A high school student made her own prom dress out of pages from the Harry Potter books – after she said the series helped get her through her parents’ divorce.
Hailey Skoch, 18, from Prairie Grove, Arkansas, revealed that she created her own gown out of the pages from her favorite book series, which she artfully folded and fanned out in a beautiful design.
The teen spent four days putting together the stunning number, ripping, folding, sewing, and gluing for hours on end, and sometimes working long into the night.
Hailey explained that she was inspired by a dress that she saw on TikTok, but decided that she could ‘do it better.’
A high school student made her own prom dress out of pages from the Harry Potter books – after she said the series helped get her through her parents’ divorce
Hailey Skoch, 18, from Arkansas, revealed that she created her own gown out of the pages from her favorite book series
The teen spent four daysputting together the stunning number, ripping, folding, sewing, and gluing for hours on end, and sometimes working long into the night
‘I really wanted to do something more unconventional, and I’ve been obsessed with Harry Potter forever,’ she explained to ArkTimes.
‘I love to read. So I threw some stuff together and decided to make it a ballgown.’
Hailey credits her mom Valerie, who works as a costume maker, with really helping the design come together.
‘She just completely helped me put it all together with the corset and gave me some great ideas for the bodice,’ she gushed.
The Harry Potter books have a special meaning to the high schooler, who explained to Fox23 that that they were the ‘books of her childhood’ and that they ‘brought her peace’ after her parents got divorced.
Hailey explained that she was inspired by a dress that she saw on TikTok, but decided that she could ‘do it better’
The Harry Potter books have a special meaning to the high schooler, who explained to Fox23 that that they were the ‘books of her childhood’
She said they ‘brought her peace’ after her parents got divorced
And although it took a long time to create, Hailey said keeping the magical film series on in the background while she worked on it helped keep her going
And although the dress took a long time to create, Hailey said keeping the magical film series on in the background while she worked helped keep her going.
‘I was binge watching the whole Harry potter series so you can’t just get half way through and wait a week and watch the rest,’ she told Fox23.
‘You start on a project like that, you just have to get it done as fast as possible.’
Hailey, who has plans to study psychology at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville next year, said her classmates were completely in awe of the intricate gown.
She said everyone’s heads turned as she walked into the party, calling it ‘the craziest feeling she’s ever had.’
‘It was completely insane because I just kind of entered [prom] and everyone was kind a doing their own thing. One person saw me, and then another,’ she recalled to ArkTimes.
‘It was almost creepy in sync, everyone’s heads just turned. It was the craziest feeling I’ve ever had.’
Although she originally dreamed of being a therapist, she is now considering other career choices – like fashion design.
Hailey, who has plans to study psychology at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville next year, said her classmates were completely in awe of the intricate gown
She said everyone’s heads turned as she walked into the party, calling it ‘the craziest feeling she’s ever had’
Although she originally dreamed of being a therapist, she is now considering other career choices – like fashion design
Hailey posted some snaps of her breathtaking dress online, and they quickly went viral, gaining thousands of likes and comments in a matter of days
‘It’s not every day that someone tells you that you could pursue your hobby,’ she added to Fox23.
Hailey posted some snaps of her breathtaking dress online, and they quickly went viral, gaining thousands of likes and comments in a matter of days.
‘I made my dress! I wore it to prom pictures and wow, I was not expecting all the support and compliments,’ she wrote on Instagram, alongside a few photos of herself in the gown.
‘Thanks for all the love guys. I’m obsessed with this look and it was made from the books of my childhood, Harry Potter.
‘For me this is a piece of art about growth and transition into my adult self as I wear the words that brought me so much peace in my youth.’
Social media commenters gushed over Hailey’s creation.
Many commenters couldn’t stop gushing over Hailey’s creation
After receiving a lot of traction online, the 18-year-old said designers and photographers have reached out to her, as well as two libraries – who asked if they could put the dress on display
‘That’s amazing,’ wrote one person, while another added, ‘Just here to say this is absolutely amazing and beautiful!’
‘That’s so pretty and cool,’ someone else said, and a fourth person agreed, ‘This is outstanding! I hope you consider design in the future.’
‘Omg you are so talented,’ read a different comment.
After receiving a lot of traction online, the 18-year-old said designers and photographers have also reached out to her, as well as two different libraries in Arkansas, who asked her if they could put the dress on display.
‘I was this shy, nerdy, geeky kid that was looking for some magic in my life,’ she said. ‘[These books were] just such an inspiration at a time when I was so vulnerable and needed it most… I have such a great love for these books.’