Prom night is one of the most magical evenings for any high school girl, and college student Maverick Francis Oyao definitely wanted his younger sister to experience that. The Bachelor of Culture and Arts student from Zamboanga City went viral for the pageant-ready gown he was able to design and create from scratch with the help of his mother.
"It all started nung first confirmed announcement ng school nila about sa kanilang upcoming Junior and Senior Prom, happy siya kasi at last confirmed na. 'Yun nga lang ball gown yung required which is napakamahal ng renta, baka 'di afford nina mama at papa, sabi ko sa kanya baka 'di ka matutuloy or ano ba kasi saan tayo kukuha ng pang renta?"
Not letting the lack of resources stop him from supporting his sister, Grade 10 student Lu Asey, Maverick made it his mission to craft a ball gown on a budget. He started browsing through different YouTube videos and even culled inspiration from renowned designer Michael Cinco.
"Day by day, habang sinisimulan ko siyang gawin naeexcite ako makita outcome niya and I did not even imagine the amazing outcome." Through sheer resourcefulness, creativity, and hard work, Maverick's fairytale-like design came to life. He took to Facebook to share his painstaking process, which involved a lot of hand-sewing.
Despite his lack of fashion design skills, Maverick was able to create patterns for the panel skirt ball gown. He used various shades of blue to suit the prom's magical winter theme. To add dimension to the skirt, he placed white ribbons to create a lattice-like pattern.
Maverick added beads on top of the store-bought flowers to add extra flair to the design.
While the panel ball gown skirt started coming to life, Maverick then worked on the challenging sweetheart neckline bodice which he spray-painted himself to achieve an ombré pattern. To complete the look, he added wing-like, pleated sleeves.
According to Philippine Star, Lu Asey cried upon seeing the finished result, and this gave Maverick a deep sense of fulfillment. “Seeing her genuine smile while walking into the entrance of the prom [venue] is so priceless for me as her kuya," he shares.
Maverick only spent P3000 on the entire gown, but aside from his thriftiness, what's admirable about his project are the dedication and love he put into every single detail just to make his younger sister happy. "A queen, not a princess," he proudly captioned a photo of Lu striking a pose in his masterpiece.
Maverick's touching story is a sartorial act of sibling love, and we're all for it! We won't be surprised if he constructs more gowns for her in the future.
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