While others might not know the outfit they will wear tomorrow, the upperclassmen girls at Prep are already planning out their outfits for May. Believe it or not, the search for prom dresses and graduation gowns starts five months prior to the actual events.

Senior Sofia Falvo explained that this experience has been stressful.

“I haven’t found a dress that fits me right, and there are many different dresses to choose from,” Sofia said. “I have an idea of what I want, but it’s stressful to try and find the perfect dress.”

This fashion phenomenon is not just a Prep-exclusive event. Senior Lulu Agresti, who works at Bridal Elegance, shares that the store has had many fittings recently.

“Many girls all over Erie are shopping for prom dresses, mostly on the weekends,” Lulu said. “I enjoy helping these girls find their dream dress.”

Even though dresses are already being claimed, tuxedos are not. Senior Jake Haugh stated that the hunt for outfits hasn’t seriously started for him.

“I have thought about what color I want to wear for prom, but I haven’t started looking at options yet,” Jake said. “For graduation, the boys rent tuxedos, so I have not thought about that at all.”

With such a drastic difference between dress and tuxedo shopping, one has to wonder: why do girls start looking for these gowns so early? Sofia believes it’s due to the race for the right dress.

“You have the find the perfect dress,” she said, “and you need to get that dress before anyone else does.”

Lulu also talked about the race to claim your dress and how Bridal Elegance keeps track of this.

“Once a girl buys a dress, we write it down in a book so no one will have the same dress as you at the dance,” Lulu said. “We do not want anyone to have the same dress, especially when there are many options to choose from.”