As the days grow closer to school dances, many girls rush to find a dress that they not only feel confident wearing, but one that also follows the dress code. Often times, the floor-length dresses that are required for Winter Formal contain a low cut top, high slits and sheer bottom- which would be traded in for a loaner dress once seen by the deans at the venue.

Unique to this year, SMCHS made the dress hunting process a little easier by giving girls the option to wear a pantsuit to Winter Formal.

Senior Brooke Tredwell was excited for the ability to dress more freely for her last Winter Formal.

“I have wanted to wear a pantsuit to a dance before, but I was never sure if they were dress code appropriate,” Tredwell said. “When I heard that pantsuits were approved for Winter Formal, I decided to jump at the chance to wear one.”

Winter Formal was not the first time Tredwell decided to wear a pantsuit.

“I usually will wear a mix of both dresses and pantsuits depending on the event,” Tredwell said. “Pantsuits and rompers are much more comfortable for me personally so whenever I get the chance I love wearing one.”

Although the addition to the dress code gave girls more outfit options, Tredwell still struggled to find a pantsuit that would not earn her a dress code violation.

“Some pantsuits were too low cut or had slits, but there were so many to choose from that I had no problem finding one that adhered to the dress code,” Tredwell said.

The choice to wear pantsuits proved to be a popular one among girls at this year’s Winter Formal

“I was planning on wearing a pantsuit for a while,” Tredwell said. “When I got to pictures, a ton of my friends also wore pantsuits and at the dance I saw even more people in them than I expected.”

Looking back on her night, Tredwell says that she is glad she took advantage of the new rules.

“I thought wearing a pantsuit was incredibly comfortable,” Tredwell said. “I was never worried about my dress flying up or falling down, and it gave me tons of freedom to dance and run around on the dance floor.”

Tredwell sees SMCHS’ decision to allow pantsuits as a step towards a more enjoyable experience for many girls.

“It is important that girls were given the option to wear a pantsuit because every woman should have the opportunity to feel comfortable in what they are wearing,” Tredwell said. “Pantsuits are dress code appropriate and girls should be able to wear whatever they want, especially if it is conservative and meets dress code requirements.”