Jennifer McCullah’s prom dress was unique because she didn’t buy it in a store.
It was made for her by a fellow student at Bakersfield High School, Rosemary Robinson.
The dress she made for McCullah was pink and strapless. It was mid-thigh length and a tight fit for her.
There was a braid on the bodice that was green, orange, and pink.
Below the braid, the dress began to bunch along the side seams, creating lines across the dress.
“I just wanted to be different,” said Robinson.
Robinson, 17, decided this year that she was going to be different by making her own prom dress as well as two of her friends dresses.
She said it took her about five hours to make each dress. Robinson used her unique sense of style by designing the dresses herself.
Molly Stites, also a Bakersfield High School student, said she made her prom dress to “make sure that no one else had it.”
Stites made her dress from her own design that she said she got from looking at several magazines and combining the different elements of the styles.
Another Bakersfield High School student, Chernell Smith, made her prom dress because “none of the stores carried what I wanted.”
She also said that everyone had the same dress and that she wanted to be different.
Smith said designers such as those found at Neiman Marcus inspire her.
All three girls gave credit to their fashion teacher, Terry Pederson. Stites said that she was a big influence.
Pederson said that she just wanted everyone to be able to make their own clothes whether they couldn’t afford it or just wanted something different.
She said, “I know all young girls want clothes, and it cost a lot of money, and that is why I learned.”
“Everybody is unique that way, you can have something that is unlike anyone else’s,” said Pederson referring to the girls who made their own prom dresses.