Stuck At Prom®
Lauriane Z.
17 Rolls
102 Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for the Stuck At Prom contest was the challenge of crafting a prom dress out of duct tape! I am graduating this year and have been accepted into a Fashion Technology program. My dream is to become a fashion designer. I easily become absorbed when working on an outfit or thinking up a design, so when a friend told me about Stuck At Prom I got very excited! I immediately thought about Taylor Swift, a huge influence in the music industry and a major fashion icon. I wondered how I could combine her multiple looks into a single outfit which would include something distinct from each of her albums. From this, my asymmetrical look emerged. Each part of the dress and accessories that I created represent a different Taylor, and follows her along her journey as an artist. My Process: I designed and sewed the bodice to combine two of her eras. Working with duct tape was a good challenge, and I found myself rolling, snipping, bending, gluing and glittering to create the necessary details. With only finding a bright green duct tape, I used an earthier green spray paint to better obtain the color for the long flowy sleeve and arm cuff. The crumpled newsprint skirt of the dress was super fun to create. I used a bed sheet to begin with, and cut away pieces bit by bit, until I got the basic shape I wanted. Then I covered the fabric with duct tape and stenciled it with words. The best part was styling it using a bit of a draping method! After pinning and taping and adjusting and more taping, I got the shape I wanted. To help counter the weight of the tape and provide a lift to the skirt, I used plastic bags filled with air tucked up inside for more volume. Then on to the accessories! I repurposed a pair of boots to go with the dress featuring two other eras. The fedora was created out of cardboard and covered in tape. The microphone was created from a cardboard roll and a plastic orange! I found an old toy ukulele which I totally dismantled, cut in two and refinished in tape, to create my clutch. The strap was crafted to mimic the friendship bracelets that Swiftie fans wear and share, using duct tape dots glued to a long shoelace. Thanks to Stuck At Prom for promoting such fun fashion creations and thanks to my friend Emily for telling me about it!
Stuck At Prom®
Chloe M.
12 Rolls
32 Hours
Inspiration:
I took my imagination and inspiration from the idea of prom in itself. Prom at its core is a way to publicly show your best self and have fun with friends, symbolizing a major milestone in a teenager's life. This value of fun and livelihood is a pinnacle of a teen's life during an exceptionally stressful time where we start to lose sight of the importance of simple joys. I decided on the concept of an ice cream cone to represent the sweet and thrilling feeling of going to prom. My dress has a waffle cone bottom, a chocolate (my personal favorite!) corset, whipped cream sleeves, and a classic cherry on top. I also selected to take my photos at a park in my hometown with a playground. Seeing the small kids running around on playground equipment while wearing my duck tape gown highlighted the growth I have made over time from being that 4 year old kid on the playground to attending prom as a 17 year old. Now, I work in an ice cream shop, so this concept of growing up from a small kid to now wearing a prom dress that truly represents me, my extracurriculars, and the values I hold core in my heart.
Stuck At Prom®
Kahlee D.
11 Rolls
20 Hours
Inspiration:
The outfit was inspired by goddesses. I wanted to give it my own water goddess feel with the formal goddess white dress at the top; and a touch of blue.
Stuck At Prom®
Celeste S.
10 Rolls
15 Hours
Inspiration:
I designed my prom dress with inspiration from Jalisco, Mexico charro style and Folklorico dance dresses.
Stuck At Prom®
Kennedy P.
6 Rolls
20 Hours
Inspiration:
Going to college is an experience like no other, involving immense change and a myriad of new opportunities. For my duck tape dress, I was inspired by the mutability of this transition, represented by butterflies. Not only do butterflies hold significant symbolism, but they also represent an important aspect of my future career. I am going to college for zoology and animals have always inspired me to make a difference. This year I started a butterfly garden at my high school to help various pollinator species. I wanted the butterflies on my dress to showcase my love of animals and helping the environment. As for the silhouette of the dress, I took inspiration from Appalachian corset dresses which are best represented in media by district 12 in the Hunger Games. Though the patterns and colors of such dresses are more earthy, I wanted the contrast of having a traditional silhouette coupled with the bold colors of the Duck Duct tape brand. The ruffles, colors, and patterns of my dress make it more royal and formal which makes it better suited for prom. Though this process challenged me, I believe I was able to capture my love of animals and new experiences in my design and effectively convey that change is good.
