October 13, 2025 by Katie Plue (‘27)
Fall at the high school means plenty of activities and things to look forward to while waiting for the impending doom of winter… and oh! Of course, there’s the stress — and cost — of shopping for Homecoming dresses, too.
The 2025 Saratoga Springs Homecoming Dance is on October 18th, which leaves people without a dress with very little time. Each year is another year girls can look forward to getting dressed up with their friends and probably only attend the actual dance for an hour, but at what cost?
Some students are willing to pay more for a dress on this special night than others. “My dress was $50 from Lucy in the Sky,” said Carlin Phillips, a student at Saratoga Springs who’s planning to attend the dance, “I would be willing to pay $120 for a dress though,” even though she only goes for around an hour.
Others would disagree, “I got my dress from Windsor for $90,” said SSHS student Catlin McMurtrie, “I think $90 is a bit ridiculous for a homecoming dress.” Considering that most people only get one use out of these dresses, they aren’t willing to pay as much for something they won’t wear again. “I was shocked at how much some of the other dresses in the store were as well,” says Caitlin.
“I got my dress from Macy’s for $80,” said student Joey Conolly, “which is way too much for a homecoming dress.” Joey solely goes to the dance to hang out with her friends, and thinks spending over $50 on a dress is unreasonable. “I didn’t expect it to be so expensive. Some prices I saw were more reasonable, like $40 to $60, but I also saw a few that were over $80 which didn’t seem like it would be worth the price.” For one wear, a dress of this price may or may not be worth it to you, but it’s safe in saying that the Homecoming season is full of sparkle, spirit and apparently lots of price tags!