Prom

I'm not sure how many of you, if any, are still in high school but I couldn't help but notice it was that time of the year again: PROM. And even if none of you are in high school, it's still fun to talk and reminisce about, right?

I was shopping with my bestie the other day and we were passing the "prom section" of a department store, and I said something like, "aw, I want to get dressed up and go to prom again" and I started thinking of what I would have done differently if I were given the chance to go to another prom and I came to the conclusion that, I wouldn't have done anything different. My prom dresses both came about in kind of funny ways, but they were so me and were so perfect. Let me tell you about them on a trip down high school memory lane.




I have never really been the type of girl to go straight to the mall or department store to find a dress for any occasion and prom was no different. So I hadn't even starting looking for dresses when this dress came into my life. One day my mom just casually mentioned, "oh yeah, by the way, I found this adorable vintage dress on ebay that I thought you might like for prom, so I bought it" haha. I was like really? sweet. When the dress arrived, I loved it. The polka dots, the sweetheart neckline, the tiered ruffles... and when I tried it on, it fit me perfectly. It was fate. My mom and I went to JoAnns and bought some bright red ribbon to tie around my waist, some red and black crinoline to make a petticoat for extra volume, I bought some vintage red heels with polka dot bow clips from ebay and I had myself a prom outfit. I did my own hair and makeup, so the total cost of everything was probably like $65, if that. It was so wonderfully stress-free. I could have lived in that dress, I never wanted to take it off. But I had to, because, well... there was senior prom!



Senior year I did go out and look for a dress. but my luck was horrible. I went to numerous vintage stores and scoured ebay for the perfect dress. I had no idea what I wanted, but I knew I hadn't found it. My dress didn't just fall into my lap so easily like the year before. While we were out I found thee perfect pair of Steve Madden leopard print heels-- on sale! They had this little glittery decal on the toe and looked so 40's, I had to have them. They were a size too small, but that was just a small detail, I would shove my foot into it if I had to (and I did), who needs to feel like Cinderella, anyway? So I decided that I had to make a dress around these shoes. And then I realized that the only way I could get what I wanted, was to make it myself, or er... have my mom make it for me (she made the majority of the dresses or skirts I wore to dances throughout high school-- they deserve a post all their own). So I picked out this great 1960's vintage dress pattern, a pattern for a cape and some coral and leopard material and the rest is history. My mom made me this beautiful vintage-inspired slim-fitting dress, a leopard cape with a matching leopard and lace slip that peeked out underneath my dress and I felt like a million bucks (oh and did I mention she even made my date's leopard tie?). and I knew not a single person would have my same dress on.
Thankfully, I was going to cosmetology school at the time, so one of my cosmo friends did my hair and nails for me at school and my sister did my makeup. So I didn't pay for anything except the shoes and some material.

So now you can see that even looking back, I can't think of a single thing to change about my prom looks. I was probably more of a risk-taker in terms of clothes when I was in high school than I am now, if you can believe that. So big poofy polka dot and salmon-colored dresses with leopard capes and bright platinum blonde hair was just so me.

I thought it'd be fun to make some prom sets on polyvore. One of a recreation of one of my looks, and one that's a more grown-up red carpet, if you will, look based on the same outfit.