Island Style
Dream Dress

Keri Haitsuka is passionate about proms. The Castle High School senior has attended 16 of them, spanning several schools. She has a photo album dedicated to prom pictures. There’s a section of her room just for prom favors.

This is a sketch of what Keri Haitsuka’s dream dress looks like for her senior prom, in which she will be a court attendant. She envisions a simple, princess-line sleeveless gown with a short train made of a "slinky, silky fabric, with some crinolines to make the skirt stand out." Gregory Taylor • The Honolulu Advertiser

She has attended each prom with a different date, as she does not have a steady boyfriend. To a few she went stag, dancing with her girlfriends, a situation that is not only socially acceptable but, in her words, "a lot of fun."

Haitsuka is currently busy preparing for her school’s senior prom, to be held May 19, at which she will be an attendant in the prom court. Eight seniors were nominated and elected by their classmates for the prom court.

It is an honor for this outstanding teen, who is also a straight-A student who received early acceptance at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

Haitsuka never wears the same prom dress twice. She calls herself a "fashion rebel."

"I like getting funny looks and standing out," she said.

For her sophomore winter ball, she went funky with spikey hair, a scarf at her neck and a short, strapless, slit-to-here dress with a long coat she found at a vintage store. For a prom with a 1950s theme, she had a poodle skirt made.

For her senior prom, her mother, Joanne Palmeri, said she could have her "dream dress." The theme is "A Night at the Oscars." The color chosen for the court is silver. Haitsuka envisions a simple, princess-line sleeveless gown with a short train made of "a slinky, silky fabric, with some crinolines to make the skirt stand out."

She began looking in bridal and fashion magazines months ago. She decided to have a gown made because, "When there’s a theme or color, it’s better to go to a dressmaker or you can go crazy trying to find exactly the right thing."

Haitsuka selected Roxanne Vogelgesang to make her dress because the Kailua-based custom seamstress had sewn for her before.

She found a Vogue pattern (No. 2392) that is close to what she wants, with alterations to the skirt width and waistline. She found silver sateen with the appropriate weight and drape for the style. She’s well on her way to that dream dress.

Haisuka’s advice to anyone going to a dressmaker is: "Open your mouth. Being polite doesn’t get you what you want. Communication is the key."

To accessorize her dress, Haitsuka will have a rhinestone tiara, the style of which will be selected by the prom queen. She plans to have silver glitter sprayed in her hair.

Haitsuka is fortunate her mother and stepfather run a beauty salon, enabling her to go all out with hair and makeup. She sometimes colors her hair just for a prom.

With all her homework in order, Haitsuka is heading for a perfect prom in her dream dress.

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