Pendleton teen creates dazzling dress from scratch for prom date

PENDLETON, Ind. – High school prom is a big moment in many teenagers’ lives. Pendleton Heights senior Addi Rust dreamed of finding the perfect dress, and thanks to her date, she wore something truly unique.

Up until a few months ago, Parker Smith, a Pendleton Heights junior, had never sewn anything in his life.

This past February, Parker’s prom date Addi found a dress she loved, but it was outrageously expensive. She jokingly said, “Parker, why don’t you just make my prom dress!” They laughed about it. But after Parker thought about it for a minute, he said, “You know what, I think I could actually make your prom dress.”

So he got to work and created a sketch of the dress. He designed it entirely on his own.

Parker worked diligently on the dress for months. He mostly taught himself how to do it, receiving some tips from his grandmother along the way.

Parker planned to have the dress finished well before prom, but he remade several parts of the dress a couple times to make sure it was as perfect as possible.

“I’m such a perfectionist that I was up adding more stones to the dress even the night before prom,” Parker told FOX59.

Even though Addi saw the dress throughout each stage of the process, she says she teared up when he brought it to her on prom night and she saw it completed for the first time.

Parker says this won’t be the last dress he makes. In fact, he’s already designed his next one.

Parker intends to study costume design and musical theatre in college. He says it’s his dream to become a Broadway costume designer.