice ruffles stand up like a peacock tail, and the pop of colors of blue, green, and yellow. I spent 60+ hours designing, cutting out, and making this dress, and although it was challenging at times, I love the end result!
Stuck At Prom®
Presley R.
14
Rolls
21
Hours
Inspiration:
I chose a ribbon to be the focal point of this dress. Ribbons have the power to represent a variety of notions. Ribbons have been used to bring attention to many important movements including Cancer Awareness, Red Ribbon Week, military support, and many more. Ribbons have also been used to show sportsmanship: for example, many cheerleaders and softball players use hair ribbons to show unity among their teammates–the list goes on. When people look at my ribbon-themed dress, I want them to think about something they support and believe in.