A Gen Z teen’s dress-up session with her millennial neighbor’s prom gowns has captured the internet’s heart.
Erinn Downing (@er1nnh), 34, from San Diego, shared a TikTok video of her 16-year-old neighbor trying on three of her old prom dresses—garments that Downing wore almost two decades ago, in 2006 and 2008. The video, which juxtaposed clips of the teen in each outfit alongside throwback photos of Downing wearing them at the time, has amassed 4.5 million views and 367,700 likes.
“I am so happy I saved them! Watching her try them on brought me right back to being 16 and how beautiful I felt in those dresses! They brought back the joy and excitement of prom!” Downing told Newsweek.
Downing shares an incredibly close bond with her neighbor, who she has known since the day she was born.
The dresses included a floor-length green mermaid gown from Cache, a pink satin gown with diamante details around the chest and waist from Bloomingdale’s, and a white gown with silver embellishments—also from Cache. Each one fit the teen perfectly.
“Emily had mentioned that wearing ‘vintage prom dresses‘ were ‘in.’ So luckily I had saved all of my dresses and were just goofing off one night where she tried them on and modeled them for my parents and her mom! My parents and especially my mom loved it because she had gone shopping with me for all three of the dresses so she loved re living it all through Emily, who is like a daughter to them both,” she said.
Reflecting on the significance of each dress, Downing explained that the white gown had a special purpose beyond prom. She told Newsweek she got it because she was part of NCL—the National Charity League. “Seniors have a sort of debutant ball where they have to wear a white dress! When I found the white one it worked for both NCL presents and prom!” she said.
As for the pink dress, the motivation was simple: “The pink one I’m sure I bought just because pink has and always will be my favorite color!”
Of all three, Downing still holds a soft spot for the mermaid-style green gown. “My personal favorite is the green one! At the time I wore it—I felt the best in it! Something about that giant center stone and the mermaid flow made me feel invincible!”
While it may seem surprising that clothes from the 2000s are now considered “vintage,” the label isn’t far off. According to Martha Stewart, an item is generally considered vintage if it is at least 20 years old but less than 100. That makes Downing’s 2006 and 2008 prom dresses officially vintage as of the mid-2020s.
The video also sparked a wave of nostalgia online, with TikTokers sharing memories and reactions to the throwback looks. “That white one was ahead of its time,” commented one user. “Ok white one still slaps,” added another.
Jen chimed in: “Oh my god I had that white one in hot pink!”
Others were astonished Downing had kept them all these years. “How do you even have these still? The only thing I’ve kept from high school is my senior yearbook,” one viewer commented.
And many millennial viewers had a moment of existential crisis. “‘Vintage’ just hurt my feelings. I was class of ’08,” said Anna McDowell.
Ultimately, Emily did not end up wearing any of the dresses for prom, but Erinn is holding out for her senior year.
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