If you’re going to be going to your prom in the spring, then you may have noticed other people around you already starting to think about the dress they are going to wear for the big night. Some girls put almost as much thought into what they will wear for prom as other women do into their wedding dresses, and since you only get to do prom once, it can feel super important to find the very best dress to wear. Prom can, therefore, feel like a huge deal, and so it doesn’t do any harm to start looking at different dress styles and thinking about what you might like to try on and which brands or shops might be the ones to head for nearer the time, when you’re ready to seriously begin thinking about picking the final dress.
Narrowing Down the Choices!
Your prom dress may also be the first very formal dress you need to buy if your school tends towards the more informal for other dances and if you haven’t been to any particularly formal weddings or other family events. This may well mean you’re not really that familiar with the different styles of formal gown, which ones you like, and which ones flatter your figure, as you may be with other types of clothing like more normal party dresses. So, a good place to start in the seemingly huge task of narrowing down all of the beautiful dresses out there into a shortlist of ones you want to try on is by looking at the cuts of formal dresses and which features suit which types of people.
Necklines, Straps, and Sleeves
When you imagine a prom dress in your mind, you probably think of something strapless or strappy with a full skirt. However, that traditional style is far from all you have to choose from, and so it’s good to get some ideas of other options for the neckline and sleeves or straps, particularly if you don’t actually like wearing strapless or spaghetti strap dresses! Halterneck styles can be one very popular option, and these can be flattering if you have broad shoulders. Cowl neck styles can create volume around the chest if you feel you need it. Asymmetric styles with one sleeve or shoulder strap can add a stylish and modern look, or, if you don’t like showing your upper arms, there are also some gorgeous long sleeve prom dresses. Check out fashion brand Jovani, who specializes in special occasion dresses such as gowns for black tie galas, pageant dresses, bridesmaid dresses and dresses for prom. You can see that there are some really stunning long sleeve prom dresses by Jovani that create a really elegant and sexy silhouette without leaving you feeling as bare as a sleeveless style.
Length and Skirt
If your school is one that tends to apply a strictly formal black tie dress code to its proms, then you will need to choose your dress with this in mind, and so your main choices will be around the style of long skirt your dress should have. Mermaid or fishtail styles are very fashionable at the moment, and these can look great if you have long legs, as they fit close to the leg until flaring out lower down. A classic A-line skirt to the dress, including one that has extra volume from underskirts, can add volume if you have a slight figure or would like to create the effect of more curves. Draped shapes and bias-cut dresses where the skirt of the dress is not made from a separate piece to the upper part can be flattering if you are looking for a plus-sized dress that will skim over the body and have a slimming effect.
If your school seems to allow for less traditional prom dresses, then you may also be able to consider cocktail lengths, midi skirted dresses (a big trend at the moment), and asymmetric hemmed dresses that are short on one side. You can generally get an idea of how prom at your school tends to look and feel by taking a look at pictures from other years and seeing if the girls are all in long gowns or if shorter styles are just as popular. Some schools have less formal proms where the dress code is closer to homecoming, and so you may choose to wear a different length if that is the case, although long dresses will always be a strong choice.
Hopefully, these explanations of different prom dress shapes will help you to think about what kinds of dresses may be the most flattering on you, and which you might be most confident wearing! Now you can start browsing the dresses on a site like Jovani and see which dresses you might want for your shortlist!