Driving the demand for vintage is “the desire to have something unique for what is such a special event in their life”, Rendall says.
A 1960s brocade dress (left), and a 1990s Carla Zampatti dress from vintage dress hire boutique Mondo.Credit:
While Rendall ships dresses around Australia, she says most of her school-aged customers are Brisbane locals who prefer to try before they buy. Most girls come in a group, but some come with their siblings and mothers, all seeking a personalised experience.
“For many, it’s probably the first time they’re wearing formal wear,” Rendall says. “It’s a really nice communal experience.
“A lot of the mums recognise some of the brands that I have from their prime time. So it’s almost a little bit reminiscent for them as well, which is quite sweet.”
Like Miller, Zoe Tsatsimas, a student at Rosebank College in Sydney’s inner west, has been looking forward to her formal for some time.
“We think of it as a really big thing and a big event in our lives that we want to get ready for and enjoy,” Tsatsimas says.
She purchased her dress – a long, corseted red gown – from British retailer House of CB for about $400. The 18-year-old loved the colour and silhouette, and says it matched her friends’ outfits – an important factor given she chose to attend with them rather than a date. All up, Tsatsimas guesses the night will cost about $700.
Ahead of her big night, Tsatsimas says the main thing she is looking forward to is “having one last night with everybody. I’m not going to see them at school again.”
Year 12 student Zoe Tsatsimas ahead of her school formal in Sydney.Credit: Jessica Hromas
Alice Richards, 18, who recently graduated from MLC Melbourne, said her formal this year was warm and welcoming.
Alice Richards with her father before her year 12 formal earlier this year.Credit:
“It was an opportunity for all of us to get together, and it felt very judgment-free,” Richards says. “Everyone was excited to be there for the same reason, and people didn’t really care about the groups that usually form at school.”
Her mum, Jenny, who wore a “strapless velvet dress with a big taffeta skirt” to her formal in 1984, was happy to hear about the “judgment-free” tone of the event, which has come a long way since her school days.
“There is absolutely no way known that you could have gone without a male date or on your own [back then],” Jenny says.
While Alice wore a black, flowy dress from Review and a $10 op-shop purchase to the after-party, she says many of her peers felt pressure to spend beyond their means.
Sam Oakes started The Formal Project in 2019 for this very reason, improving access to formal wear for all teenagers. Housed in the car park of Minto Mall, in Sydney’s south, the volunteer-led initiative provides free dresses and suits to students either in-person or shipped Australia-wide.
This year, Oakes says, they’ve outfitted more than 4000 teens.
“It’s just really important that these kids realise they’re not alone,” she says. “There’s a whole community that has stocked up an entire shop full of dresses because they don’t want these kids to go without. And kids forget that they do have a cheer squad behind them.”
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