Junior Eve Sharp dressed as a flapper, a young woman who defied societal constraints during the time period in which the book takes place, unintentionally matches with a few classmates, including juniors Ella Kane and Caroline Salz. Although it was a scramble to find a dress at the last minute, Sharp was especially excited for the party after Kabbalat Shabbat, where juniors get to socialize, dance and drink champagne. “I was definitely most looking forward to the party, because I feel like that’s a staple of the juniors at Gatsby Day,” Sharp said.

Wearing multiple button-up dress shirts and vintage ties, juniors Liora Litwack and Raizy Moshinsky matched as the book’s protagonist, Jay Gatsby’s, shirts. Remembering the night before Gatsby Day that they were both missing a costume, Litwack and Moshinsky pulled together an outfit that consisted of existing clothing in their wardrobes and borrowed clothing from family members. “The ties we’re wearing are my great-grandfather’s and they’re really cool and our shirts are Raizy’s dad’s shirts,” Litwack said.

Junior Ben Manevich dressed as Meyer Wolfsheim, an illegal businessman and friend of Gatsby, wearing a suit and tie. Manevich most enjoyed the costume contest at Kabbalat Shabbat, where high schoolers cheered for costumes they liked. Manevich began planning his costume on the Monday before Gatsby Day. “I bought it on Amazon because I found this costume that was [what] Meyer Wolfsheim [wore],” Manevich said.

In addition to celebrating Gatsby Day with her classmates, junior Brielle Bassin also hosted Kabbalat Shabbat for the first time with junior Leora Blumenthal. Planning her Jordan Baker-flapper costume in advance allowed her to be stress-free while her friends searched at the last minute for costumes. Bassin’s costume included both Baker’s golf club and the flapper dress. “It was something I had been looking forward to for a very long time,” Bassin said. “I remember seeing all the juniors during Gatsby Day when I was younger and thinking, ‘Oh my god, I can’t wait till I get there.’ And so it was really crazy to me to finally be in that position, and I call it the ‘I made it’ moment because now I feel really like I’m the oldest in the school and it was just kind of the defining moment.”