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Tuning
Pulling up to her prom on Thursday night, Brooke Eversman, a senior at East Rockaway High School, let out a squeal.
“It’s a castle. And another castle. I’m having my prom in a castle,” she said, grabbing the arm of a nearby friend.
Ms. Eversman joined her fellow classmates from East Rockaway High School, one of the many schools devastated by superstorm Sandy, in their collective shock over the fairy tale prom at an estate on Long Island’s tony Gold Coast, given to her graduating class on the eve of their graduation this week.
After losing power, and subsequently business, during last year’s storm, Rent the Runway, a company that rents designer dresses and jewelry to women, hatched the plan to use its vast wardrobe of designer clothes to make dreams come true for other victims of the storm—students.
The company held a contest to throw a fairy tale prom at the Hempstead House at the Sands Point Preserve for one of the many schools whose students were displaced by the storm.
East Rockaway, which incurred $10 million in damage from Sandy in October and saw its students displaced for six months, was the winner after graduating senior and soon-to-be nursing student Molly Bastow submitted an essay describing why her school deserved the kind of party you see only in movies.
“When the hurricane hit, we weren’t sure what was going to happen next. All we knew was that we were destroyed,” Ms. Bastow said. “I saw the contest and I thought, what school was more damaged than mine?”
Thirty schools entered the contest, which was ultimately narrowed to four contenders, East Rockaway and three New Jersey Schools. The winner of the final four was determined by which school got the most votes from their community.
The event took on a life of its own when 15 celebrities—including actress Sarah Jessica Parker, singer and famous sibling Solange Knowles and Johnny Depp’s model girlfriend, Amber Heard—donated their personal red carpet looks to the cause. Those dresses were doled out to students during a lottery at a styling party held at the school May 16.
Among the entertainment for the evening was former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and Darren Criss, one of the stars of the sitcom “Glee.” Much to the chagrin of many a male prom date, the boyishly handsome Criss, 26 years old, posed before a grand stone fireplace for prom photos with many of the East Rockaway girls.
The actor and crooner thought the East Rockaway prom was the nicest he had seen outside of his television show and remarked that he felt underdressed. “Everyone looks so nice,” Mr. Criss noted sheepishly, looking down at his blue suit. “I look like a schmuck.”
The ladies of East Rockaway were given 110 dresses that they were allowed to keep. The men received 91 tuxedos, and 86 pairs of shoes were donated from other sponsors.
And it’s no wonder that Ms. Eversman, displaced from her home for two months after the storm, was swooning over the castle—the grand estate was the setting for the films “Great Expectations” and “Scent of a Woman.”
When your prom committee consists of people like David Tutera, the celebrity wedding planner and star of the show “My Fair Wedding,” you end up with a prom filled with circus performers, centerpieces made of actual trees, a live LCD floor that mimicked the ground of the forest, 125 pounds of candy, and 4,000 bunches of flowers and greenery covering every available surface.
“I didn’t expect the aerial bartender,” said Jenn Hyman, one of the co-founders of Rent the Runway, who was wearing a lavender Badgley Mischka gown—the most popular prom rental this year after it was worn on the prom episode of “Glee.”
East Rockaway Physical Education teacher Karin Leary looked on at the acrobat pouring sparking cider while suspended upside down from a chandelier in awe. “I wish I was that flexible,” she laughed. “I’ve been coming to this prom for 18 years, and I have never seen anything like this. The kids are walking around with so much more confidence.”
Even with all the bells and whistles, Ms. Bastow—who admitted she did melt a little when Mr. Criss told her she looked beautiful and thanked her for her work securing the special night for her school—said she was just happy to be with her friends for one last hurrah.
“Beyond the extravagant venue and the celebrity experiences, it was more about sharing it with each other,” Ms. Bastow said. “That defines who we are as a school and I relish every moment of it.”
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