School dances are always an event where people are searching high and low for their dance outfits. Whether you want to wear a dress, suit, jumpsuit, or maybe even sweatpants, there are a whole bunch of places you can shop. 

Most people who go to these school dances like Midwinter or Prom understand the importance of finding the perfect outfit. It has to portray you in a specific way and show your personality. People take school dances as a chance to dress up and feel good about themselves. What you wear is a big part of that so people take great pride in wearing something that they like and makes them feel like they look pretty or handsome.

North students were asked in a survey where they shopped for this year’s Midwinter dance. While there were many different answers, the most popular consisted of big chain stores. Most girls said they shopped at Macy’s, Windsor, or Forever 21. At the same time, guys went to Nordstrom or Macy’s. Of course, there were those people who already had things hidden away at home like one of their parent’s past vintage outfits or even something they bought from the thrift store. 

The price ranges for these places were relatively affordable. Of course, it depends on what kind of outfit you are looking for. If you went to a Windsor the prices could range from as low as $10 to $300 online. For Forever 21 the prices range from $10 to $69, much cheaper than the previous option. While at Macy’s their dresses were from $28 to $400. The longer and fancier the dress the more expensive it would end up being. For guys, the prices at all of these places ranged between $20 and $400. 

All of the listed places are the most popular and easiest to be accessed in the Riverside area. You can find all of these places at the Moreno Valley Mall, Tyler Mall, and Ontario Mills, and even just look them up and they’d probably be in a shopping center near you.

Now looking at the sustainability and effect on the environment that these brands have Forever 21 is very conscious of the effect that their packaging can have on the environment. But their clothes are almost 100% synthetic material which cannot be recycled. While Macy’s is working towards making itself more sustainable as well they still need to work on the recyclability of its items. They have not announced very many efforts to make themselves more sustainable but have set a goal of 50% sustainability as of 2022.  Nordstrom on the other hand has a section of clothing that is made up of at least 50% recyclable material. While this is better than a few of the other brands it is not good enough. Nothing was found on the sustainability of Windsor but we cannot assume that they are doing what is best for the environment as most big brands these days do not.

Overall, shopping for Midwinter or Prom is supposed to be a fun experience for you to do with your friends, family, or yourself. Looking at how your purchase will affect the environment is very important as well as if the brand supports the same efforts that you do. But sometimes the best you can do is find an outfit that you like, and wear it how you want to. Most importantly, have fun.