All For Swinging You Around : Prom Night

The prom. A teenage rite of passage that either calls to mind Cinderella imagery or visions of every teen slasher flick well, ever. Anyone who has ever had to primp and plan in preparation for this most vaulted of high school dances knows that the prom is a stress in and of itself. There's renting the limo, arranging things with mom and dad and most difficult of all seeking out that perfect dress for dancing the night away.

Finding the right prom dress is difficult. Most of the options availible for prom look like they've been run through a broken bedazzler and/or run the size range from extra small to small. Since every girl wants to look good on her special night (and since those prom pictures will always come back to haunt you, I speak from experience) a little help is in order. We at TFFF believe in making life easier, especially for our younger readers. As such we've crafted a little mini guide to looking perfect on your special night.


Prom options from Tadashi | All availible at Saks

THE LOOK

First things first you've got to decide what look it is you're going for. There are no rules, you can go super formal in a floor length gown, or rock it out in something short and sweet. Unless your school has a set dress code pretty much anything goes. Just take into consideration what you'll be most comfortable in, nothing is worse than an evening spent in a stuffy ballgown when you'd much rather wear a short skirt or even pants. As someone who wore the poufiest gown she could find to her prom I know this to be true. Sometimes its better to think outside the box when it comes to formal wear, don't just go for the tried and true ballgown look. You'll look ten times cuter if you actually feel at peace in the dress you're wearing. Try on a lot of things and move around in them. Unless you're planning on standing by the wall it's important that you be able to dance about in whatever you pick.

THE ACCESSORIES

Keep. It. Simple. No matter what your friends say this is not the time for a tiara. Unless you have a royal title it is almost never the time for a tiara. Nor is it the time for anything over the top or ridiculous that you'll wind up leaving in the limo or dropping in the bathroom. A simple clutch with the basic essentials is all a girl needs. Also think about keeping your hair and makeup classic, when you look back at those photos 10 years later you don't want to see a face encrusted with glitter and neon eyeshadow. Unless thats your signature look, if so then knock yourself out.

TFFF APPROVED
Now while I am I little long in the tooth to go to prom there were a few dresses out there that I found and really loved. I think they'd be perfect for any night on the town really but they've a little something special that I think could work for a school dance. I'm absolutely in love with the Tadashi wine colored halter dress. Its stunning and has a flamenco feel, just looking at it makes me want to start dancing. I'm also all about shorter looks for formal wear right now, its just a little fresher in my opinion. This Jessica McClintock ruffled party dress is just the sort of thing I could sink my teeth into at the moment. Don't let the razor thin model fool you it goes up to size 18 (as do all J. M. pieces) and I think it with a pair of black tights and some insane shoes it could be the daringly ubertrendy prom look of the moment. Logic be damned if its hot pink and has ruffles I'm all about it. Don't be afraid to go for that bold color. For something considerably more traditional IGIGI has this lovely navy satin gown, which just screams princess. I love the color on this, its just such a rich blue.

There are hundreds more gorgeous dress options at IGIGI, Torrid, Salon Z & Jessica McClintock. There is something for everyone no matter what you're looking for.

Good luck on your prom dress hunt young ladies!

For those of us who remember our years of high school dances what did you wear to your prom? I was decked out in a lavender Jessica McClintock gown that was no doubt inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow's pepto pink Ralph Lauren Oscar night dress. It was the exact same dress, complete with sweeping shawl only in lavender and I swore I looked FIERCE.