Teen wears a short-sleeved and cropped suit to prom, gets mixed reaction: 'Is there a flood perhaps?'
High schoolers continue to step their game up when it comes to dressing for prom. But for Donyell Meredith II from Indianapolis, dressing to impress wasn’t hard to do. The 18-year-old tells Yahoo Lifestyle that he’s always trying to wear something different. And for prom, that meant rocking his suit in a rather untraditional way.
Taking to Twitter to share a collection of photos from the big night, including some with his date and other friends, Meredith definitely stood out. Alongside a few young men in black and grey suits, Meredith was rocking a short-sleeved jacket and cropped pants, which have since garnered a lot of attention.
You can buy designer one thing you can’t buy is swag #Prom2k18 pic.twitter.com/TH53ZYxSRH
— Donyell Meredith II (@DonyellMeredith) April 23, 2018
“You can buy designer,” he wrote in his tweet, which has since been liked more than 9,500 times, but “one thing you can’t buy is swag.”
The picture certainly proves that Meredith’s style is cool, and, according to the young man, all it took was a trip to a superstore retailer and a little extra tailoring.
“I got the suit from K & G Fashion, but I had it tailored and told them where I wanted the sleeves and pants to come down to,” he says about the process of putting together the unique look. “I always like to dress different and not necessarily wear the in things or expensive designer clothing. I really enjoy putting together outfits.”
When it comes to making a look like this work, Meredith also accepts that there will be some people who hate it and aren’t afraid to share those opinions.
— PSGoat (@ParisSaintGoat) April 24, 2018
Cmon bro the laws of swag say you gotta keep the bottom button unbuttoned at all times :/
— RinRin (@RinJassar) April 24, 2018
Is there a flood perhaps? pic.twitter.com/VqMgvZ7J3O
— ⚡️Ⓚ Ⓔ Ⓐ Ⓝ Ⓤ (@Follow_theLeeda) April 25, 2018
It's straight…but I'm going to need him to either pull those pants down or his shoes up
— Σilk da Σhockaa (@ThatGuy_Jaye) April 27, 2018
“When I first told my mom what I wanted to do, she said no and that it would look terrible. Then there were other people that didn’t like it and told me to buy the rest of my suit. But I just feel like they were more upset that they didn’t come up with the idea first,” he says.
Luckily the look didn’t cause any controversy with Meredith’s school; he says there was no dress code against the short-sleeved look. But his mom wound up coming around to it, as did hundreds of people who reacted positively to the hem lengths on social media.
Short sleeve suit pic.twitter.com/eBUoMd1Wfp
— Jordyn 'Boobie' Law (@boobie_law50) April 23, 2018
Come on short sleeved suit !!! pic.twitter.com/7fOdddPaIW
— SugaCanee✨ (@QueenNahniee) April 25, 2018
Not going to front when I saw the subtweet about a short sleeve suit I got ready to see how horrible it was going to look, but you honestly pull it off
— caitlyn (@caitlynsloat) April 24, 2018
he might be on to something… wait til your fav athlete does it. Then he can say “I told y’all” pic.twitter.com/FynDfoGAFq
— Shanan McShade (@heyshanieee) April 24, 2018
I love? this. A short sleeve suit is everything – style is created, not decided.
— Tyler. (@Draugyr) April 25, 2018
I just saw this. I didn't know at first, but I'm feeling tf outta this. Beautiful suit and respect for going outside the norm my man.
— Drew Altland (@Werdddddd) April 25, 2018
Meredith isn’t the only one of his friends who knows a thing or two about fashion. Replying to the teen’s post, one person pointed out the amazing shoes that Meredith’s friend paired with his look.
His shoes fye pic.twitter.com/fRvyerrZAZ
— lil baby who dont like you (@Gawdessgood) April 25, 2018
All in all, it seems like the whole crew has the right idea when it comes to making wardrobe magic on prom night — and Meredith says his choice was also ideal for comfort.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• This photo of teens praying on prom night is sparking controversy
• This high school is handing out ‘modesty ponchos’ to cover up prom dresses deemed inappropriate
• Teen shamed for wearing Chinese dress to prom sparks cultural appropriation debate
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