by Giselle Galarza

As seniors prepare for prom, the female students interviewed by The Student Voice said they are choosing altered dresses over handmade.

“If you get made dresses, it’s a little more pricey,” senior Kathrina Carvajal said. “The two dresses are the same quality though.”

Senior Sabrina Aberin said she also prefers an altered dress without seeing any difference in quality.

“It’s cheaper and I like the style,” Aberin said. “With a made dress, you would have to wait longer, but they’re both the same material.”

According to senior Takera Davis, more than quality and price piqued her interest in an altered dress.

“I’d rather see it in the store, grab it and wear my size,” Davis said. “I thought about getting a made dress, but you would have to wait really long, and I don’t want to get the dress and not like it.”

Senior Tyteonna Emanuel said she chose an altered dress to save herself from waiting; however, she said there can be problems with size in an altered dress too.

“I bought an altered dress so I don’t have to wait long for a made dress that I wouldn’t end up liking,” Emanuel said. “But, if there is a problem and [the altered dress] doesn’t fit, I’ll have to get it trimmed down.”

Having a dress altered also allows individuals to try it on first and imagine themselves in it, according to Emanuel.

“With a made dress, you might not get it how you pictured it to look,” Emanuel said. “With an altered dress, it’s in the store, so you can imagine how you’d look better and you can try it on right there.”

Senior Shadae Waiters said she chose to have a dress made because she wanted to be “different.”

“I got an altered dress for junior prom, so I decided to get a made dress to go all out for senior year and because it’s something different,” Waiters said.

There are a couple keys things about the dress that aren’t different from an altered dress, according to Waiters.

“There’s no difference in quality or price,” Waiters said. “It all depends [on] where you go.”

Although Waiters received her made dress on time before prom, she said it isn’t because she went early to get it made, but because of the seamstress she went to.

 “She did it really fast,” Waiters said. “While all these seniors are stressing out and waiting forever, my dress only took like three months.”