Prom repeats hinder teens

Most people know that every year fashion designers create designs and determine styles for the prom season. However, according to most girls, no one really listens to what these designers think should be worn to this one in a lifetime event.

“I keep up with the latest styles for the most part,” senior Carrie Conner said. “When it comes to my prom dress though, I just picked the dress that I like. I didn’t care if the dress was ‘in style’ or not.”

Many other girls feel the same way. In fact, some ladies are wearing dresses that have been passed down from someone in their family such as an older sister, mother, or grandmother.

“At first, I was going to go and buy a prom dress, but they are so expensive,” junior Amber Nelson said. “Besides, my mother has a beautiful dress that she wore to her prom. Since I can fit it, I am probably going to wear the dress to prom this year. This will help me to save money even though I am pretty sure that sequin is out of style.”

Sequins, feathers, polka-dots, and fringes were popular styles for prom last year, according to fashion designers. However, some of those same styles will be seen at prom this year because most of the styles from last year are still very fashionable.

For those who praise fashion designers and follow all of their creations, there are a lot of repetitive prom trends, such as bows and polka dots. Other styles that designers brought out for prom this year are safari prints, flowers, pageant dresses, and rhinestones.

“Last year, I noticed that there were a lot of different prints at prom,” senior Brittany Barber said. “This year I think animal prints and bright colors will dominate our prom. Every store that I went in when I was looking for my prom dress had so many gowns with prints, flowers, and colors. I guess it’s a good thing because it lowers the chances of two people having the same dress. On the other hand, it makes it harder to pick just one because all of them are so pretty.”

Whatever teens decide, prom is a big event that only comes around once. Therefore, ladies should wear whatever makes them happy as opposed to trying to keep up with what is supposedly “in style.”

Save the matching for twins

Let’s face it, ladies. Prom night is a huge deal for us. Some of us even go to the extreme of planning months in advance to make sure we have the perfect dress, makeup, shoes, hair, and of course, date.

It’s our one chance to feel like a princess.

But unless it is planned, no one wants to show up on prom night only to discover that some other girl is wearing the exact same dress.

To put it simply, it would be a tragedy. Prom night would be just like any tabloid cover after a celebrity event asking “Who wore it better?”

More often than not, this happens at every prom. Why? Because the dress selection in this city is somewhat limited. Department stores and other retail stores carry at least 15 of the same dress in all different sizes.

Shopping out of town or shopping at boutiques could prevent this problem.

Some small boutiques actually have a record book of all the dresses bought and which prom they will be worn to.

By doing so, girls who want a certain dress are warned before their purchase that another girl at the same prom has already bought it.

Because some designers only sell their dresses at certain stores, shopping out of city or even out of state could be an advantage in the search for the perfect dress.

Online dress shopping could be another option; however, buyers run the risk of having the dress not fit.

Apart from looking at other places to shop, schools should offer their help in this situation.

A specific teacher could be assigned to keeping track of a dress record, allowing all girls attending prom to give a picture or description to the teacher.

However, teachers have a big enough load on their shoulders as it is, both during school and outside of school.

To remedy this situation, several people on the prom committee could be assigned to maintaining a website or even a Facebook group and still be under the supervision of a teacher.

Numerous schools across the country have student-run Facebook groups that allow girls to upload pictures and descriptions of their dress, shoes, etc.

The problem is that some girls might want their dresses to be a “surprise” for fellow classmates. But what it boils down to is this: Do they want the dress be a surprise, or would they rather be surprised on prom night when they realize someone else is their mirror image?

Students and all girls alike should assist each other in making prom a night to remember because of the fun instead of remembering it because of the humiliation.