Upperclassmen girls know that saying yes to a dress can be a long journey when it comes to prom. First there’s finding the color and style one likes, then a size that fits, then a price that’s manageable. It can be a hassle to settle on something “perfect.” This year, however, Isabel Buescher (’26) took a different route for her prom fit.
“I decided to make my own dress because I thought it would be more fun, and I can have control over how it looks,” Buescher said.
She got the idea after struggling to find a homecoming dress she liked. So when it came to prom, Buescher crafted the exact kind of dress she wanted—sage green with embroidered vines and flowers.
“I like how she expresses her personality through what she creates,” Tess Reynolds (’26) said. “I think the green color shows her connection with nature. And I like the discrete glitter because she can be a discrete person, but she still shines.”
After determining how she wanted it to look, Buescher used the website sewist.com to put together a pattern—the blueprint for making a specific dress design. She measured herself for a custom fit and tested out the planned size by sewing a mock dress with old sheets. This allowed her to make adjustments for the real dress, which consisted of two layers: a green satin on the bottom and a sparkly organza on the top.
“The hardest part has been sewing two different types of fabric together without them shifting,” Buescher said.
As much as Buescher has personally enjoyed creating her own prom dress, she doesn’t think it’s for everyone.
“If someone just wants a dress that looks how they want but doesn’t actually like sewing, I wouldn’t recommend it,” Buescher said. “But for people who like making stuff I would recommend it.”
For Buescher, the prom dress was far from the first clothing item she’s made. She frequently crochets hats, knits scarves and even makes her own jewelry. She also expresses her creativity through pottery, where she’s been using wild clay and plant ash to make pots for her AP art portfolio.
“I like making stuff I can actually use,” Buescher said. “I made some fingerless gloves last year and was really happy with how they turned out. I’ve never seen anything like them at the store. They were helpful on the academy bus last year in the winter so I could still use my fingers for stuff, but my hands would stay warm.”
With such an intense involvement in crafting, some wonder if Buescher will turn her creations into a career. While she does plan to continue her hobbies, Buescher has had a lifelong passion for veterinary science and will be majoring in wildlife conservation at Virginia Tech next year.
“It’s a rare skill in today’s generation to be able to make your own stuff from scratch,” Reynolds said. “I think it just reflects her creative spirit. She uses her artistic abilities, [which] are really impressive, to express herself and to show how she’s unique.”
