Prom dress sale benefits local students
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An unbeatable sale is taking place in the Capital Region ahead of prom season, but it's not happening at a local store. Like any typical boutique, there are dozens of dresses on the racks, shoes on display, and the jewelry laid out with excited teens talking about prom as they look through the garments.
Chloe Perazzelli, the global fashion instructor at BOCES, explained, "It's a very affordable option for students to come. Prom has gotten outrageously expensive."
The makeshift store is set up inside Perazzelli's class at BOCES where students are learning fashion design, and the donated dresses are on sale for just $5 each.
"A lot of the times, kids don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on dresses," said Silvannah Singh, a high school senior at Niskayuna.
"I'm not going to spend $400 on a dress that I'm only going to wear once," Hannah Ralston echoed.
Perazzelli added, "I think this generation is a little different in that they like to see vintage items."
One of those items happened to be her very own prom dress from 23 years ago. It caught Hannah Ralston's eye right away.
Ralston, a junior at Guilderland, said, "It fits like a glove. Like, I don't know how to explain it. I put it on, and I was, like, omg this fits perfectly."
The fashion students help with minor repairs like hemming and fixing zippers so that any student on the BOCES campus can find their perfect fit.
"I think some students came in unsure they are going to find something, and you see them glowing. We joke they said yes to the dress," Perzzzelli said.
Whether it's from 20 years ago or two years ago, more than 100 dresses are all getting a chance at a second life. "We like to see that it's not ending up in a landfill," said Perazzelli.
"I'm really excited that they're not just sitting in a closet, and it's helping students," said Ralston.
All of the dresses donated have come in from people in the community and local businesses. Some come in as brand new with tags still on the dresses. The money that's raised during the dress sale ends up benefiting a campus-run charity.