Picking out fancy dresses for girls can be as much of a challenge as it is a joy. You want to choose a gown that will help her feel special - in a league of her own, even – but you also have to work around the fact that as a quickly developing sprout, she’s bound to outgrow the garment all too soon.

At Sara Dresses, we do our best to help you resolve this conundrum by offering our pieces at very affordable prices. You yourself can also make sure that the dress you choose lasts as long as possible by going one size larger than your child’s current size. If you truly want to get the most out of the fancy dresses you buy for your girls, there’s even more you can do. With the three dress repurposing ideas outlined in this article, your child can benefit from her fancy flower girl dress or party dress way more than once or twice.

1. Wear It To Another Event

Perhaps the most obvious way to reuse a formal dress is to wear it to another formal occasion. Think about the events that your child has coming up in the next year or two and try to pick out a dress that will work for all of them. First Communions, weddings, Bat Mitzvahs, parties and pageants are some of the typical occasions that growing girls aged 1-14 will require fancy dress for.

Keep in mind that an event doesn’t have to be strictly formal for your child to dress up. One of the good things about being a kid is that no one asks questions if you show up in fancy clothes simply because you want to. Some examples of non-formal occasions that are generally fancy dress-friendly include:

• Parades 
• Play dates 
• Family gatherings 
• Talent shows and dance recitals 
• Birthday, school and church parties 
• Dinners and movie nights out on the town 
• Trips to Disneyland and other theme parks

Of course, make sure that the dress allows an appropriate range of movement so that your child can participate in all the activities planned for the day.

2. Wear It For Dress-Up

We can’t think of a more noble use for a retired fancy girl’s dress than as a dress-up item, especially if there doesn’t seem to be a formal occasion coming up. Let your young child get creative and come up with interesting outfit ideas for her formal dress. She might want to imitate a real-life or fictional princess, or she might want to mix-and-match her clothing to create an innovative young character of her own making! Either way, letting your little girl experiment with clothing is a great way to empower her to express herself for the rest of her life.

Turn It Into A Halloween Costume

Both toddlers and youth can find ways to repurpose their fancy girl’s dress into a Halloween costume. Tweens, who may not be so keen on princess costumes, may enjoy putting a horror or pop culture spin on her fancy dress with the help of some makeup and the right accessories.

3. Transform It Into Something Else

When your child’s dress inevitably starts to become too small for wear, you have a few options. You could give it to a younger friend or sibling as a hand-me-down, sell it, or donate it. Or, you could give it a new life by transforming it into something new!

Take Out Your Sewing Kit

If you’ve got some talent for sewing, you can repurpose a fancy dress for girls by turning it into something new but equally useful. Pinterest is full of inspiration for turning fancy dresses into casual dresses, quilts, pillowcases, purses, baby clothes, and much more. When you do so, make sure to save nice pieces of unused fabric for your child to use as scarves, skirts and more during dress-up sessions.

Frame It As A Memory

Flower girl dresses, First Communion dresses and other momentous frocks play an especially important part in your child’s life and are worth preserving. Keeping a dress forever may not be practical, but a great alternative idea is to frame a section of the fancy dress fabric for your girls to look at to relive the memory.

Make The Most Of Precious Little Dresses

Whether you are motivated by economic or environmental reasons to repurpose your child’s dress, we hope our tips can help you give the fullest life possible to the garment. For more help choosing the perfect dress for your little one, check out this guide by Sara Dresses. When you’re ready, we welcome you to explore our newest products to find a versatile fancy dress for your little girl.