‘It has completely exploded’: Teens are eagerly saying yes to the dress with the return of in-person proms

Sukhmani Johal bought her prom dress in January even though she wasn't sure whether she and her classmates would get to celebrate this year because of COVID-19.

But following a directive from the Ministry of Education this month saying Ontario schools must host in-person proms and graduation celebrations, Johal, 18, is now looking forward to wearing her floor-length peach silk dress from Zara to Ursula Franklin Academy's prom in June.

Milestone moments like prom, convocation and graduation were lost to the global pandemic, but this year, with COVID restrictions lifting, the graduating class of 2022 will finally get a chance to celebrate after two years of ongoing lockdowns.

We haven't had a normal celebration in so long so I was really excited to hear that we'd be getting a prom," said Johal, a Grade 12 student. Our last in-school event was a semi-formal dance right before COVID hit, three days before lockdown."

Dress stores in Toronto say there is now much excitement and that they're suddenly witnessing an unprecedented influx of prom dress shoppers. Some stores took a gamble that such occasions would return this year and pre-ordered their stock, but others, facing supply-chain issues, have struggled to bring in new inventory. What formalwear there is in some cases is costing double.

There are so many girls looking for prom and graduation dresses. There has been a rush of shoppers over the last few weeks ... more than we've seen previously around this time," said Susan Belo, co-owner of Belo Fashion Boutique on Roncesvalles Avenue.

But for Belo, the excitement is dampened by the fact her family-run business, which has been operating for more than 40 years, is permanently closing due to pandemic pressures.

It has been exhausting. COVID put quite an impact on the business with all the closures and issues with getting shipments. You couldn't order anything, and nothing would come in. And honestly, there was not enough government support to help small businesses either," Belo said.

Small businesses like Belo Fashions have taken a pounding during the pandemic due to on and off closures, delayed grants from the government, and supply chain challenges.

According to the latest Canadian Federation of Independent Business dashboard, only 33 per cent of small businesses in Ontario have returned to normal sales. On a national level, two-thirds of businesses (67 per cent) reported taking on debt, at an average of $158,000 per business, according to the federation.

Despite retailers putting in contingency plans by placing orders earlier and diversifying suppliers, product delays and shortages, along with price increases, are expected to continue well into 2022, said Michelle Wasylyshen, spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada.

Retailers won't be able to bring in much in the way of new inventory, given that fashion requires a long lead time," said Wasylyshen in an email. Some retailers may have predicted that COVID would be slowing down by now and so they may have brought in inventory. Others might have some past inventory on hand given slow sales for this product during the pandemic."

Belo said she expects the supply-chain challenges felt by retailers will also affect young prom dress shoppers.

Girls are running around everywhere trying to buy off the rack. Parents are saying dresses are costing hundreds of dollars or they can't get them ordered in," Belo said.

As a dress shop owner, you order dresses for the next season months in advance. Sometimes from four or five different lines. You order several pieces at a time. And with COVID, that's a big gamble," Belo said.

Until they close, Belo is selling all the dresses currently in stock at a steep discount and said she'll close shop when the last dress is sold.

I'm happy I can give young ladies a deal right now ... Dresses that were $700 or $800 are now $200 or $100," Belo said. It's sad for us and it's a Catch-22, but at the same time they'll be able to wear these dresses proudly."

Simon Lugassy, owner of dress shop Original on Queen Street West, said while his business has been able to weather the pandemic challenges, items are costing double what they did before the pandemic.

In many cases, things are twice what they were the year before. They've become expensive. A purse that was $700 is now $1,400. It's a supply issue and a cost issue," Lugassy said.

But this has not stopped dress shoppers from dropping some cash.

The girls are really excited. They're not holding off and they're jumping on dresses in ways I've never seen before, and they're willing to spend much more money," Lugassy said. We're seeing a different kind of girl. They've been sitting at home for too long."

The Fitzroy, a popular dress rental service, has also witnessed a sudden surge of prom dress shoppers over the last few weeks.

It has completely exploded. We have at any point in time 30 people in the store, especially on weekends, and most of them will be prom shoppers at this time," said Zeia Jibril, manager at The Fitzroy.

We expect that we're going to be sold out of all the styles," Jibril said.

The store's owners had hoped and anticipated that COVID measures would be relaxed when they purchased dresses for the upcoming season, and they guessed right. Nearly all COVID measures have been scrapped in Ontario, with mask mandates set to be lifted in most places on March 21.

It was a complete gamble, and a good gamble because we're definitely reaping the benefits," Jibril said.

Ghada Alsharif is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach Ghada via email: galsharif@torstar.ca