While prom is a rite of passage for many teens, it can also turn into a pricey night out when you have to factor the cost of an outfit, hair and makeup and transport into proceedings.
But a thrifty fashion blogger has proved that you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a dress to be the belle of the ball.
Taking to YouTube, Amber Scholl, 24, from Los Angeles revealed that she had been contacted by lots of high schoolers about doing a video ahead of prom season so she decided to see if she could DIY her own prom dress.
DIY: Amber Scholl, 24, from Los Angeles, took to her YouTube channel to reveal how she transformed a $4 dress into this statement gown
Before: Amber purchased this short flared skirt dress from her local Good Will thrift store
‘You don’t need to break the bank to look fab,’ she told the camera.
Heading to her local Good Will thrift store, Amber bought a black dress with a plunging neckline and full skirt for $4.
Revealing that she had no preconceived ideas about what kind of dress she was going to buy she tried on several dresses before settling on a style.
A fan of customizing her own clothes and interiors, Amber then traveled to Imperial Trim & Bead in downtown LA to purchase some materials.
The owner Benjamin then helped her select a crystal mesh and a feather trim so she could pimp put her prom dress, however Amber admitted that although she loved the materials she bought, she didn’t have a plan.
She also bought a needle and thread and some glue.
‘Disclaimer, I don’t really know what I’m doing because I’ve never done this before so we’re just going to see what we come up with,’ she added.
Amber then tried on the dress before she made any changes to it to try and help her decide on a plan of action.
‘First things first, the skirt is flared so we’re going to go ahead and make it tight,’ she explained.
She then removed the dress and admitted that although she didn’t really know what she was doing, she ‘folded it like origami’ before stitching the pieces together at the back.
‘Since you’re not going to be able to see this you can totally make a mess,’ she added.
Customized: A fan of customizing her own clothes and interiors, Amber purchased beaded material to attach to the dress
New look: She also pinned back the skirt to give it a bodycon effect before attaching a feather skirt to the back
Finished result: Amber’s dress looked completely different by the time she had made the alterations to it and she admitted it looked ‘fabulous’
Next, she tried the dress back on to show how it was tight on the bottom half before explaining that she was going to add the crystal mesh to the front of the dress.
Laying it on top of the front of the dress, she secured the mesh in place, cutting out the neckline.
She then made a neckpiece using the same crystal fabric and added hooks at the back to secure the choker in place.
For the final touch, Amber wrapped a feather piece around her waist and then sewed it in place, creating an over-skirt effect at the back.
She then tried on the finished product and said: ‘Wow, it’s fabulous. I’m living for the drama of this skirt. I’d say we did a damn good job’.
Since posting about the video on her Twitter page, Amber’s creation has gone viral, gaining over 139,000 likes in a matter of days.
And hundreds of people have also taken to the comments section to voice their appreciation.
Twitter user Elle Mae wrote: ‘That’s genuinely amazing! I used to love doing things like that! Yeah i think it looks great how it is! It is gorgeous definitely looks expensive!’
A sentiment shared by @michaelas_music who typed: ‘honestly u need to become an official designer’.
And Salami Azeez Abiodun wrote: ‘You need to open your own fashion house. This is so lovely’.