Dresses and suits are free for teens chasing prom dreams at this NYC shop: ‘It’s a rite of passage’
NY Post
Bianca, a high school senior, giggles with her friends as they huddle around the full-length mirror, taking turns to admire their chosen prom gowns giddily.
The 18-year-old is gushing over the black dress she picked for her senior prom in June, smoothing out the relaxed tulle skirt adorned with tiny stars, which she describes excitedly as having a “2000s vibe.”
The best part? It’s free.
“Prom dresses can range from $300 to $600, sometimes $1,000, and nobody has money for that,” Bianca, who declined to provide her last name, told The Post while attending the Prom Clothing Giveaway in Washington Heights.
Coupled with the cost of hair, makeup, jewelry and shoes, the highly anticipated school dance — a rite of passage, if you will — comes at a staggering price for just one night.
But at the Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center on Saturday, it was a prom free-for-all, with dozens of formal attire offered free of charge thanks to Operation Prom, a national nonprofit organization that collects thousands of donations for formal attire and gives them away to prom-bound students.
