A singular sensation at prom with custom-made dresses

Myasia McGill knew she wanted to stand out from her classmates at prom. The Dunbar High school younger considered going to the local mall or a boutique to find a designer outfit, but she couldn't risk another girl showing up to the big dance in the same dress. A custom dress would do. "Nobody wants to look like someone else, inches the 16-year-old said. "People are attempting to look better than the next person and win 'best dressed. '" McGill enrolled assistance from Natalie Graham, owner of Toy doll House Boutique, which focuses primarily on one-of-a-kind pieces and custom orders.

 After a series of meetings when the two discussed concepts and conducted accessories, McGill was ready to receive her 2015 prom dresses — a fun and sophisticated fuchsia and fine mesh fit-and-flare number with a tulle skirt. "It's different, inches McGill said. "It's unique. I love it. inches

Myasia McGill Myasia McGill, 16, in front of the mirror with her custom Gorgeous Bateau Neck Black Backless Prom Evening Dress from the Toy doll House boutique. (CHIAKI KAWAJIRI, BALTIMORE SUN) As teens attempt to display their individuality, they may new and more expensive extent. Custom dresses are a way to ensure that they are getting the look they've created. And even though the dresses are more expensive than deciding on a garment from the sheet of a department store or traditional boutique, getting a custom dress alleviates the worry of a classmate showing up in the same design. As a result, designers say, they are inundated with desires for custom dresses in the months and weeks prior prom. Prom spending is expected to average $919 per person this year — with families in the Northeast spending more than the national average, at $1, 169, according to research company GfK.

Custom-dress designers are available their efforts from $400 to more than $1, 000. "Some of these kids are paying more for their prom dresses then i did for my stunning wedding dress, inches said Judy McKinney, whose daughter, Summer, is going to Archbishop Spalding High School's prom next month in a $500 custom gown. "It's the sign of the times, I guess. inches High schoolers have been creating and modifying their prom looks for a while but have really ramped up their efforts in the past five years, according to Zoey California, owner of Little Bird Style, a new York-based hair styling company geared toward teens. "Girls who would traditionally go to the local mall or a specialty boutique have been bringing split sheets to seamstresses and independent designers to create something unique, inches California said. It's an expected development for an age group that has welcomed DIY culture, California said. "It is only natural that they wants the same level of control for special occasions, inches she said. MB Design Gallery Black gown by Michele Blanchard of MB Design Gallery, $1, 100. (Handout) "The pool of accessible prom looks is becoming narrower and narrower as malls like Macy's or even Bloomingdale's are relying on ready-to-wear trends to create special-occasion wear, inches California said. "So if blue is the color of the season in ready-to-wear or the red carpet, then it is the only thing you will see to get. That leaves very little room for originality for teens. So one of these make their own. inches.