Update: Shoppers Turn Out to Buy Dresses For Cheap

Northbrook moms Stacy Simpson and Beth Hirshman will be handing over a fat check to one local charity after their fundraising event was a huge hit in Deerfield. 

On Sept. 18, the moms teamed up to host a "Party Dress Project Boutique." In it's third year, the organization provides teens throughout the North Shore with formal wear for cheap.

This year, the event was held at Starland in Deerfield. Hundreds of gently used dresses were collected and then resold for $25 each. 

Organizers say $11,000 was raised, which is $2,000 more than last year. The funds will be donated to A Safe Place. The not-for-profit works with domestic abuse victims in the Lake County area. 

-Previous article on Sept. 6-

“I think it’s pretty overwhelming,” Northbrook mom Stacy Simpson recalled about outfitting her daughter for the bar-and-bat-mitzvah cycle.

When Harper hit seventh grade, she was invited to at least 12 events in one season. “We’re all being more conscientious on how we’re spending our money,” Simpson said.

So the mother-daughter duo decided to buy three separate dresses to rotate through the functions.

“That seemed like more than enough to me,” Simpson recalled. “The problem is that these girls in seventh grade are growing leaps and bounds.”

So by the time her daughter advanced a grade, the dresses no longer fit. “We’ve got to do something with all these dresses,” Simpson said she thought.

In the end, she teamed up with another Northbrook mom, Beth Hirshman, to create The Party Dress Project.

Now in its third year, the organization provides teens throughout the North Shore with formal wear for cheap. The concept is simple. Hundreds of “gently used” dresses are collected and then sold at an annual “Party Dress Project Boutique.”

While the dresses differ in sizes and styles, one thing remains the same: a $25 price tag for each.

“What we’ve tried to put our focus on is girls serving girls,” Simpson explained.

In doing that, all event proceeds are donated to a charity selected by the organization’s junior board made up of 15 teens.

Simpson emphasized that the project is a great way to be economically savvy, while also teaching her daughter and other girls like her about community service. 

During the first year, 400 dresses were collected and $5,500 in proceeds was donated to Youth Services of Glenview-Northbrook. Last year, the number of dresses jumped to 800 and $6,600 was handed over to Erika’s Lighthouse, an organization that helps depressed adolescents.

This year, the junior board has selected A Safe Place to be the fund’s recipient. The not-for-profit works with domestic abuse victims in the Lake County area.   

Originally focused on Northbrook, this year’s boutique event is being held at in Deerfield from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 18. Organizers are trying to get other communities like Deerfield and Highland Park involved as well.  

Simpson says if girls are looking for a formal dress, that’s hardly been used, The Party Dress Project is the place to visit.