Kalani offers prom-dress swap
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
High schoolers, dust off your old prom dresses and bring them to Kalani High School's cafeteria in February for a sale and swap meet.
• What: Price of Fashion prom-wear sale and swap meet • When: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 21 • Where: Kalani High School cafeteria. • Admission: 50 cents for buyers, with proceeds being donated to a homeless shelter. • Information: Call the student activities office at 377-7744, Ext. 265.
Sponsored by the school's sophomore class, the Price of Fashion will provide a venue to sell the old, swap for something new or just pocket the cash.
Price of Fashion
"We wanted to provide students with an opportunity to purchase prom dresses at a cheaper price," said Kelsey Chinen, sophomore class president.
The prom-dress sale or swap is open to high-school students islandwide. There are a couple of catches: The dresses must be in good condition and fit in with today's fashion trends, and the owner of the dress must stay and sell it. No unfashionable vintage dresses, please.
With prom dresses and accessories — gloves, shoes, jewelry and purses — costing more than $300 new, the students saw the Price of Fashion as an affordable alternative, said Charlys Kiyota, sophomore class vice president.
"We're looking for all students to come with their prom dresses, shoes, jewelry, purses and gloves," Kiyota said. "We're doing this for a community service project."
At Kalani, each class must take on a community service project as a way to teach students leadership skills, said Diana Woitovitch, the school's student activities coordinator.
"We want students to learn how to organize a project and how to get other students involved," she said. "We wanted them to think outside the box, to do something that benefits the community at large."
Donations of old prom dresses are welcome, too, Woitovitch said. Any money made on a donated dress will go to a homeless shelter.
Eight dressing rooms will be put up in the cafeteria so girls can try on dresses before making a purchase, said Janet Li, sophomore class corresponding secretary.
Such events are popular at schools on the Mainland, Woitovitch said. At Kaiser High School, a similar prom-dress swap goes on, but students there can borrow a donated dress held by the school's Parent Community Networking Center coordinator, but must return it cleaned after the prom.
Chinen said fliers will be sent to other high schools, along with letters asking that other students be told about Price of Fashion.
"The target is islandwide for students to look at prom dresses at reasonable prices, so they can spend their money on other things," Woitovitch said.
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
