The inspiration for the project was to make a dress for prom instead of going to prom. It was going to be hard to attend prom without my best friend, Aspen, so this was my way of dealing with that loss. This project allowed me to create with something that I would have never used and it was fun to see how it progressed.
Stuck At Prom®
jade g.
12
Rolls
48
Hours
Inspiration:
What inspired me was tinker bells old, loved dress that gave so much light and life to our childhood with caption hook and peter pan. Along with that prom is a very magical time everyone gets excited for and with magic I think of fairies. we sketched out a few ideas, but I was struck on a fun fairy idea which seems like its a great Halloween costume.
Stuck At Prom®
Xaviyer S.
30
Rolls
160
Hours
Inspiration:
i really enjoyed making it and I love the mask.
Stuck At Prom®
Alondra M.
6
Rolls
26
Hours
Inspiration:
Stars and a celestial aesthetic served as my source of inspiration. I used one of Gigi Hadid's Met Gala dresses and a runway gown as references.
Stuck At Prom®
Elise V.
18
Rolls
140
Hours
Inspiration:
When I learned about the Stuck At Prom scholarship, I thought it was a fantastic way to dive into my creativity as well as represent my heritage. Being half Japanese and half Mexican, I have been given one of the greatest gifts of learning and experiencing different cultures. I was lucky enough to experience traditions with the Mexican side of my family, but I have not been able to do the same with my Japanese relatives. Since my grandparents in Japan haven’t been doing well, I thought it would be a good idea to make a dress inspired by Japanese culture. Kimonos, long straight seamed garments, are a symbol of Japanese culture. Many Kimonos include common symbols or motifs that each represent an important meaning, some of which I included in my own piece. A Kimono is clearly not one’s typical prom dress, but with the sense of identity represented through this garment, why go teenage typical when you can go Japanese traditional?
Stuck At Prom®
Lay W.
36
Rolls
60
Hours
Inspiration:
This piece is inspired by an old Japanese tale and dedicated to my late grandmother as she is my “white butterfly”. Each layer holds a different meaning in which culture, origin, and perseverance through difficulty all take root in, creating beauty!
Stuck At Prom®
Elizabeth D.
16
Rolls
27
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for my duct tape dress was my younger self. When I was a kid, I was absolutely obsessed with duct tape! I have always viewed duct tape as more than something that held things to together, but as a unique artistic medium. Duct tape was a huge part of my childhood, in fact, I created something new almost everyday. Since a young age, I’ve dreamed of showing up to prom in a duct tape dress. Although my obvious health battles have gotten in the way of many events in my teenage life, I wasn’t going to let that get in the way of making my younger self proud. Over the years, I have collected HUNDREDS of duct tape rolls of all different patterns, including many retired ones. I felt like it would be very special to use these patterns people no longer see on the shelves into a beautiful creation I got to wear. Being able to display my number one hobby of my childhood, featuring just a fragment of my collection as well as my skill set, served as a great tribute. It truly is a dream come true!
Stuck At Prom®
Abigail N.
23
Rolls
135
Hours
Inspiration:
I’m a firm believer that art doesn’t just belong on a canvas but can also have some functionality. This has lent its way into many of my hobbies such as creative makeup, embroidery, jewelry making, and sewing. I was heavily inspired by wearable art from a young age as my childhood dream was to be a fashion designer exploring unique and abstract silhouettes. This is shown through my design of the asymmetrical bodice covered in 3D flowers made of blues and greens. Each petal was emphasized with a lining of white tape to imitate stained glass windows, a beautiful form of functional art. Additionally, the structure of the 3D flower petals on the top and the skirt are reminiscent of the glass flower sculptures I admired in Singapore’s Garden by the Bay. The back of the dress is inspired by the traditional Vietnamese lacquer panels used as room dividers and on jewelry boxes. I chose to design a corset for the closure as it is more inclusive and able to fit a wider range of people as well as an homage to re-emerging trends observed currently. I chose warm tones of blues and greens to create a cohesive sense of calm and pops of red to bring vibrancy such as in the flower crown. I hope that I was able to emulate resourcefulness and versatility through this scholarship opportunity and carry it with me as I grow into myself in college.
