Karla, a recent graduate of one high school in Los Angeles, designed an 18th century-style dress for the yearly “Stuck at Prom” competition and was named a finalist last week.
Unlike what we normally expect, the dress is surprisingly made out of duct tape(胶带)Tape is so rigid and you can’t move it like fabric. So it was really challenging to make it all come together. But the fashion-forward teenager overcame that challenge and is now competing for votes to win the grand prize: a $10, 000 scholarship.
Though it’s Karla’name officially in the competition, she said the entire process is more of a collective effort of her family, especially her parents. She and her mom spent at least 120 hours, over many days, working on the dress by trial and error, and used 14 rolls of tape.
“I really love fashion. It’s a really big passion of mine, and I’m willing to try any style.” she said. She often spends hours looking at outfit ideas or different styles, from the 70s to Gothic to Rococo, on Pinterest and TikTok-which is how she found the competition. But it wasn’t until a recent visit to the Getty Museum-the only field trip she took in high school-that she found her inspiration from the 18th century French paintings featuring lavish, ornate dresses and eventually created the possibly award-winning dress.
“It means a lot to me that I was able to make it this far with the support of my parents. As the first generation college student in our family, I wouldn’t want my parents to pay for my tuition(学费)Although there is a long way to go to get the $10, 000 prize, it would really help my parents, and we’re feeling confident and hopeful that we can win.” Karla said. She plans to study business marketing in college, ideally focusing on the fashion industry.
【小题1】What do we know about Karla?| A．She learned about the competition by chance. |
| B．Her parents can’t afford her tuition for college. |
| C．She entered a competition and won the grand prize. |
| D．She designed an 18th century-style dress independently |
| A．The rigid duct tape. | B．The “Stuck at Prom” competition. |
| C．The French paintings in the Getty Museum. | D．The different styles on Pinterest and TikTok. |
| A．Generous and thankful. | B．Ambitious and well-rounded. |
| C．Creative and thoughtful. | D．Determined and humorous. |
| A．A girl’s supportive family. | B．A dress made out of duct tape. |
| C．An eye-catching fashion competition. | D．A teen’s effort to win a scholarship. |
