24 Stunning Prom Dresses People Actually Made Themselves
Made by talented people (or sometimes their moms and aunts), tons of patience, and probably magic as well.
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to show off their DIY prom dresses and the results are quite stunning. Check 'em out:
1. A strapless blue stunner that turned the streets of Dallas into Nicole's personal runway!!
"I’m a senior in Dallas and we had to make our prom dress for a project in fashion class. I’m pretty damn proud of it." —nicoleraney
2. A gold-embellished floor sweeper channeling some serious ~old Hollywood glam~. And that elegant hair swoop, I cannot!!
"I made this dress for my senior prom six years ago. I’m sad that I don’t have a picture of the plunging v open back, but I’m still proud of it. I was obsessed with old Hollywood at the time and really wanted to look like Hedy Lamarr or Rita Hayworth. I draped and patterned the dress myself based on pictures of 1930s/ 40s red carpet gowns." —Nicole S.
3. A darling revamped gown with a silhouette-patterned top Anne found and sewed on herself — because we like mixing the old and new here, okurrr?
"Bought a custom dress from a Chinese website for pretty cheap. It fit but looked almost nothing like the picture — I loved the skirt but hated the top, so I spent several nights making my own pattern and then hand-sewing it onto the top of the dress. Loved it way more than the original!" —Anne Marie H.
4. A two-toned twirler with — 🚨 alert the authorities 🚨 — POCKETS!!! If that's not reason enough to dust off your sewing machine, I don't know what is.
"Finished it two days before prom!" —Vanessa F.
5. A silky red gown that's the IRL embodiment of the 💃 emoji, but a thousand times better IMHO.
"I made my dresses both years that I went to prom. This is for junior year." —Cami W.
6. A classic but alluring black number that deserves a medal for its last-minute win.
"And this was senior year's. I finished sewing this dress during the car ride over to take prom photos." —Cami W.
7. A velvet blue dream with a keyhole front and massive bow in the back, aka where the party is. (I had to.) 😉
"First time sewing with velvet. Made entirely by hand. I altered the pattern to add the keyhole detail and the bow!" —Sam C.
8. A hand-beaded and hand-laced showstopper that an ethereal forest fairy would probably wear to prom, if they decided to. Which they totally could. Also, #talentedmom.
"My mom made this dress for me! She spent hours adding intricate beading and lace work to the bodice of the dress. I absolutely loved the dress and am very grateful to have such a talented mother!" —everaftermt
9. A red dress that goes beyond the fabric and represents a bond between mom and daughter, as well as a proud step towards recovery — you look FAB and we're cheering you on!
"My mom and I made my prom dress. It was kind of hard to do at first because I’m recovering from an eating disorder so I didn’t want her to measure me, but we eventually overcame it and made a beautiful dress!" —Maia R.
10. A hand-dyed watercolored wonder of the world that looks like it was MEANT to be twirled in all day and night — against a city backdrop, no less.
"My best friend made her prom dress. She had to hand dye it and everything — it was so pretty." —Nicole L.
(Also, is it just me or does she look like Sarah Hyland??)
11. A gold and black stunner that you'd legit see on the rack of a department store — but nope, all made by hand! That, right there, is t-a-l-e-n-t.
"My mom and I spent about three months making this dress from a pattern that I found my freshman year! Honestly still my favorite dress and people are still amazed that we made it by hand!" —Claire H.
12. A rainbow flurry of a prom dress that everyone would definitely, as OneRepublic would say, ~stop and stare~ at.
"My mom and I made my prom dress two years ago. I wanted a rainbow dress, and there was nothing online that I wanted. I love this dress and I certainly stood out from the crowd! Also, my unamused face as people kept on driving past."
13. A princess-esque gown with a voluminous skirt that'll definitely be crowned ~Prom Queen~, hands down.
"My aunt made mine for me! I felt like a princess!" —bskyej
14. A red siren stunner anyone in their right mind would be 😍 about.
"For my senior prom in 2005 I used patterns from a store and sewed it myself with some help from my mom. It didn’t turn out the way I pictured and I didn’t have boobs to fill in the top, but I still wore it!" —Kristin J.
15. A strapless frock with a sweetheart bodice decorated with 👏reversible sequins👏 that a very talented mom made, because her darling must shine the brightest!
"My mom made mine. The top had reversible sequins and many people played with them throughout the night." —lilianamary
16. A gothic-inspired dress that always knew it was destined to stand out — whether on a runway, in a forest, or even at a Catholic school prom.
"I couldn’t find a dress that I thought suited me, so my mom and I made this one! I’m so happy with how it came out and it was certainly unique at a Catholic school prom!" —Tara V.
17. And on the other side of a spectrum, a dainty white lace number that surprised more than a few fellow classmates, and not just because of its intricate handiwork.
"Dug out and scanned actual photographs for this. My 2001 junior prom dress (it's really two pieces). My mom made it for me but I helped out with the hooks and eyes on the front and the grommets on the back. I was going for a Victorian undergarments look, which took a lot of people by surprise because I was the hardcore goth girl at school and this was not what they were expecting to see me in." —Crystal K.
18. A pretty-in-pink number that'll make anyone's prom night feel like Cinderella's ball.
"My mom actually made my prom dress and I loved it! It was so unique and made me feel like a princess! It’s a dress I’ll keep forever!" —Adriana K.
19. A stunning gown inspired by Katniss Everden's Girl on Fire ensemble. Someone call up District 12, because it's stolen our hearts!
"This was back in the days when The Hunger Games was big, so I made my best interpretation of the Girl on Fire dress. I used some of the extra tulle to make a corsage, and there’s a mockingjay pin at the top." —steelplatedhearts
20. An intricately patterned dress that only took a day to make! A day! Just one! What kind of wizardry is this???
"I made and patterned mine in one day, less than a week before prom, with no backup plan." —aesoz
21. A horse-approved white frock that was gussied up from an ordinary, cheap dress to a prom-ready number capable of dancing the night away!
"I bought a dress from Ross for $7 and for prom I removed the short skirt, sewed on a long skirt, attached a sheer overlay, and then added beading onto the lace bodice to embellish it. I didn’t completely make it but I changed it enough that it ended up being totally different." —Savannah E.
22. A one-shoulder stunner only the most highly-esteemed goddesses wear — silver platform heels are not optional.
"This was in 2012. I was going for a nighttime Grecian goddess. :) All hand-beaded on the bodice! All done by myself! —Zena S.
23. A ready-to-mingle magenta number made with lots of love and dedication — over 100 rhinestones, count 'em!!
"I made this in 2014: a hot pink ruched bodice with a magenta tulle overskirt. The bodice had Swarovski heart crystals glued on, and the skirt had over 100 rhinestones individually attached." —Sam C.
24. And, to finish it all off, a darling silver lace gown I could see parading down a red carpet in the near future. Interested in making it in Hollywood, Abby?
"I'm furthest on the left!" —Abby L.
Want more prom posts? Check out Prom Season on As/Is!
