For more than two decades, a custom red Amsale gown hung undisturbed in Allison Winn Scotch’s closet — a relic of her brother’s wedding in 2003. This spring, it found new life: her teenage daughter, Amelia, wore the vintage bridesmaid dress to prom offering proof, that occasionally, you really can wear it again.
“I could never bring myself to part with it — the craftsmanship was so meticulous, so beautifully done,” Scotch, a New York Times best-selling novelist, tells TODAY.com.
She suggested the two-piece design after Amelia, 18, was disappointed with a pink dress she had ordered online. With the formal dance fast approaching, the high school senior in Los Angeles was starting to worry about what she would end up choosing for the big night.
“I had been telling my mom for weeks that I wanted a red dress with some sort of accent on it,” Amelia says. But when the “Rewind” author pulled out the old ruby Amsale bridesmaid gown, Amelia admits, she wasn’t immediately sold.
“She showed it to me and I was like, ‘no,’” Amelia recalls.
That was the response Scotch had anticipated, even though the dress checked all of Amelia’s boxes.
“I think most parents are hesitant to share their own aesthetic, knowing it’ll probably be met with scorn,” Scotch laughs.
But Amelia decided to try it on — it was the exact color she had been looking for, so why not? She had nothing to lose.
As Amelia stepped into the dress, Scotch held her breath, hoping for that flicker of recognition on her daughter’s face. And then it came.
“It was perfect,” Amelia says.
On prom night, Amelia completed the look with the same silver and diamond necklace her mother had worn with the strapless sheath to her sibling’s New York City nuptials.
“It’s nice when you hold onto these pieces and they actually do find new life,” Scotch says.
After Scotch shared photos on Threads — one of herself in the dress in 2003, the other of Amelia in 2025 — the post went viral, racking up thousands of likes.
“I think this might be the first time ever I have seen a bridesmaid dress re-used, despite the oft repeated ‘but you can reuse this for other events!'” one person wrote.
Added another, “Beautiful times two!”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
