Prom season is approaching; a time to go shopping for the perfect outfit. It’s a process that takes a lot of time and deliberation, which is why it’s good to shop in all the places and as early as possible. As you may have seen in the halls, CIHS, namely Mrs. Villatoro and Mrs. Roderick, made the process a little bit easier by bringing some beautiful dresses for you to choose from on Wednesday, March 20th, and Thursday, March 21st, from 2 to 4 pm. All seniors were welcome.

This presented a great opportunity to go thrifting for a nice dress. It has lately become a trend, although some people have been doing it awhile. Students were able to get that vintage experience without ever leaving the school. They were able to try on some dresses and take pictures with their friends while getting some memories to cherish forever. The experience provided a nice way to revive old dresses that would have never been worn again. Students could accessorize it, give it character, and make it their own.

We are in a fast fashion epidemic, and it is affecting our planet terribly. Fast fashion is one of the biggest pollution producers at the moment. It dries up and pollutes our water, and is responsible for 10% of global emission. That may not seem like much, but it’s a big world and a lot is being affected. Learn more about that, here. We have one planet and it is our job to protect and care for it. So save the environment and contribute to slow fashion, which is the only way to slow down fast fashion. By buying second-hand clothes, like the ones that seniors were able to pick out last week, they were helping to save the environment.

Even if you loved the idea, you may have felt like none of the dresses at school really called to you, which is understandable. That’s why it’s good to start shopping early and the ones at school are just the beginning. So after trying that, here are places and websites to rent or buy some beautiful dresses, and even outfits afterwards. Central Islip has many thrift shops with beautiful dresses, jewelry, and shoes. Here is a list of the best 10 thrift shops in CI according to Yelp. There are also websites like  Rent the Runway,  where you can rent a dress right off the runway. You can also have a subscription where every month, you pick some nice clothes to rent, send back the ones that don’t match you, and buy those you wish to keep forever. There are also many websites like ThredUp, Poshmark, Vinted, and Vestiaire Collective.

So, shop and create memories. Try to stay away from problematic fast fashion and get a true piece, beautifully made for you, either at school or one of the websites above. Help the environment and bring that vintage feel to prom this year!