Imagine the scene: after patiently waiting three years to get your mitts on a ticket to St John’s May Ball, you succeeded. This is your last May Week as a student at Cambridge, and the thought of this night was the only thing that got you through the dread of exam term (and the dread of having to temporarily date a Johnian). Your outfit is going to be ON POINT, because, well, it’s got to be hasn’t it?

But, after standing in a queue for what felt like another full term, you finally make it through the entrance. Yet, to your horror, you enter to see five more people wearing the exact same dress. In the exact the same colour. Sacré bleu!

This is, of course, is highly unlikely. And regardless, five other people all wearing the same dress as you is not necessarily cause to ruin your night either. But, if you do want stand out from the usual crowd in May Week, how are you going to avoid such a faux pas?

At this point, I should like to clarify that I am not discriminating against those who don’t identify as female in this article. A ‘black-tie’ dress code inevitably ruins any suit-wearers hopes of standing out from the sea of identical black suits. Unless you’re a Blue. In which case, wear that bow tie with pride and be sure to tell everyone about how you crushed/nearly crushed Oxford at Varsity earlier in the year.

Anyway – back to the matter at hand: how to get an outfit no one else will have:

1) Say yes to (anything BUT) the dress

Dresses are to May Balls what Amatey Doku is to CUSU. Pretty synonymous, right? But there are lots of alternatives to dresses that are every bit as much of a showstopper, and there’s a lot less of a chance that you will bump into someone wearing the same outfit, because dresses still grip tightly onto the May Ball monopoly. Branch out kids!

2) It’s vintage, darling!

Here I refer to vintage clothes that are ‘old’ in the sense that if they were a person they would have been in the same school year as your parents. This type of vintage can be picked up at vintage kilo sales, charity shops, or on eBay. Retro garments are great because it’s virtually impossible for someone else to own the same outfit; however, finding a piece which is reasonably priced, in mint condition, fitting perfectly and - most importantly - actually liked by you is very rare. Should you choose to find your outfit from this category, be prepared to pay a little extra for any alterations or repairs.

“Use your artistic license and customise your threads with gemstones, tailoring, or embroidery”

3) It’s kind of vintage, darling!

The other type of vintage is ‘old’ in the same way that a fourth year NatSci is ‘old’. Not really ancient, but perhaps it’s been knocking around in your wardrobe for a while. If there’s an outfit you brought a while back but never wore, then now is the perfect time to crack it out. Few other people will have dipped into the sartorial archives to retrieve their outfit, so you’ve just bagged a more or less unique one with minimum effort.

4) Customise

Two girls turned up to my school prom in the same dress, admittedly in different colours. One had kept hers as it originally was, as most of us probably would. The other bought some Swarovski crystals, and stuck them with moderate generosity to the front section, and instantly transformed her dress. Use your artistic license and customise your threads with gemstones, tailoring, or embroidery — just be absolutely sure of what you’re doing for before you do anything irreversible.

5) Go rogue

Leaving the most obvious until last, there are certain stores that you know EVERYONE is going to be hitting in the run up to May Week, so if it’s quirky you’re after, you’re not going to find it there. You are, however, going to have more luck if you visit an independent boutique, or as might be a better option due to the restraints of the bubble, scour the web (or ASOS at least) for the smaller labels. They are out there — I just can’t tell you where. I wouldn’t want you getting the same dress as me now would I?

Thread Flair: How to be a belle on a budget

That being said, if you don’t give a shit about whether you are the only person wearing your dress, or whether you are one of twenty, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you do, however, then the rule is to just think outside the box. Use any of the pointers above, or just play on your own personal style, in the way that no one else can… and may your May Week wardrobe be free of identical outfits