Out of all things, sophomore Sam Wordhouse is most excited to “bust it down on the dance floor” while wearing his spectacular suit this Winterfest.

Since the sophomore class has yet to experience Winterfest in all its glory, Sam is ecstatic to be able to get dressed up with his friends and have a memorable night together. This winter, Sam will be sporting a blue suit from Men’s Warehouse, a white undershirt, a colorful tie that his date does not know the shade of, and what he is pretty sure are brown shoes—he’s colorblind.

Unfortunately, Sam did not start his shopping until quite late, so his options were sparse. He didn’t have too long of a list of criteria. He just had to make sure the suit fits and that it was blue; all the guys in his group are wearing blue suits.

“I went to the store, and I was like, ‘Hey, I would like this suit jacket,’” Sam said. “[The salesman was] like, ‘Okay, let me fit you right.’ And then he got me right. He fitted me nicely.”

When it comes to clothes, Sam normally projects his personality onto his outfits. However, he does not intend to do this, it is simply how the ball bounces. Though he does not believe that this is the case for his outfit to Winterfest this year, his outgoing personality will still ensure that his getup will suit him perfectly.

“What I wear accurately represents who I am as a person,” Sam explained, “but I don’t wear the clothes that I wear to convey that façade. I wear them because that’s who I am.”

Much like Sam, senior Katherine Hartman—who is on Winterfest Court—has minimal time to find another dress for the crowning ceremony.

Since it is so last-minute for her, Katherine is borrowing her aunt’s dress: a long and flowy number with royal blue satin. The top part of the gown is adorned with sequins, and she is going to wear black heels to top it off.

For the actual Winterfest dance, however, Katherine went a whole different route with her outfit. She will be attending the dance in a short, black dress, with black and gold sequins blanketing the fabric. The dress has a puffy sleeve on one arm, and no sleeve on the other. Her date will even be wearing a matching bowtie.

Katherine’s shopping process was quite simple. She ordered a few dresses from Lulus, tried them all on, and from there, decided which one was her favorite. Though each dress was beautiful, the black dress was the one for her.

“I wanted to look good, but I felt the best in [the black] dress,” Katherine explained. “[Shopping] was really fun. Usually, I [wear] a solid dress. My Homecoming one was just white, and then the last Winterfest [dress] was just purple. So I want to do something really fun before Prom because I don’t think I’ll do anything crazy for that. I thought this one’s different, and I don’t think anyone else is going to have it, which is good. I feel like I can do something cool with my hair, which I always usually just do it down, which is always really pretty, but I wanna do something different.”

The remaining number of dances is dwindling for Katherine, so she wants to soak up every moment. One of the most memorable aspects of the whole process is simply getting ready.

“I’m really excited to get dressed up because all my friends are going to do it together, and everyone helps each other get ready, which is really fun,” Katherine said. “I feel like it’ll be good.”

Senior Grace Collins is also coordinating with her date like Katherine, only it is not just going to be in the bowtie. While Grace is wearing a black, spaghetti-strapped dress from Dry Goods, her date is going all out and sporting a black suit with bright red flowers covering it.

Beyond picking outfits, many girls have to figure out how they’re getting ready, what they are doing with their hair, and how they are going to wear their makeup for the evening. Grace, however, works at a salon, so she is having one of her coworkers do her hair for her.

For Grace’s outfit, she did not have a specific vibe or aesthetic she was aiming for. She is more just excited to have a creative match with her date, along with an amazing night with her friends.

“It’s our second-to-last dance of senior year, and I didn’t go to Winterfest sophomore year, and we didn’t have one junior year, so this is my second one,” Grace explained. “It’s [also] my best friend’s eighteenth birthday party right after Winterfest, so that’s kind of our ‘after party’ slash her birthday party, so I’m super super excited to go to that.”

Though dressing up in fancy dresses and suits can be fun, that isn’t Grace’s main focus. This Winterfest, she is planning on having a memorable time with her closest friends.

“I’m just really excited to have a fun time with my friends,” Grace said. “I’m not really into huge spectacles. But [my date’s] suit is super cool, so I think we’re going to have really stand-out pictures and outfits anyway with the way that we matched them, so I’m really excited for that.”