- 17-year-old Ciara Gan knew exactly what she wanted her graduation ball dress to look like, so she created it herself.
- With help from her mother, the two painted 80 flowers, sewed, and bejeweled a gown fit for a Disney princess.
- Gan posted several photos of the dress on Twitter, which have since gone viral.
- Visit INSIDER.com for more stories.
Those final weeks of high school, filled with seminal events like prom and graduation, are truly special. And Philippines-based teenager Ciara Gan knew she wanted her graduation ball, specifically, to be a memorable one.
The 17-year-old dreamed up a stunning dress, but when the seamstress she hired to make it didn’t quite deliver, she decided to take the challenge on herself.
“Everything from the painting to the leaf-like top came from the idea that I wanted to make myself look like a garden,” Gan told INSIDER. “Our graduation ball was actually themed after Disney’s ‘Enchanted!'”
Read more: This woman designed a prom dress that looks like a giant pizza
Gan and her mother spent a month sewing together 13 yards of fabric, crinoline, boning, and Swarovski crystals, reported Buzzfeed News, to create the final product: an emerald gown with hand-painted flowers fit for a princess.
"YouTube tutorials," Gan told INSIDER about how she learned to make her dress. "I would watch videos on dress-making and sewing!"
Gan posted the results on Twitter, and her post instantly went viral.
i made and painted my own gown for my graduation ball! 💚✨
i painted over 80 flowers, sewed + stoned my dress with my mama and designed the whole thing myself! 🧡🌼 pic.twitter.com/fsDwQK1NfD
— ciara gan (@ciaragan) April 8, 2019
"I painted over 80 flowers, sewed, and stoned my dress with my mama and designed the whole thing myself," she wrote in the tweet, which has now been shared more than 82,000 times.
"My inspiration for the design are the things that make me happy," she told Buzzfeed News. "As nerdy as it may sound, I chose emerald green because I'm an avid Potterhead and a proud Slytherin."
People have been so inspired by Gan and her mother's work, there's even fan art of the dress.
Hi @ciaragan, I made a sketch of your gorgeous dress/creation. Just so you know it was a masterpiece and I do wish you would make more in the future.😄❤️
I hope you don’t mind, I tweaked your hair and accessories a bit.😬 pic.twitter.com/AUlT8W5ngU
— Niña (@ninazambo) April 10, 2019
Though people have started asking if Gan wants to take her skills to the world of fashion, the recent grad said she has other plans.
"I plan to pursue a degree in a science-related course," she told INSIDER. "I am in love with both the arts and sciences and I want to incorporate the two different things with each other. I want to bring art into science, or vice versa."