CORRECTION: Madison Batzel, a student at William Penn High School, had her name reported incorrectly in an earlier version of this story.
As seniors around the country scramble to find prom dresses, Madison Batzel sits back and relaxes.
Batzel, 18, a senior at William Penn High School in New Castle, has had a “new” dress in her closet since 2020. She’ll finally show it off at her school’s prom at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington on May 6.
Originally, she planned to debut her blue mermaid-style dress at prom in 2020 with her boyfriend Joshua Kist, who was a senior that year at St. Georges Technical High School in Middletown at that time.
The pandemic stole that opportunity from the couple.
That disappointment marked one of the first in a string of letdowns for the pair caused by COVID-19 cancellations.
Kist, 20, of Middletown, took the cancelled prom harder than his girlfriend because he didn’t get to have a normal graduation ceremony that spring.
“You’re supposed to be rewarded with fun things like prom and graduation. [It’s] the [reward] for you busting your tail,” Kist said.
The last two years have been rough on a number of people, and Kist is no exception.
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He enrolled into Delaware Technical Community College with a focus on entrepreneurship, as his goal is to start a plumbing business one day. He dropped out after one semester since he had difficulty taking virtual-only classes.
Currently he’s working about 50 hours a week as a plumber. Working so much, he said he hasn’t seen many of his peers from high school.
Last month he was saddened by the loss of his friend Corey Laber, who passed away due to injuries from a motorcycle incident. The last time he saw him was in 2020.
“The memories I do have with him are fun, some are annoying, some arguments, but at the end of the day, another core memory I could have had with him was seeing him at the [prom] and having fun. It feels like that memory got robbed,” Kist explained.
“If I knew what I knew now, and how much stress I’d be under, and how much work I’d have to put in towards everyday life, I’d spend $1,000 bucks to go [to my senior prom],” he added.
Lower prom-dress expectations thanks to supply chain issues
Shana Williams, owner of Cecile Boutique in Newark, said seniors who haven’t purchased a prom dress by March are seeing limited options because of supply-chain issues.
Williams said prom dresses are typically purchased in August by boutiques and they begin getting shipped at the end of the year for the upcoming prom season.
About 90% of manufacturers create prom dress in China, she said.
Since China has more stringent COVID-19 restrictions than America, Williams added, factories have been opening and shutting down during the pandemic, which has created delays for boutiques importing dresses, especially for reorders.
In a pre-pandemic year, Williams said, she reorders hundreds of prom dresses per week in January to make sure she has enough sizes and variety for her clients. But this January she’s only been able to order dozens of dresses per week, due to supply chain issues.
Traditionally, the biggest months of the year to shop for prom dresses are January, February and March.
Williams said seniors who haven’t yet bought their dresses for this spring’s prom need to realize they’re lagging behind and need to lower their expectations, or make them more realistic.
“Their ideal dress, yes, may not be available today. But there is a dress that will fit them, look beautiful, and be on trend that is available. And not just in my store, but at a lot of people’s stores,” the boutique owner said.
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Since most people buying prom dresses will need to have alterations, Williams said, it’s also important to immediately make an appointment with a seamstress once you find your dress — and make sure you bring your prom shoes with you.
Her shop does alterations.
If a student just needs to have their shoulder strap or hem adjusted, Williams said they could even try going to a dry cleaner for that.
Replicating Barbie dress
Sheyenne Faircloth, a senior at William Penn, is customizing her prom dress from a $7 emerald green velvet dress she purchased on clearance at a store with her sister before the pandemic.
The senior has a seamstress friend at school who’s helping her tackle the prom dress. She originally didn’t buy the dress for prom. But eventually, she realized it was a good choice.
“There’s something about creating something and then putting a lot of work into it and a lot of imagination,” Faircloth explained. “To me, that’s special and that’s important, especially for a dress for something like prom.”
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Her dress was inspired by a 2009 film she enjoyed as a child: “Barbie and the Three Musketeers.” One of the sword-wielding Barbie characters sports a big green ball gown that converts into a skirt. Faircloth is aiming for a similar aesthetic.
“I always thought that was so cool because of the duality of it. I wanted something similar to that.”
Prom advice from a 5-year-old?
Taral Mable-Pearson, a senior at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, didn’t have much of an issue finding a prom dress to wear to her school’s dance at the Inn At Mendenhall in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on May 27.
In fact, she already has two dresses at home she’s still choosing between.
One is a black dress she bought online for about $250. The other is a red dress her best friend’s sibling lent her, which cost about $1,000, she said.
Mable-Pearson, 18, of Newark, said she’s not sure why she hasn’t settled on the dress she wants to wear, so she might have to do a coin flip.
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Her indecisiveness might have something to do with the fact that it was only last month that she decided she wanted to attend prom. Her reason for initially not wanting to go was based on a philosophical belief she formed a long time ago.
“This might sound crazy because … I was between the ages of 5 and 7 when I made this decision,” she said.
“People put out hundreds and thousands of dollars for one day for things they’re never going to wear again,” Mable-Pearson explained. “That’s a waste of money. Why do that when you could just put it towards college?”
But one day at school, while heading to sociology class, the idea to attend prom popped into her head. “I started getting excited and looking at prom dresses, and my friends were excited.”
She’s also moving seven hours away to study nursing at North Carolina A&T University, so prom will give this “Grey’s Anatomy” fan a chance to have fun with peers she won’t be able to easily see when college starts, Mable-Pearson said.
Reality trumps Snapchat
Dario Cinaglia, a senior at Middletown High, has chosen to keep his prom outfit simple.
He’s going to wear the black suit he performs in for the school’s concert band. But the trombonist said he’s considering wearing a tie that matches his date’s prom dress.
The senior, who also is a member of the marching band and choir, said the pandemic has been hard for him because he’s had limited opportunities to express himself artistically at school.
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On top of that, Cinaglia said, the school lost the marching band director, choral director and concert band over the pandemic. They all left to work at the new Odessa High School.
Despite all of that, the situation brought him and his musical peers closer together, because they needed each other to stay strong, he said.
The last two years have reminded Cinaglia to not take his friendships for granted, which is why he’s extra excited for prom.
“What this pandemic did, and now that we’re coming out of it, is it really let us know how important your face-to-face interactions are, and going and seeing the people that you that you love instead of just talking to them on Instagram or Snapchat,” he said.
Dusting off pre-pandemic dress
Batzel said the pandemic has isolated her from spending time with her peers, which has been a bit tough on her.
She also missed out on some major senior activities, such as senior picnic.
But she’s thankful to be able to reclaim a bit of normalcy with prom this spring, she said. And it’s not just about attending the event, but also the experience leading up to it.
“It’s going to be huge for all of us,” the William Penn senior said about prom. “Me and my friends are going to be getting ready together. I look forward to that even kind of more than the dance because we’re building that connection.”
William Penn will have a Roaring Twenties-themed prom. Batzel realizes her mermaid-style blue dress that she bought pre-pandemic doesn’t quite fit that theme.
Yet she’s grateful to be in a position where she has a dress, instead of being hot under the collar trying to find one like some of her peers are doing now.
“I wish I would have had the opportunity to listen to what theme we were having, and then choose the color based off the theme,” she said.
“But also I absolutely adore my dress!” and “I am glad I get to make use of the dress that’s not just sitting in my closet.”
Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.