Stuck At Prom®
Monette C.
15 Rolls
438 Hours
Inspiration:
I love all arts, fashion being one of my preferred forms. Thus, I absolutely loved the idea of this scholarship and started working in January of this year. I knew I wanted my dress to be a reflection of all the fashion concepts that I adored. A masterpiece, a true work of art. I loved Victorian dresses and wanted my dress to feel majestic yet dated. Thus, I expanded on the concept by adding different yet intriguing layers. I also decided to use colors that I believe matched my skin tone and were interesting; blue and white. My mother is from México City and my father from Yucatán. I knew that I also wanted to incorporate my culture into this dress for it to feel personal to me. Countless shows and stories in Mexican culture include roses and thus I chose that flower. That is where all the inspiration for my dress originated and I worked hard so I could make it fit for royalty, or prom.
Stuck At Prom®
Addison O.
11 Rolls
15 Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration was my late grandpa in his leisure suit as well as the 60s in general.
Stuck At Prom®
Mario C.
13 Rolls
46 Hours
Inspiration:
Inspiration for this outfit, a Charro, mainly comes from my Mexican heritage. Being from a Hispanic background and having relations with families of similar backgrounds, I found that a simple yet impactful nod to this was its form taken from these aspects which a Charro is typically seen in historical and modern Mexican tradition used by cowboys or horsemen. The technique utilized when creating this work was covering the initial materials used such as old clothes I no longer wore with layers of bright orange Duct Tape in random patterns. Keeping in mind where certain aspects of the clothes needed to bend which could be done but just not heavily layering these areas. Given the inspiration mainly aligning with Mexican heritage, floral motifs were added across the outfit to add character and fill in spots that seemingly were empty using a black paint marker. These floral designs would cover the cuffs, collar, hat, and sides of the pants where these accents would be above a thin lining of black masking tape. The torso mainly consisted of the same technique used for the pants however I left the under-shirt untouched whereas the vest and jacket were fully covered in tape. Both vest and jacket mainly were covered in tape and designs from a black paint marker with the jacket only having the addition of black lace lining the collar and down towards the bottom. As well as on the torso, a bow and flower made of cheetah print tape were added whereas on the flower the Duct Tape Duck logo was added which was taken from the packaging of the Duct Tape rolls. The main feature of this work is the hat, the Charro Sombrero, which was an actual Sombrero that was covered in repeated orange Duct Tape that retained all the same detailing of floral motifs and black lace where under the designs were accommodated by strings to be tied when using the hat made from cheetah print Duct Tape which was braided.
Stuck At Prom®
Lorelei S.
15 Rolls
36 Hours
Inspiration:
The inspiration for my duct tape suit was simple, I wanted it to reflect the style of Bob Ross’s art. I have looked up to Bob Ross as an artist for as long as I can remember, and I wanted my final duct tape prom attire to reflect that. This tuxedo reflects my love of nature and art and I hope it inspires other people.
Stuck At Prom®
Bella K.
16 Rolls
43 Hours
Inspiration:
For this dress, I chose different colors to symbolize and “highlight” the various types of cancer. The yellow represents bone cancer, pink represents breast cancer, and orange represents leukemia and liver cancer. The bow on the side incorporates cancer ribbons for these types, while the feathered skirt symbolizes honor, strength, power, and hope for those battling or who have fought cancer. The overall design was inspired by my passion for pageantry, aiming to create something visually striking with profound meaning.
Stuck At Prom®
Cindy L.
6 Rolls
100 Hours
Inspiration:
My outfit was inspired by Iris van Herpen's designs, and is loosely based on a skeleton. This was the first time I've made something wearable and the first time I've even attempted to use a sewing machine, so I'm happy with the result. I made a linen base for both the top and the train, which I covered with duct tape. I also made nearly all parts of the jewelry by hand.