Stuck At Prom®
Sueah W.
8
Rolls
20
Hours
Inspiration:
The inspiration for this outfit was the ideas of nature and sustainability. The floral prints and the veins coming out of the heart represent the nature portion while the dress made out of duct tape serves as irony for the idea of sustainability. I made this dress by starting off by creating the basic shape of the dress then adding the patterns.
Stuck At Prom®
Zairy Y.
14
Rolls
43
Hours
Inspiration:
I have always been proud of my country and heritage. I am Belizean, and have the Caribbean roots flowing in my veins. I wanted the showcase the beauty of my country and known items that can be recognize in the Caribbean, such as the tocan which is the national bird and the hibiscus flower that is a representation of the mestizo culture. I primarily choose the have the dress white because as an artist, I wanted the white to be regarded as a blank canvas and the details to be the painting. I first draped the dress with muslin fabric and followed the pattern with the tape. I then drew and tried my best to make the designs I had mind with the tape.
Stuck At Prom®
Neha N.
23
Rolls
264
Hours
Inspiration:
Since I can remember, I've always had a love for art and being creative. As a child, I used to draw, paint and mix and match my clothes to create new outfits. Looking back, this has helped me be the artist I am today as I use what I have available to me, and try to create something beautiful in the process.
I am fascinated by fashion because it can reveal so much about a person without them actually saying anything. People are prone to creating a perception of someone merely based on looks, and I think that fashion has immense power not just as an art form but also as an expression of self.
I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the world, and throughout the years I've grown more and more inspired by other cultures. One of my most memorable trips was to the Fiji Islands, which happens to be the birthplace of both my parents.
During my trip to Fiji, I was amazed at how friendly the Fijians were. The most common Fijian greeting is Bula, which means Hello. During my trip, I visited remote villages in the smaller surrounding islands where I had the opportunity to connect with the locals. I was touched that they embraced a total stranger like me as part of their family and took the time to teach me wood carvings and traditional paintings. I also enjoyed weaving baskets, and mats and I was amazed at how intricate those designs were. I felt so grateful to be part of their community and immersing myself in this unique cultural experience gave me so much joy. I have never experienced anything like this before and was amazed at how talented these people were. I owe the inspiration for my prom dress to those Fijian villagers and I wanted this dress to reflect the Fijian spirit of humility, hospitality, and friendliness. I also incorporated the turtle design into my dress. A turtle (Vonu in Fijian) represents good luck, the shell is viewed as being symbolic of heaven while its soft underbody is seen as a symbol of the earth. It means a lot to me to be able to represent the Fijian culture to the rest of the world as it is not a culture represented often.
Stuck At Prom®
Elizabeth A.
4
Rolls
16
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for this outfit was a peacock, I've always thought that they were absolutely gorgeous and graceful. I also really love their color scheme, blue and green are my two favorite colors and I think they compliment each other very well. I really wanted to put feathers on it and make sure it had lots of blue and green. I wanted to add black and white for the feathers and also to add contrast to the outfit.
Stuck At Prom®
Savannah C.
17
Rolls
61
Hours
Inspiration:
I drew on a variety of the symbolism the phoenix holds to me. The phoenix is a mythological creature known for its ability to be reborn after dying via combustion into an enfero. As a fantasy fanatic, this creature has long been a favorite of mine, but it gained even more significance as the mascot of my high school. As a high school senior, another dimension of symbolism has been sewn into this figure. I am leaving all that I know, but I know that it is merely a period of growth, that college is just the next step to figuring out who you are and who you wish to become. It is a period where your strength and capabilities are tested, but one that I believe makes people stronger, much like the reincarnation of the phoenix. It is just the end of a chapter. Finally, I believe that the phoenix can be representative of my generation, the “Zoomers”, as I have heard people refer to us. We are barely reaching adulthood, but we are already suffering from a multitude of crises, including the pandemic and all the death and destruction it has wreaked, the threat of global warming, war, pollution, and the plummet in the economy. These are not issues that our generation has caused, but they are issues that are being thrust upon us to solve. Despite the pressure of society and the difficulties we have already faced, my generation continues to persevere and prove itself through innovations and sheer determination of will to improve ourselves and the society we live in.
