Would you dress your daughter in duct tape?

Published July 12, 2012

Stockton Sentinel

Stockton, Kansas

By the time this comes out in print, the voting will be over and the decision may be announced. Awards may have already been presented. And in doing so, it may be that we have another famous young Kansan.

Last week, I wrote about the Peterson Farm Bros who made it to the big-time in the internet world in less than a week. While I was following them, I was also following the stories about the pretty young lady in Solomon who used 42 rolls of duct tape to create, not only her prom dress, but her date’s suit, and accessories. She didn’t just set out to do this for attention, although that has worked rather well for her. She went to all this work in response to the Duck Brand duct tape company’s challenge to high school students to create and accessorize their 2012 prom outfits entirely out of duct tape.

Now, in case you haven’t shopped for duct tape recently, here’s something you should know: duct tape is no longer available in only silver, which they refer to as “standard.” This particular brand features 17 colors, college mascots (interestingly, KU has a duct tape but not K-State!), and prints, with everything from polka dots to camo to animal prints, such as spotted leopard, SpongeBob SquarePants, zebra and hot pink zebra. (But not tiger? Come on, people!)

Personally, I use duct tape for many things, and have raised a son (our youngest) who could out-tape anyone and anything. But even he or I could not—or would not—conceive of the notion of crafting a prom dress and western suit, cowboy boots, and the requisite corsage and boutonnière, and then be brave enough to wear these items in public.

But Brooke Wallace, a senior from Solomon High School, answered the challenge and used 42 rolls of tape, including turquoise, hot pink, chrome and a lot of black, to create her prom dress entirely out of duct tape. Her date, Mark Aylward, wore pants, vest, coat, a cowboy hat and boots covered with duct tape embellishments to complement Brooke’s dress. The only thing not duct taped was Mark’s black shirt. As Mark said, the clothes aren’t really very easy to get into. “My pants kind of stand up on their own,” he said. “I sort of have to climb into them.” Brooke’s dress has a zipper and laces in the back, so it’s not that difficult to put on, she says, but she needs the help of two people to get her into it.

As if designing the clothing wasn’t enough of a challenge, Brooke also created numerous accessories to complete the outfits, including a duct tape purse, jewelry and earrings for herself and a duct tape bolo tie, lariat, gun and holster, and boutonnière for Mark, along with chrome duct tape spurs attached to the rear of his duct tape-covered boots. Brooke spent more than 200 hours designing the western-style prom outfits, all in the course of her senior year.

And even though she didn’t really do it for the attention, she has received a lot of that anyway, as her feat has been reported by ABC News, FoxNews.com, New York Daily News, Newsday, the Associated Press, and television stations in Wichita, Nebraska and Tulsa, Okla. The Salina Journal photo of Brooke and Mark was reprinted in a South African newspaper, a website called Digital Spy, and a British entertainment and news website based in London. She was also interviewed on “The Jay Thomas Show” on Sirius/XM Radio. And she made it into Jay Leno’s monologue on the “Tonight Show: “Doesn’t that sound like something a dad would do for a prom dress? Just wrap your daughter up in 42 rolls of duct tape. ‘Okay, go ahead, have a good time at the party!’”

             

out of 60 Mountain Dew cans and nearly 600 pull tabs. That dress won a blue ribbon at Salina’s Tri-Rivers Fair. This year, she will exhibit her duct tape outfits at the fair, with hopes of continuing her streak. Certainly she’s way ahead of any competition.

Brooke and Mark have been among the top 10 national finalists in the Duck Brand “Stuck at Prom 2012” contest, with an online public vote that ended July 11. Major scholarship money is at stake, to the tune of $5,000 apiece, plus an additional $5,000 for their school. You can view Brooke’s fashions and pictures of all other finalists on the Duck Brand website at duckbrand.com/promotions/stuck-at-prom.aspx. Winners are due to be announced on or about today, July 12. We wish our creative Kansas cowgirl much luck in her sticky craftiness.