Prom dresses 101
Glamorous, colorful, made from exquisite fabrics and beautifully adorned with sequins, crystals or pearls, this is how today’s prom dresses can be characterized. But they have not always been like that; at the beginning, when proms started to be organized by American high schools, girls were seen wearing formal dresses and boys in black or white formal wear.
Girls participating in proms, which were actually debutante balls where their parents presented them to potential suitors, had to wear long or medium-sized dresses, so that most of their skin was covered. A favorite fabric for that time was lace. Sequins were also used to add more elegance and glamour to prom dresses. Just like today, in the 1930s and 1940s, when proms started to become popular, girls were very much influenced by the personalities of that time.
Because the early proms were just some gatherings where high school students drank tea and socialized, the expenses for organizing such affair were modest. Girls and boys alike did not have to spend weeks or months to find the most appropriate outfit. This led to the existence of a high number of cheap prom dresses and formal wear for boys. However, at that time there were no Prom Queens or Kings.
When the concepts of “Prom Queen” and “Prom King” were introduced, cheap prom dresses and men outfits mysteriously vanished. Retailers understood that they had to raise the price of the garments they sold, due to their popularity, in order to obtain higher profits. At that time, much like today, the girl that was selected Prom Queen received instant social status.
In the 1960s and 1970s, girls started to look for their prom dress long before reaching their senior year. Some of them traveled to Europe, especially to Paris and Milan to find the right dress for this important occasion in their life. Their “Sunday best” was no longer accepted; girls wanted to be the most beautiful at the prom and be selected Prom Queens and their church clothing was not able to provide them with that any longer.
That was the time when the sexual revolution occurred. This movement had immensely influenced fashion. Women of all ages started to wear short and mini dresses and skirts, the baby doll style was introduced to the public and more and more generous low-cut necklines began to be seen all over the place. Then, designers made pants a fashionable item, great to be worn at formal events like proms.
In 2014, dresses designed for young ladies participating in high school gatherings like proms and homecoming parties feature a variety of colors, are short, medium-sized or long, present embellishments or are extremely simple, are made from a high number of fabrics and come in a large range of shapes and designs. These days, it does not matter too much to wear a trendy dress, but one that fits you and allows you to move freely and enjoy your time at the prom.
Prom dresses have come long way from being simple Sunday garments to glamorous pieces of clothing. They allow high school girls in their senior year look dramatic and ease the path to becoming the Prom Queen. For cheap prom dresses for all tastes, enter our website.
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