Photography by Turner Photography Studio | Posted on 04.12.17

In a few weeks the teenagers usually found in ripped jeans and baggy sweatshirts will emerge on prom night looking like something from Hollywood’s red carpet. High school proms have certainly changed through the decades. No longer held in school gymnasiums decorated by students, instead it’s a night of limos and fancy dinners before the dance.

But one thing remains—finding the perfect prom dress. This season, many young women are looking for form-fitting gowns and dresses that come in two pieces with a little exposed midriff.

Brittany Carpenter, manager of Chic to Chic Consignment Boutique in Downtown Frederick says each year the gown hunt starts earlier. “We had girls in here in December.” The shop includes previously worn dresses as well as those still with their price tags, the bottom line being, well, the bottom line—you don’t need to spend a fortune.

Carpenter gets a twinkle in her eye when thinking back some years to her own prom gown. “I went vintage with a short gown,” she says. “And it was $10.”