Teen fashion phenom Sidney Rice spent 120 hours designing a “Phantom of the Opera”-themed dress and tuxedo made entirely out of book pages for Northland Public Library’s Garden Gala on Saturday, April 25.
Tickets for the 2026 Garden Gala: Phantom of the Library are $75 and can still be purchased until 11:59 p.m. tonight at northlandlibrary.org. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. for the 21-and-older fundraiser.
While there is a lot of excitement in Downtown Pittsburgh this weekend for the NFL Draft, it did not impact ticket sales for the gala, said Alexis McKinley, director of the Northland Public Library Foundation.
“Despite the NFL Draft, we are expecting our largest attendance ever,” she said.
In keeping with the gala theme of “Phantom of the Library,” the library’s first and second floors will take on the look of a masquerade ball from the famous musical and literary classic by Gaston Leroux.
For those who haven’t seen the library’s upgrades, the gala offers a chance to view the newly renovated space at 300 Cumberland Road in McCandless, which celebrated a ribbon-cutting in January.
The gala, presented by UPMC Health Plan and UPMC Passavant, will include local food and beverage vendor stations, live entertainment, a silent auction and more.
Rice, 17, has been making book dresses for the gala for the past several years. She uses old donated books to keep the paper outfits sustainable. This is her first year fashioning a tuxedo.
For last year’s gala theme of “Alice and Wonderland,” Rice re-created Alice’s blue dress and the Red Queen’s black-and-white gown, dipping the pages in Rit dye to add color.
“Every year, I think she tops herself,” said her mom, Michele, who taught her daughter to sew at age 6.
Rice just won the Phipps YCAC Youth Sustainable Fashion Show on April 15 for her dress and tuxedo.
Rice of Franklin Park has won multiple awards for her designs over the years, including a 2026 YoungArts Award in the Design category, an international honor recognizing exceptional young artists.
Some of Rice’s other gala book dresses include a “Great Gatsby”-themed flapper dress and a ballgown.
With a penchant for designing couture wedding dresses and gowns, Rice hopes to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and eventually design dresses for runway shows.
“I do have an appreciation for fashion and art. It’s very special to make art that can be worn,” Rice said.
Her teachers at both the intermediate and senior high schools, Megan Bailey and Elizabeth Gallagher, respectively, incorporated Rice’s designing and dress work into her school schedule.
While Rice pinned on her last-minute touches to her phantom suit and pins, members of North Allegheny’s National Art Honor Society were downstairs painting the library’s windows with the gala’s theme — including junior Chloe Bayer, who “loved the theme.”
For details about the gala, call 412-366-8100, ext. 104, or email McKinley at mckinleya@northlandlibrary.org.