media by Ally Kelley

A graphic displays the headline, “Stress About the Dress” to introduce the article.

Homecoming Week is busy. From spirit days to Powder Puff, assemblies to bonfires and games to the actual dance, schedules get packed. 

As if that wasn’t enough, reservations must be made. Plans must be scheduled. And, outfits must be prepared. Outfits at places like the mall, where so many go to get the cutest dress or tie. 

But, how do you ensure you get the dress you want so that your night is perfect?

For Sophia Miller ‘25, that meant going on a shopping spree over the summer.

“I went with a group [and] we got our [dresses] like, really early,” Miller said. “[That was] probably mid-June.”

While June may seem early for some, Miller’s group aimed to beat the crowd to the stores. 

“We knew that everything was going to get sold out very quickly,” Miller said.

Harper Bezemek-Aguilar ‘26 and her friends hit the mall a bit later than Miller, still before many others went.

“Me and my friends went shopping a few weeks ago. We wanted to go a little bit early just to have more variety. We all went to the mall and got dressed together,” Bezemek-Aguilar said.

Contrary to the group’s expectations, they found a wide variety of dresses.

“We went to a few different stores and I was actually kind of shocked about how many good dresses they had,” Bezemek-Aguilar said. “We all got a good price for our dresses, and they [are] pretty good dresses too.”

For others, getting an outfit wasn’t their top priority.

“I got [my dress] last weekend, and I got it from Apricot Lane. It was [around] $40 because it was like, 30% off,” Kelsey Ekstrom ‘24 said. 

Ekstrom and Avery Starishevsky ‘24 both purchased dresses closer to the dance. 

“[I got mine] a couple of weeks ago,” Starishevsky said. “[And] I’m pretty sure I got it at Windsor.”

It’s important to note that while some planned for weeks, others were more spontaneous.

“We didn’t know if we were going to go to Homecoming,” Ekstrom said. “We didn’t really have any plans.”