COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WUSA9) — A Maryland woman is giving back to her community by hosting a dress drive to allow Maryland high school girls experience “a night unlike any other in high school”: prom.
“It’s really the culmination of four years, it’s really the last time you’re all together, and you’re really getting dressed up for the first time…I think it’s really important that it’s a memorable night,” said Kaitlin Walukonis of prom.
Walukonis is the the founder of Pay It [Fashion] Forward, an organization which collects prom dresses and accessories for local girls. She, and her mom Robin, had had the idea for years after enjoying dress shopping together for her own prom. Finally, Kaitlin, now an alumni relations professional with her alma mater, The University of Maryland, decided to put her idea to good use.
She and her mom will be putting on a Fashion Fest on Sunday, April 22, an event to allow local senior students view the donated dresses and pick the one they like.
“At this event, we’re asking high school seniors to come in. We’ll allow them to try on a few options, see what fits them, see what’s their style,” Kaitlin told WUSA9. The event will include fitting rooms and mirrors, so that the girls can take the time to find the perfect dress.
In addition to dresses, Fashion Fest will also have shoes, handbags, and jewelry.
“Hopefully having everything in one room, a girl can get a collective outfit all at once and take it for free,” said Kaitlin.
According to a study by Yahoo Style in 2017, teens spend an average of $600 or more on prom. The hard truth of how expensive prom isn’t lost on students.
In March, a 19-year-old from Maryland went viral for offering to loan out her prom dress to other students in need. She told WUSA9 that dresses like hers can cost hundreds of dollars.
Walukonis knows this, too, which is why she named her organization Pay It [Fashion Forward], which is meant to encourage girls to re-donate their dresses next year back to the organization or to a similar organization.
“Most of these dresses you aren’t going to wear more than one night, so we really just wanted to promote paying it forward," she told WUSA9.
So far, Walukonis has collected over 350 dresses, in various styles. She says a lot of donors, which include people from her friends to complete strangers, are glad to be able to do something good with their prom dresses.
Rent the Runway, upon hearing the project, offered to donate some of their dresses as well. Rent the Runway, which has a location in Georgetown, allows people to rent out designer gowns and accessories for an event at a much lower price.
Rent the Runway's Head of Fashion Sarah Tam told WUSA9 that a prom dress should be comfortable, and well-fitted, but also one that makes you feel confident.
Tam offered style tips to girls going to pick out their prom dresses this year:
- Black dresses, particularly with the rise of the #TimesUp movement, are great to "make any young woman feel empowered," Tam says. She suggests pairing a black dress with bold accessories, such as statement earrings.
- Blush and pink are certainly in for prom, for girls who want to have their Cinderella moment, Tam says.
- For girls hoping to make a statement, Tam says "all-out glamour," comprised of sequins, metallics, sparkles, and embroidery is in. She points to the styles actress Gal Gadot has worn as inspiration.
- For more petite girls, Tam recommends a midi-length dress, particularly as an alternative to gown. "It's fresh and modern," she says.
For Kaitlin Walukonis, she hopes that by next year she can expand the project; already, she told WUSA9, a project originally meant just for Prince George's County senior girls has expanded to all of Maryland.
And to those girls going to prom this year, Walukonis has just one message: “It’s definitely a night to look great, but also to feel great…Just soak in the moment.”
The Fashion Fest is on Sunday, April 22 from 1-5 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus (9450 Cherry Hill Road) in College Park, Md. Students can sign up in advance here.
Interested donors should click here.
