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Many girls spend over a hundred dollars on what they feel is the ‘perfect prom dress.’ Juniors Olivia Zhao and Nora Wolff took a different route, spending hours to create their own unique dresses for the special day.

“I didn’t want to have the same dress as someone, and I wanted to be original,” Wolff said. “I’ve made a dress before and had a lot of fun, so I wanted to do it again.”

Zhao had similar feelings as well. She also didn’t know where to start finding a prom dress that she loved. With a Mass Art program that she went through over April vacation, she was given the opportunity to create her vision.

While Wolff painted over a vintage dress she had bought in a consignment shop, Zhao started with just a roll of fabric.

“I love every part of [the process],” Zhao said. “I started with a drawing, and then I made a pattern, which is a life-size outline of the whole dress. Then, I took body measurements.”

In the program, she learned how to sew, and after sewing for 10 hours, Zhao finished.

Wolff took a different path to make her dress. Because Wolff’s dress consists of thousands of beads and multiple layers, her creation process was much more spaced out. Also, because her dress is vintage and made from delicate lace, she had to be more careful in handling it.

“If one bead fell out, they would all fall out, so I had to be really careful,” Wolff said. “But if I messed up, I would just color over it with a sharpie since it’s black.”

Zhao and Wolff are both very pleased with their results and happy that they chose this difficult, but creative option.

“I was scared at first because when you get a dress, you want to feel really pretty in it,” Wolff said. “I didn’t feel like that, but now I do.”

“When I wear it for prom, I’ll feel like I put so much time and effort into it,” Zhao said. “I’ll feel so much better than if I had just bought something.”

As a result of this process, Zhao has decided to major in fashion design. Wolff wants to continue pursuing art.

“For the longest time, I thought graphic design was the best thing in the world,” Zhao said. “Then I realized that working with computers and boxes and paper wasn’t as interesting as working with inspiring people. I want to be a successful fashion designer.”