Buying a prom dress without breaking the bank: is it really possible?

Prom is an exciting time for final year secondary school students to celebrate their achievements in style. From extravagant transport to crazy outfits, Wigan has seen it all. For current Year 11 students, prom will have been on their minds for some time, with some dress-shoppers eagerly awaiting the opportunity to shop for their gown.

According to Lilian Rose Boutique, based in Scotland, the “early season” for prom dress shopping, where students will have the best selection of dresses to choose from, begins next month. However, with most proms for Wigan schools being approximately ten months away, this seems rather extreme.

However, as well as giving dress-shoppers the most choice when it comes to picking their dream dress, shopping early also means they may be able to grab some of last year’s dresses for much cheaper prices.

The Dressing Room, located on Mesnes Street in Wigan, is holding a “flash sale” of last season’s prom dresses in their shop this Sunday 15th September to make way for their new stock.

Posting the event to Facebook, The Dressing Room have advertised that some dresses will be on sale for as little as £50. With the average cost of dress-wearers proms being around £400, this would certainly benefit families wanting to save a bit of cash on the run up to Christmas. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

Additionally, there are many opportunities for this years prom-goers to buy dresses, as well as suits, second hand. Across the borough, charities sell donated dresses throughout the year, such as Daffodil Dreams who are often on the lookout for donations. Additionally, ex-prom attendees are known to sell their own dresses and suits second hand, something especially prominent on Facebook’s Marketplace.

As prom outfits are usually only worn for a few hours, second hand dresses can be found in near-new condition, sometimes with hundreds knocked off the price tag, showing that students in Wigan can still rock up to prom in style without breaking the bank.