prom. Prom. PROM!

So, if you live in the US, you know about prom. That one occasion in high school when Juniors and Seniors are expected to look and act like sophisticated adults. Now, that doesn't always happen, and it certainly is not as big of a deal as the movies would make you think. That is, the event isn't. The lead up to the event is massive. The majority of second semester consists of lunchroom conundrums over finding a prom date for everyone, and faces, hidden behind laptop screens in class search countless websites for the perfect dress. "Perfect" takes on different meanings for everyone. Some girls take it as their opportunity to look more mature, some use it as their chance to shed their normal image and come out as a princess. Some see it as a romantic night, while others just like to get dressed up and have fun with their friends. I go to an all girls school, where the focus is less on the dance itself and more on planning, getting ready, and selecting a dress. The all-girls environment, although prom itself is a coed event, stems a certain amount of conservativeness in dress and behavior, (at least at the dance, the after party is another story). The dance is pretty small in my school's case, with about 180 people total, which includes all of the students from the junior and senior classes, their dates, and the chaperones. The high ratio of chaperones to students also encourages modesty. Girls aren't wearing long sleeved muslin turtleneck dresses or anything like that, but I have yet to see a dress that could be described as skanky, and people are not up to anything too promiscuous on the dance floor. Not all of the dresses are to my taste, but as you're about to see, I have pretty specific desires for my prom dress this year.

Wish List:

• Fitted to natural waist
• Corseting or boning in bodice
• No low back
• No cutouts
• No pick-ups in skirt
• No ruching
• Lined
• Not too much poof
• No ombre
• No black, deep teal, orange, yellow, neon, or light green
• Nice fabric, none of the shiny polyester
• Not too much glitter

That's a pretty long list. There's a shop near me where I bought one of my dresses last year where they do the tailoring for free and they have the largest selection of dresses that I actually like that I have seen in my area, so I will definitely return there again to find this year's dress. I have found two dresses online that I'm interested in, so far, but you never know what will work for you until you try them on. Last year, I wound up with two different dresses, as I attended two different proms. The first dress was a floor length Betsey Johnson silk chiffon ombre gown. The bodice was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, in a deep teal, which gradually became black as it reached the bottom. It was tremendously comfortable, and the boning in the top made me look absolutely tiny. There was a small black silk sash around the waist, with a bow on one side of the front, and there was a black silk flower on top of the bow. I did not like the flower, so I cut it off and placed a subtle brooch in the center of the bow in its place to add a bit of glitter. The other dress was a sage/olive green that had a lovely iridescence to it. It was empire waisted, with jeweled straps. The two dresses I'm liking for this year are these below. The first reminds me of a blend of two of my favorite Elie Saab dresses, and the other is just beyond glamorous.