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Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Cassandra Openshaw, 17, and Nick Martin, 15, students at Narraguagus High School in Milbridge, dress for the prom Saturday in the duct tape gown and tuxedo they made.
MILBRIDGE - Cassandra Openshaw and Nick Martin spent nearly a month putting together the colorful gown and the tuxedo they wore to the Narraguagus High School senior prom, but they could hardly wait to change their outfits once they arrived there.
After all, it would have been tricky to spend the entire night wrapped in duct tape.
"I want to be able to do things like dance and sit down," said Cassandra, 17, of Milbridge.
The couple used 45 rolls of the sticky, cloth-reinforced tape to make their outfits and accessories. In addition to the basic black and white of formal wear, they chose rolls of camouflage, yellow, bright green, dark green, purple, pink and orange to add touches such as passion flowers and pineapples, which reflected the prom's tropical theme.
Absent from the mix was silver-gray, the color most often associated with the tape commonly used for plumbing and heating repairs.
"What could be more special than something you made yourself and being the only ones there with something like this?" said Nick, 15, of Addison.
Cassandra and Nick used store-bought patterns to create their outfits.
"My dress was definitely the easiest part," Cassandra said.
Nick's jacket was the toughest. "The sleeves kept falling off," she said.
"Originally we had it in four pieces," Nick added. "Then we got it into one piece, and then two pieces. It was confusing."
Swapping taffeta for tape is more than just a teenage whim. Cassandra and Nick decided to compete in a nationwide contest sponsored by Henkel Consumer Adhesives Inc., marketer of the Duck Tape brand of duct tape.
The couple with the winning outfit receives $6,000 in scholarships, or $3,000 each. Their school also receives $3,000. The contest runs through June 8, with winners chosen on the basis of online voting at the company's Web site, www.stuckatprom.com, where entrants' prom photos are posted.
Cassandra acknowledged that tape clothing has its advantages.
It doesn't get dirty when you walk on it, she said, and she wasn't worried about getting it wet when showers fell during the Saturday night prom.
It was difficult getting dressed for the big night, however, and once Cassandra and Nick managed to hunch, stoop, stretch and wriggle into the dress and the tuxedo, moving became a challenge.
Nick walked on unbending knees, resembling a mummy from a 1950s movie, right down to the white-taped pants.
The couple's backup plan solved the problem.
Although contest rules require that they wear the outfits to the prom and have their picture taken there, they brought along a change of more traditional prom attire.
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