Layla Hildreth in her Tiana inspired prom dress. Credit: Disney/ Layla HildrethPrincess Tiana is having a bit of a revival these days. The star of The Princess and the Frog (2009) hasn’t been on the big screen in more than 15 years, but that hasn’t stopped Tiana from making a significant comeback.
This summer, Walt Disney World will debut Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom next month, which has helped propel the Disney princess into the spotlight.
But a high school senior in Alabama had an even better way to honor her favorite princess. Shades Valley High School senior Layla Hildreth decided to make her own Tiana dress to wear to her senior prom.
Unlike most of her classmates, who purchased their dresses from local stores, Hildreth spent five months creating her dress, which mimics the dress Tiana wore at the end of the movie and in her appearances throughout Disney Parks.
More than just the time, Hildreth spent around $300 just on fabric for the dress. She said it took 10 yards of satin to create her Tiana-inspired look.
Hildreth said that Tiana had inspired her since seeing the movie as a kid and called the Disney Princess “inspirational.” She also said that she was inspired by Tiana’s big dreams and work ethic to create her prom dress.
When she arrived at the prom, her friend group was blown away by the dress and her hard work.
They were like, ‘Whoa, like wow, where did you get it? What happened?’ A lot of people knew I was making my dress, but it was mostly my friend group, so once everybody else saw it, they were like, ‘Girl, how did you do that?’ I just kept hearing ‘you did such a good job’ and ‘I’m so proud of what you’ve done.’
Just never give up, let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. You can do anything you want to. Your art is your art and don’t let anybody tell you that it’s not.
Shades Valley High School is located in Monroe County, Alabama, just outside Birmingham. Next year, Layla Hildreth will be taking her talent to Georgia State University.
As for Princess Tiana, her ride is scheduled to open in the Magic Kingdom in late June and hopefully later this year at Disneyland. And who knows, perhaps a Princess and the Frog live-action remake is in the works so Tiana can inspire another generation of young women.
Which Disney Princess dress would you like to wear to your prom?