TURBOTVILLE — Who knew that duct tape could make a fashion statement?

For Samantha Oakes, of Watsontown, and Lynnette Eichenlaub, of Allenwood, both seniors at Warrior Run High School, that question became a challenge.

Both young women decided to attend the Warrior Run prom on May 3 wearing gowns made primarily of the sticky product.

“Actually, my date suggested it to me,” Oakes said. “At first I thought it was pretty weird, but then I decided to go for it.”

The payoff for the two, as well as for their dates, both of whom wore tuxedos made of tape, was a lot of attention when they arrived at the prom. Eichenlaub and her date, Dustin Williams, of Watsontown, and Oakes and her date, Steve Gallie, of Sunbury, created quite a stir when they walked in.

“A lot of people were really impressed,” said Eichenlaub. “I didn’t hear any negative feedback.”

“It was worth it,” agreed Oakes. “Our friends thought it was cool.”

Eichenlaub estimated they each used about $75 worth of tape to make their dresses.

Duck Tape, a brand name maker of duct tape, sponsors a national contest for high school students to make their prom outfits from tape. The grand prize is a $3,000 scholarship, along with a $3,000 award to the winner’s school. Second prize is $2,000 for each, and third prize is $1,000 for each. This year’s contest ends June 11.

The two girls, both advanced placement art students at Warrior Run, started making sketches in January.

“What I made doesn’t look like what I started out with,” Eichenlaub said. There were several false starts before she came up with a workable design.

Oakes said she developed a pattern, and one of her friends suggested she put the tape on fabric.

“It took me several tries to get something that worked,” she said.

Both girls said they spent time almost every day after school working on their outfits. “Our friends were getting mad at us since we were always busy working on our dresses,” Eichenlaub said.

In addition to the dresses, the two helped their dates make their tuxes. They also made their accessories, including shoes, gloves and purses, as well as corsages, boutonnieres and even earrings.