In good times and in hard times, the frugal formal is always in style

Consignment shops and online shopping are pure gold for the thrifty teen. Even as the price of oil remains volatile, pinching the parental pocketbook, young women (and men) in Edmonton have plenty of options when it comes to grad fashions.

Consignment, thrift and vintage shops are overflowing with items — from shimmery clutches to patent spiked heels — that can be had for a few dollars. At the same time, a couple of local organizations, Cinderella’s Closet and The Gregor Foundation, will make dresses and men’s suits available for free for students from low-income households, as long as they have a referral from a counsellor or teacher.

Online options from Kijiji to Etsy to Mod Cloth, and other shops without storefronts, turn a lack of overhead into bargains for the discerning virtual shopper.

With her mother’s $100 budget in mind, Freya Hammond-Thrasher, 17, of Old Scona High School thought hard about how to put something together that she’d be pleased with. She wanted to look good, but also to feel good.

“I want those memories, but looking confident is what I’m going for,” says Hammond-Thrasher.

After checking out the traditional selections at local bridal-style shops, she turned to online clothing sites. Hammond-Thrasher eventually scored a $60 dress ($80 with shipping) that perfectly suits her boho chic style and willowy frame. She has paired the purple, sequined, cocktail-length, flapper-style dress with a simple silver clutch.

“To be honest, floor-length dresses aren’t necessarily my thing,” she says. “It doesn’t seem to suit me and for the price — from $200 to $1,000 — that was just something I was not interested in.”

Hammond-Thrasher’s twin sister, Stephie, also found part of her outfit online — a floor-length, voluminous floral skirt that she plans to wear with a cropped top. Some shoppers worry about sizes with online purchases, but the price of the skirt was so reasonable that Stephie could afford to have it tailored locally.

Tailoring is not a problem when the cost of the garment is low, says clerk Tiana Barnes of Divine Decadence, a used clothing shop on Whyte Avenue.

Tiana Barnes of Divine Decadence says the shop has plenty of vintage clothing at reasonable prices. LIANE FAULDER

“This is a good place to come if you want a certain style and then you can alter it,” she says. “It’s cheap.”

There are dramatic and elegant dresses, and frocks that are pretty “kooky,” she says, pulling a red and white polka-dot number off the rack. The average size is 12 to 14. Expect to spend less than $25 on a dress at Divine Decadence. Full-length gloves and small, boxy bags are available to polish the look.

When Barnes, 18, graduated last year from Victoria High School, she and her girlfriends didn’t spend too much time or money on the event. They set up a Facebook page to share ideas and images of their chosen outfits (which also served to avoid duplication of styles). They visited a number of mall stores, including H& M and Simons, plus Aldo and Forever 21 (the latter two for accessories). In the end, Barnes bought her dress at Anthropologie, but she did have a 25-per-cent off coupon and spent $450. Generally speaking, she thinks dropping big bucks on a high school grad is out of proportion with the event.

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“A lot of girls get these huge, fluffy dresses that are very expensive,” says Barnes. “Personally, grad is an achievement, but in the end, your wedding is the day you should spend a lot of money on a dress.”

If you find the search for just the right look stressful, don’t despair; you are not alone. Have faith that your hours spent trolling online, or stomping around malls will lead to a purchase that makes you feel special in the end. Teacher Corey Nahayowski has worked with graduating class committees at Archbishop O’Leary High School for 12 years. When asked what young women find most stressful about graduating, she chuckled.

“I’d love to say it’s the actual graduation, ensuring they are eligible to graduate,” she says. “But the honest truth is it’s the clothing, the attire, the hair, the makeup. The kids might not be ready to graduate just yet, haven’t got all their credits. But they have their dress.”

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