Hello everyone! My name is Hannah Roque; I’m Miss Route 7 2023 and I’m competing for the title of Miss Vermont 2023. This will be my third time competing for the title of Miss Vermont, and to say that I’m excited is an understatement! When Section 36 asked me to do a guest feature on my journey to finding an evening gown for the 2023 competition, I was elated. Gown shopping has always been one of my favorite parts of preparing for competition, but it does come with a whole set of anxieties for me. As a plus sized woman, shopping for gowns is incredibly stressful - you could face fatphobic comments from your stylist, the gowns in the store are often several sizes too small, and ordering gowns in extended sizes can cost up to $200 more with additional fees factored in. I was so thankful to have some incredibly positive experiences while shopping this year, and I can’t wait to talk you through my journey!
I’m a person that loves to be prepared, so my evening gown search always starts on the internet and social media to get a sense of what I might be interested in bringing to the competition stage. There are common themes that always stay the same for me: I want my gown to accentuate my curves, have some sparkle, and for a long time, every gown I ever wore was green! Last year, I was caught up in an idea of what I thought was my dream dress, rather than gowns that made me look and feel my best. I still love the dress that I wore, but I always felt self conscious when I put the gown on. If I were to give one piece of advice about gown shopping, it would be to let go of all expectations! By being flexible, you’re opening yourself up to find what gowns make you look good and feel even better. It’s important to be flexible and willing to let go of your previous ideas, because that’s when the magic happens! This year was the first year that I truly went in without expectations. While this may have made things challenging for my stylists, I feel like I finally got to find a showstopping gown that made me feel like Miss America.
While I’m not going to show you the gown I will be wearing on the Miss Vermont stage (yet), I do want to show you gowns that were major turning points for me when I was shopping. It took me three appointments and about 25 gowns to find my dress, and several of those gowns proved to be instrumental in my journey to finding my dream dress. The first gown that I tried on was chosen by my stylist. It was this white gown with puffed sleeves and feathers. You can see by my face how much this dress took me by surprise! This sample dress was several sizes too small, but despite this, I was able to envision what this dress would look like on my body. This dress wholeheartedly took me by surprise, and it started off my gown shopping journey with so much joy. This dress showed me a few things: first, to keep an open mind. Going into the day, I told my mom that I didn’t want a white dress and that I hated feathers - this dress had both, and I actually liked it. Second, this gown showed me that I loved sleeves - the puffed sleeves on this gown were to die for. There are certain “rules” that plus sized women are told to follow in order to flatter their bodies - wearing sleeves is a common suggestion for women who want to hide their arms. This gown made me want sleeves because I loved the detail it added to the dress, rather than to hide my arms. And third, I realized the beauty of simple, classic dresses. I’ve never worn dresses without some kind of sparkle, but this gown opened my eyes to the world of gorgeous, non-sparkly dresses.
When shopping for your gown, pick your team wisely. I had my mom and best friend Katherine with me as I shopped, and I felt so supported and loved through the process. Especially as a plus sized gal, having a supportive group of people at your side can make all the difference. It’s important to have people that can help you drown out the criticism of others. As women competing for a state title, we face an unending amount of criticism from anonymous message boards or even well-intending friends. Having people that help you shut out the haters, feel loved, and be your most confident self by your side when gown shopping can make all the difference. When you put on the right dress, it just feels like magic. As soon as I put on the gown that I will be wearing to Miss Vermont 2023, I knew it was the one. I cannot wait to show it to everyone on April 16th!
Thank you all for reading about my journey to finding my evening gown! I feel so incredibly grateful to have worked with wonderful stylists and had an amazing support system while I was shopping. I was lucky enough to work with incredible stylists at both Infusion Boutique in Warwick, RI and at Alexandra’s Boutique in Fall River, MA. Trying to find a gown is hard enough, but plus size gals have a whole slew of other challenges that they face as they shop. My stylists at both boutiques helped me feel like Miss America as I was shopping! I also want to thank Section 36 for asking me to write this blog. I absolutely love dress shopping, but I also felt that it was important to shine a light on the challenges and joys that plus sized women face while trying to find The Gown. And if you want to see what gown I ended up choosing, check out my Instagram @missroute7vt, after April 16th! :)