Stuck At Prom®
Albert D.
11 Rolls
27 Hours
Inspiration:
The inspiration I used, as this is a presidential election year in the US, is the American flag and colors. As a senior in high school, this will be my first-time voting, and I am looking forward to exercising this privilege. In addition, I felt it was important to keep the "prom theme" in mind as well.
Stuck At Prom®
Hazel A.
9 Rolls
10 Hours
Inspiration:
I drew inspiration from hispanic traditional dresses and quinceanera dresses. I wanted to honor my heritage and bring something that shows who I am.
Stuck At Prom®
Dana M.
20 Rolls
90 Hours
Inspiration:
Everything on my dress has a purpose. To explain my dress, I start with choosing the silhouette. I wanted it to resemble a cumbia dress I have so the base of the dress is white. However, I opted for a more structured design silhouette so that it would complement the accessories that I had in mind. On the back of the dress, I have flowers in the colors and order of the Colombian flag. The flowers on the dress represent Colombia's flower industry, which is the largest flower exporter in South America and second in the world! On the base of the dress, there are also green stones representing emeralds, which Colombia is known to produce the most beautiful in the world. I used the dress to represent the land. On the cape, I have a red, yellow, and blue ruffle sleeve which holds up the cape. Details on the cape lay my parent's towns and representation of the beautiful culture l inherited from the food, the fashion, to the nativeness of my country. The hat created was completely made of duck tape to bring the vision of what a put-together traditional Colombian look represents.
Stuck At Prom®
Hailey L.
11 Rolls
60 Hours
Inspiration:
The idea for my outfit came from a design I always wanted to make with fabric but never had the chance to. I began every part of the dress with a sticky-side-up layer, keeping the shape of each part and preventing the tape from sticking to the surface of the mannequin. I made the top and corset first creating the frame for the rest of the dress to hang off. I then attached lengths of tape to the underside of the corset to shape the skirt. I let the tape choose where to fall and taped between the gaps to create a natural skirt. To make the sash I started at the shoulder and followed the path of the tape around the mannequin to create a natural wraparound design. I cut centimeter or smaller-length strips from rolls of tape and lined them up to detail the thin vines. The flowers I made by cutting hairline strips and placing them along lengths of the opposing color to create the stripes. I then folded the tape over leaving about a centimeter from the edge and folded it over itself to make the morning glory flowers for the shoulder, corsage, and hairpin. I used a similar layout to a basic geometry shape to design the net of the clutch. I repeated the vine technique from the dress for the corsage band and clutch. I used 2-inch lengths of chopsticks to make the V-pin for my hairpiece.
Stuck At Prom®
ELISE T.
17 Rolls
35 Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for this outfit was my late pet Dusty. She was a very loving pet who exuded warmth. I wanted to make something to honor her and I used roses and their different symbolic colors to create my color palette. I wanted a white base because white roses were traditionally used in funerals. I wanted brighter pinks and reds that symbolize love to be on top of the white to show while even though our loved ones might not be here with us anymore, our love will never dissipate.
Stuck At Prom®
Devri W.
11 Rolls
20 Hours
Inspiration:
The inspiration from my dress comes from simple timeless classic dresses. I sketched out a plan for a simple dress like Snow White when she was with the Seven Dwarfs. As an aspiring artist I like to mix bright colors. This dress turned out to be as colorful as my personality while still being simple.
Stuck At Prom®
Presley R.
11 Rolls
60 Hours
Inspiration:
My duck-tape dress is inspired by a quote from the one and only, Dolly Parton. “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” The top of my dress starts out as a dark and cloudy day and fades down into a bright and sunny sky. Both my dress and the quote from Dolly convey that we all will experience hardship, but there’s always a silver lining that comes with it.
Lauriane
Z.
Chloe
M.
Kahlee
D.
Celeste
S.
Kennedy
P.
Monette
C.
Addison
O.
Mario
C.
Lorelei
S.
Bella
K.
Cindy
L.
Albert
D.
Hazel
A.
Dana
M.
Hailey
L.
ELISE
T.
Devri
W.
