Teenage girls always consider their prom dresses special. They scan magazines and scour stores and boutiques for just the right look. Two seniors at Clarkstown South High School, Tina Savarese and Victoria Iglesias, took a dramatically different approach and chose to have a classmate design their gowns for the prom.
Seniors Savarese and Tony Finnerty began discussing the possibility of Finnerty creating her gown last November. The conversations led to numerous sketches, lots of fabric swatches and eventually a pale pink crepe halter neck gown with iridescent lace inserts and a low cut back.
Savarese, who will attend SUNY Purchase, said creating a gown with fellow International Baccalaureate (IB) student Finnerty, who will study fashion design at FIT in the fall, seemed like a great idea.
“I figured it was perfect for me to get what I wanted and for his college portfolio,” said Savarese of Congers, adding she told him which colors and fabrics she liked but he was the “mastermind.”
Finnerty, also of Congers, said he was serious about the process although he got a bit nervous when the dresses were sewn so he asked the girls to come over right away for fittings. Although he designed collections in his IB program, the prom dresses were a first for him.
“I bought the fabric,” he said. “I made the patterns. I draped it together. I made the whole thing start to finish.”
Finnerty enjoyed designing the gown.
“I loved the experience of doing her dress,” he said. “It was totally fun.”
New City resident Iglesias had very specific ideas for her off white jersey gown, which is based on a dress worn in the movie “Factory Girl.”
The major difference from the dress worn in the movie is Iglesias’ version is full length and has a slit on the side.
She said the other details are similar, “High neck, tight long sleeves, (the) back is very low.” “It’s supposed to be referential to 60s culture,” he said.
Finnerty added that Iglesias’ gown is not a typical prom dress but “I wanted her to feel gorgeous.”
Iglesias, who will attend Eugene Lang College at The New School, said she is sort of keeping quiet about her dress. She has told friends about it but had only shown them the picture of the dress from the movie.
Finnerty is finishing the final tailoring of the gowns before the students’ prom Saturday night at the Westchester Marriott.
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