WeGo Boutique is a pop-up shop that helps build excitement for Homecoming by offering free dresses, shoes, button-down shirts, coats, accessories, and more to students at West Chicago Community High School during lunch periods Sept. 14-15.
Those who “shop” at the WeGo Boutique are automatically entered into a raffle to win a free Homecoming ticket.
This is the sixth year for the WeGo Boutique. It started as a place to get Prom dresses, and since then has expanded to include menswear. This is the first year that WeGo Boutique is doing Homecoming formal wear as well.
“It was a way to give everyone an opportunity to have the high school experience of attending dances no matter what their financial situation is,” school counselor Julie Hensley said.
There is no funding for WeGo Boutique. All of the formal wear and accessories are donations from community members or several organizations. USAgain, a clothing donation company sent a number of dresses, and some of them still had tags on.
“We are just really excited that so many people have been participating and we are so grateful for all the donations, and we will be doing it again for Prom,” school counselor, Jenny Gawenda said.
WEGO Boutique was created in 2017 with the help of Student Services. According to Gawenda, staff and students know that going to a dance can be expensive (costs involve purchasing an outfit, hair, makeup, ticket, etc.). The Student Services department started researching to see if any community organizations had any Prom boutiques nearby for students who could not afford to go without some support, and the boutique was born.
This year, they just recently were able to add menswear to the boutique.
“We started having menswear donations. It is a great opportunity for male students at WeGo to learn how to match a suit and tie a tie. Those are skills that students will carry with them when they graduate and enter adulthood,” school counselor Gerardo Tovar said.
This year’s boutique kicked off on Thursday near the auditorium, and numerous students attended. More than 70 students were matched with attire for Homecoming at the boutique, according to Gawenda.
However, the act of finding a Homecoming or Prom outfit can be a personal one, and take some time.
“I was expecting a bit more even if it was just the auditorium lobby space. A lot of the clothes like the dresses weren’t even that cute, and a lot looked really small and wouldn’t fit many people. Hopefully, next time, there will be more options and some cute ones,” junior Dex Vasquez said.
That said, WeGo Boutique offered clothing in sizes 0-20, and the options, including the dresses, were selected by current fashion students who have insight as to what is considered trending from a style perspective.
Those who missed out on the opportunity to shop at WeGo Boutique still have some time to find an outfit at Von Maur, Windsor, Amazon, or even Shein for their Homecoming attire. Several students reported that they planned to wear burgundy, mint green, and lilac dresses, or black suits.
“I’m really excited for Homecoming. This year, I’ll be wearing a black suit,” senior Brooklyn Hooker said.
Revision
Sept. 25
The article was updated to include additional information about WeGo Boutique following a subsequent interview with the counseling department.
