By Je’Don Holloway Talley | For The Birmingham Times
There was a time when teens went to proms in rented limousines and would wave goodbye to their parents, who clicked away with point-and-shoot cameras. That was then. Now, some proms come with magazine editorial-style photoshoots and foreign cars.
“We’re going [to prom] in a Lamborghini Urus, [a luxury sport utility vehicle],” said Jahmeiah Jackson, 18, a senior at McAdory High School in McCalla, Alabama. “We’re doing photo shoots at [one of the lakes] Ross Bridge in Hoover, [Alabama], and downtown [Birmingham] in front of a cityscape before going to prom at the [Hoover Metropolitan Complex].”
Jackson’s gown will be equally luxurious.
“We’re doing a periwinkle color because that’s the color my mom’s prom dress was. … In the front, we’re doing this handmade flower print, it’s gonna be beaded down, jewels all over the dress,” she said.
With this much attention to detail for her night and her one-of-a-kind ensemble, her date’s look will have to match her fly look.
“We got him [connected with a Black suit-and-tuxedo] designer who’s gonna be making his custom suit for our prom,” Jackson said.
Detreyona Samuels, 17, a senior at Clay-Chalkville High School, in Pinson, Alabama, will be headed to her prom on April 19 at Birmingham’s B&A Warehouse with more than a date—she’ll have a personal driver, as well, to record the evening for her social media followers.
“I want a driver because I want to feel fancy. I want to be chauffeured,” she laughed. “That way I can be posting my content for prom instead of driving. I gotta make my money.”
Samuels, a Birmingham native and social media influencer with a 17.4K following on TikTok, makes her own money as a brand ambassador, influencer, and graphic design artist.
Asked what other details were going to complete her night, Samuels said she hasn’t planned the full evening yet.
“I do want balloons and a backdrop with a picture of me, food. … Just a nice little get-together for my family, so they can see me off to prom,” she said.
Jackson and Samuels recently attended a Prom Queen Tour Pop-Up Shop in Center Point, Alabama, hosted by Birmingham native, Jessica Hayes, CEO and designer, of the Atlanta-based House of Avid fashion line.
More than 100 girls stood in line to try on the 2024 House of Avid prom gown collection, from which more than 50 gowns were sold to Birmingham area girls—including Jackson and Samuels, who served as two of the 20 brand ambassadors for the event and also modeled gowns for Hayes during one of her morning show news segments about her designs.
The House of Avid team conducted more than 20 custom consultations at the event, serving more than 70 Birmingham area girls to help them move their ideas from concepts to fashion designs.
Samuels said she came to the right place for her gown. “They were beautiful. I had never seen dresses like that before. They all had their own thing going on. None of them were the same,” she said, adding that she was looking for her dream gown regardless of the price. “I was gonna pay whatever because it’s my senior year. You want something beautiful and high-quality for your senior prom.”
Samuels’s dress was priced at $1,800: “That’s what people are charging for dresses nowadays, especially custom-made ones,” she said of her dress, which is “red with a long train, and the top is a whole bunch of [rhinestone embellishment].”
The custom gowns Hayes designs range in pricing. On the lower end, girls might be able to find a dress in the $600 range, while prices soar as high as $2,500 and more. The costs didn’t deter Jackson.
For a closer look at some of the House of Avid’s designs, scroll through the slideshow
“My mom is my bestie and, personally, when we shop or go on trips, we do it big,” she laughed. “We’re really extra, and my mom goes above and beyond. … Last year, we went to Paris, [France]. My Sweet 16 was extravagant: the party was in [Atlanta, Georgia], we rented an Airbnb in Buckhead, [Georgia], and we got a Sprinter [van]. I invited all my homegirls, and we had the biggest sleepover ever. … My mom even hired a chef to drive over from Birmingham and cook.”
Jackson’s custom prom gown was quoted at $2,250.
“My dress is different from others. It’s [going to be] elegant and classy. I can’t wait to see how it turns out,” she said. “I’m going to [feel like I’m going to] the Met Gala. I really feel like I’m going to be the ‘It Girl’ that night.”
Garments from Jessica Hayes’s showroom are available for purchase online at www.thehouseofavid.com, and virtual and in-person consultations are conducted daily for her growing clientele across the nation. Find her on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @JessicaHayesDesigns and @HouseofAvid. For bookings and info, email contactsupport@thehouseofavid.com.
(Full disclosure: The author, Je’Don Holloway Talley, helped to promote the February Prom Queen Tour Pop-Up Shop event in Center Point, Alabama.)