Stuck At Prom®
Emma B.
38
Rolls
89
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration was butterflies and ball gowns. I knew I wanted to create something bright and extravagant. After scrolling on pinterest for countless hours, the idea of a princess looking dress covered in delicate little butterflies wouldn’t leave my mind. I love how beautiful butterflies are and their representation of change, so I wanted that to be the theme. The shape of the dress was influenced by princesses, ball gowns, and long flowy dresses in general. Before I knew what I wanted the dress to look like, I was 110% confident that it would have poofy sleeves. I’m obsessed with poofy sleeves and really wanted to see what they would look like made out of Duck Tape:)
Stuck At Prom®
Allison C.
15
Rolls
85
Hours
Inspiration:
Inspired by the beautiful name gifted to me by my parents, Allison Greenleaf Connet, aka Lily, I created this Duck Tape outfit as a personal physical representation of how far I've come and how much more I have to grow. Using the knowledge gained from an internship with a costume designer over the past school year and the fiery passion I have for creating, I designed and constructed a dress that would make my younger self proud.
Stuck At Prom®
Kaylee M.
20
Rolls
200
Hours
Inspiration:
I started working on my dress near the final week of May and during that time I was preparing for my final exams and finalizing my summer class schedule. The colors, black, white, pink, purple, orange,green, and blue, all represent an emotion I felt during that time. I used the color black, used as the base of the dress, to represent the stress of all the course work I had to review for 6 different classes. White, which was used for the waist and flowers, represents perfection. I wanted to make sure all of my summer classes were chosen and that they were scheduled around my A+ tutoring(program that helps finance two years of community college). Pink, also used for flowers, represented hope. The hope I had for my friends who were going off to college to pursue their goals and off to do great things. Another color used for flowers was purple and my feeling of ambition was represented. This was felt because I wanted to make sure I was studying things that helped me understand each subject and making sure I remembered different terms. After taking my first exam I did not receive the grade I had hoped for. I was upset with myself since I had spent hours studying and I was not able to reach the goal I had given myself. The feeling of sadness was represented with the color blue, which had two shades used for flowers as well. Finally, green used for leaves represented What little feeling of calm and relaxation I had during that time.
Stuck At Prom®
Autumn M.
26
Rolls
102
Hours
Inspiration:
Dragons. My inspiration was dragons. I think everyone had a dragon obsession at some point, but mine never really died out. I've always been into fantasy and mythology, so I decided to make that a big part of my dress. There are runes written on the back of the dress and the bracer on my arm. The back says "Dragon Fire" and the bracer is just my initials "A.C.M."! The runes are mostly inspired by Norse mythology. As for the color selection of the dress, I tried to stick with just three colors: Red, Black, and Gold. The colors represent strength and power, which is definitely fitting for a dragon. If this is as close as I can get to the real (mythological) thing, than I think I succeeded!
Stuck At Prom®
Evelyn P.
9
Rolls
74
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for this dress came from “The Nutcracker.” I had a goal set in mind, but as I continued to make the dress I kept changing it. Quickly, it became to look less like a Nutcracker theme and more like “Beauty and the Beast.” I really struggled with sticking to a single theme after making the base of the skirt. I decided that I didn’t need a theme to show my creativity and to just go with what I have and to make the dress however I feel it should look. I learned about this Scholarship from my mom. She mentioned it to me one day and I thought it would be such an amazing opportunity for me. I have no experience with fashion or designing, so I never had a beginning sketch or an initial set plan. I have always had a passion for showing people what I can accomplish with the little knowledge I have, and showing everyone what girls can achieve. Thank you so much for this opportunity, I enjoyed every minute of it!