What did you wear to your graduation? Was it a dress you saved for months for your after-school and weekend jobs? Or was it a really expensive designer dress? Maybe it was something custom made just for you? Do you even remember? Was it really special or just something you had to wear because the occasion called for a costume?
Well, what if we told you that making your own prom dress is an option and can outshine even the fanciest dresses you can get at the store? That’s what happened to Ciara Gan.
Ciara was a 17-year-old teenager who was almost done with her schoolwork and was still a month away from graduating. It was then that the idea of making her own dress occurred to her. At first she hired a designer to design a dress, but when she came back she wasn’t really satisfied with the result. That’s when she thought “I have time, I can do everything myself.” So she spent a month designing the dress, choosing the fabric, sewing it and then decorating it by hand.
It took 13 yards of fabric, she did the boning of the dress herself and then once she sewed it, she hand painted the flowers on her dress. It took her five full days to make the flowers. And Ciara didn’t want to go with a standard floral pattern or classic roses, instead choosing to draw Tiger Lillies because it was more relatable to her and she loved the contrast of the orange flowers on her green dress. She also decorated the dress with Swarovski crystals. And do you know why she opted for a green dress? Because she is a huge Harry Potter fan and a proud Slytherin.
The result is absolutely stunning. Her classmates couldn’t believe she had made it herself from start to finish, from idea to finished dress. Ciara looked really beautiful in her dress and definitely stood out from the rest of the kids. Her dress was unique, one-of-a-kind and made with love and passion, reflecting her interests, talents and abilities.
Images of the dress went viral and so did her story on how to make it. She even posted a video on YouTube about how she made that special dress for her graduation. Ciara is actually an inspiring artist and the attention her dress project received even led to some requests for commissioned artwork, which obviously made her very happy. It’s nice when your art is really appreciated. In any case, this story shows that if you put your mind to it and put a lot of passion and hard work into your project, the result will be worth it. Hard work always brings rewards.
