Prom Closet

Biggest prom dress drive in DFW begins collecting donations for 2026

Help teens say yes to the prom dress.

Photo courtesy of Prom Closet

The 17th annual St. Andrew Prom Closet at St. Andrew Methodist Church in Plano will invite teens to "shop" for their dream dresses in February. But first they need those dresses.

Organizers have begun accepting donations of formal dresses (sizes 0-30), jewelry, shoes, handbags, and wraps. They'd like to offer thousands of dress options for teens to take home at no cost.

“We’re calling on our community to help make prom dreams come true by donating dresses and accessories,” says Kathy Moore, organizer of the event, in a release. “Start the New Year by cleaning out your closet and bringing us your gently used dresses, shoes, jewelry, and handbags."

New items can also be purchased through their Amazon Shopping Link.

"Each year, we rely on the generosity of individuals, local groups, and businesses to make every girl’s experience truly magical,” she says.

Items should be cleaned and "like new" (as if they were being taken to a picky resale store).

They may be dropped off at St. Andrew, 1401 Mira Vista Blvd., Plano, just inside the church’s north entry doors, on a designated dress rack. Drop-off hours are 8:30 am-8:30 pm Monday-Thursday and 9 am-12 noon Saturday.

Prom Closet 2025 Prom Closet is set up like a boutique, with thousands of gowns and accessories. Photo courtesy of Prom Closet

Volunteers needed
In addition to needing donations, organizers also need hundreds of volunteers to help run Prom Closet, from check-in and check-out, to personal shoppers, dressing room assistants, and set-up and tear-down crew members. Volunteers must be adults and must complete a background check. Sign up here beginning January 26.

A service of the Women of St. Andrew Methodist Church, Prom Closet allows teens the chance to "shop for" free dresses, shoes, and accessories in a boutique-style setting, complete with a (volunteer) personal shopper.

The event has grown from assisting 35 teen girls when it started in 2009 to 1,323 girls from 322 schools and 110 school districts last year. The girls come from all over Texas and as far away as Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, and exchange students from France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Thailand.

Shopping details
The 2026 shopping event will take place February 24-28 and March 2-5 & 7 at St. Andrew Methodist Church.

It is open to any high school girl from anywhere, no questions asked, but shoppers must register online beginning January 26 to book an appointment. There are 40 shopping slots per each 90-minute time frame. A few rules:

Shopping is by appointment only.
Each student must be present to shop for her own dress and accessories.
Each shopper is allowed to bring along just one guest, age 16 or older.

"For the St. Andrew Methodist Women, the Prom Closet truly is a year-round labor of love,” says the Rev. Arthur Jones, senior pastor of St. Andrew. “What began as a small outreach has grown into a remarkable ministry that blesses more than 1,300 young women and their families each year. The dedication of these women — and the many volunteers who join them — goes far beyond organizing dresses. They create an environment where every girl feels loved, valued, and beautiful."

Visit the event's website, call the Prom Closet informational hotline at 469-385-1810, or email standrewpromcloset@gmail.com for more information about donations, volunteering, shopping, and more.

Fashion on display

Rare Halston fashion exhibition now on display in unlikely Texas city

Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen Noël Art Museum

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

A rare exhibition honoring fashion pioneer Halston has popped up in an unexpected place: West Texas. Dallas fashionistas who are fans of the designer can make a five-hour pilgrimage to Odessa’s newly revamped Ellen Noël Art Museum to view "Halston: Inventing American Fashion."

Halston’s minimalistic fashions are rarely the subjects of retrospectives, although the designer’s dramatic life story recently had a pop-cultural resurgence through a 2021 Ryan Murphy miniseries. "Halston: Inventing American Fashion" assesses the talent that made him a household name.

Known now for outfitting 1970s icons like Liza Minelli and Bianca Jagger, Halston changed the international reputation of American sportswear as part of the famous 1973 “Battle of Versailles” fashion show, holding his own against Paris’ most lauded couturiers. His uniquely louche style still influences contemporary brands like Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, and Tom Ford, who was briefly the creative director for a revised Halston label.

The mannequins in the Odessa display are outfitted with 75 ensembles from flowing Ultrasuede daywear to more dramatic draped gowns. The pieces “illustrate how Halston revolutionized fashion by prioritizing comfort, confidence, and modern femininity,” according to a release.

Although Odessa may seem an odd choice for the show, Halston had deep Texas connections. After he moved on from hat making, Amarillo millionaire Estelle Marsh was his sole backer willing to fund his first Madison Avenue boutique.

$Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum, Odessa, new facade.$ The new facade at Ellen Noël Art MuseumPhoto courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

$Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum$

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

And the recently completed renovation of Odessa's Ellen Noël Art Museum has some of the designer’s signature sleek. Designed by architect R.J. Lopez, the renovation includes new galleries and improved circulation, but the centerpiece is a striking transparent façade, replacing the original brick of the 1985 building.

“The renovation project has been over 10 years in the making and in the construction phase for the past two years,” says the museum’s buildings manager, Steve Patton, via a release. “The completion of the project has resulted in an incredible facility that is a shining star in West Texas, offering programs and exhibits that will be a destination point for people all over the world!”

"Halston: Inventing American Fashion" will run through March 22. Admission to the Ellen Noël Art Museum is free.

exhibits odessa fashion west texas museums designer texas