Duct tape: is there anything it can’t do? For Peyton Manker, the answer is definitely no.
The 18-year-old student from Sparta, Illinois, spent the last part of her senior year in a tailspin thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Instead of wallowing over everything she missed, the teen focused her attention on creating a dramatic outfit for a contest called “Stuck at Prom.”
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Designing a ball gown, shoes, a purse, and other accessories from scratch is daunting enough, but what she created is extraordinary!
Everything is made out of duct tape, and it’s spectacular! Peyton’s mom, Suzy Smith Manker, shared photos of the wearable art on Facebook, where the impressive images quickly went viral.
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Luckily for us, Peyton started a dedicated Facebook page so fans can track her progress in the annual competition!
Thousands of teens from all over the country are competing for the first-place $10,000 scholarship by making their own formal wear out of tape.
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Peyton chose to feature a familiar theme: COVID-19. Her colorful, intricate design features health care workers, janitors, and a senior class graduating over a video call.
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While the project was long and arduous and she found herself doing strange things like boiling cardboard to get the effect she wanted, she couldn’t be more thrilled with the result. How could she not be?
She documented her entire process and uploaded a full video with instructions on Facebook for anyone who wants to make a masterpiece of their own!
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“I knew she was artistic, but I am amazed to see the results of her dress!” her mom wrote on Facebook. “She based it all on the coronavirus and it tells a story. … Whatever the outcome of the contest, I am so proud of her hard work and perseverance.”
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The dress took four months to make, and then Peyton knocked it out of the park with accessories! She added her own necklace, bracelet, anklets, earrings, hair clips, purse, and shoes in the same brightly-colored theme.
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“I made a ‘separately together’ hair piece with small flowers matching my bouquet to let people know that we may not be ‘together’ at this time but we’re still in this together!” she wrote on Facebook.
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“Next was my favorite accessory, my coronavirus purse,” Peyton said. “It took a long process to make this… but it was so worth it!”
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Since no 2020 outfit is complete without a face mask, Peyton also designed a matching face covering with the words, “Flatten the curve!” written across the front.
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As for her ankle bracelet, it read, “This too shall pass.”
Her goal was to capture every aspect of COVID-19, especially the uplifting messages. We think she nailed it! What about you?
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We are utterly blown away by her creativity! Help her win the competition by casting a vote for her incredible outfit before June 29.
Don’t forget to share this amazing story with your friends.
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