Donate items until Nov. 22, shop for a dress on Nov. 25
The annual Christmas Cotillion Dance at Cazenovia High School on Dec. 2, and a CHS alum has created a cotillion dress exchange at Common Grounds to help girls dress for the party.
“While I have fond memories of helping my (sometimes reluctant) friends dress shop for these semi-formal occasions, I realize that for many, the dress shopping process can become overwhelming and expensive for a dress you may only wear once. By the end of high school, many people (including myself) have lots of beautiful dresses just sitting in the closet, that’s why I decided to start a cotillion dress exchange,” said McKinley Dennison, a CHS graduate and current student at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City studying fashion business management. “A dress exchange is a great way to upcycle dresses from cotillions past.”
From Saturday, Nov. 18 until Wednesday, Nov. 22, dresses, shoes and accessories can be donated at Common Grounds at 35 Albany St. from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. People may permanently donate a dress or donate it for this exchange and have it returned to them (on the honor system).
A donation area is set up in the front corner of Common Grounds. There is a form to fill out indicating the donation preference and donor’s contact information.
Dress shopping will be from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at Common Grounds. To increase sustainability, dresses will be rented for a suggested $20 donation to Caz Cares, but no one will be turned away, Dennison said.
Dresses can be returned to Common Grounds on Dec. 8 or 9 to be returned to the owners or reused for a sale next year.
“If this works out, we can do a similar exchange for prom and ball. Again, all proceeds will also go to Caz Cares so will stay local,” Dennison said.
For more information, or anyone who wants to shop for a dress but is unable to attend on Nov. 25, contact Dennison at 315-416-3190 or [email protected].
