At a time when most wedding dresses are exorbitantly priced, one woman searched through her sister’s secondhand closet to find the perfect dress for her special day.
Emma Lev, a Los Angeles actress, decided the $35 thrift store dress she found while rummaging through her sister’s closet could double as a wedding dress. Lev, known online as @emmafranceslev, shared a video on TikTok that showed viewers how her thrift-found gem became the dress she wore to the altar on August 3.
While the cost of the average wedding dress is skyrocketing, now hovering around $2,000, according to The Knot Real Weddings Study, which surveyed nearly 10,000 U.S. couples in 2023, Lev’s decision to wear a secondhand dress has resonated with online viewers. The short clip, posted on August 10, has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.
“My sister bought the dress about eight years ago for $35 from American Rag for a photo shoot in Joshua Tree,” said Lev Newsweek. “It’s a real vintage wedding dress by Jessica McClintock.”
@emmafranceslev
Viewers could see Lev trying on the cream-colored dress with lace details that her sister Kit Major, a Los Angeles musician, had bought years earlier at a thrift store.
An overlay of text in the video read: “Found my dream dress… in my sister’s closet!”
The meteoric rise in the popularity of thrift stores is due to environmental concerns and the pursuit of versatile fashion. Thrift stores have become true treasure troves for people seeking individuality without the luxury price tag. Lev’s experience underscores this booming trend, which she wanted to be a part of.
“I knew that if I couldn’t find anything vintage, I would have to buy off the rack,” she said. “For me, as someone who hates clothes, that was a difficult challenge.”
Several bridal appointments failed for the actress, and even her grandmother’s and mother’s wedding dresses did not meet her expectations. Then her sister suggested the second-hand dress, a find from 2016 that Lev had completely forgotten about.
“We all screamed – the rest is history,” she said of the moment she tried it for the first time.
Although drastic changes were initially planned, any modifications to the dress were kept to a minimum.
“We simply added some boning, cinched it in at the waist, sewed back on some loose pearls and made it strapless by tucking the fabric in,” she said. “It was completely reversible, so the integrity of the dress was maintained.”
Lev’s wedding day was a celebration not only of love, but also of the sentimental value inherent in her clothing.
“I wore ‘something borrowed’ and ‘something old,’ both borrowed from my little sister and my best friend,” she said.
For the actress, the dress was more than just a piece of clothing; it was a testament to sisterhood and thoughtful simplicity and made her feel “incredibly beautiful and like a bride.”
Her social media video has since spawned a number of follow-up clips as public interest in the story behind her dress has grown, with viewers making their positive opinions of the find clear in the comments section.
“This is IT,” said one user, @kelsey_kotzur.
Another, @rosekgal, added: “The instant happy giggle was so cute!! It’s so beautiful.”
“The frugal little sister is always there,” shared a third user, @bixbop.
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