The Dress- Prom (Part 1)

Proms/Formals/Balls were definitely one of the highlights of my high school life. It’s a time where you can forget your troubles and dance the night away with your friends and peers. It’s something for you to anticipate and use as motivation throughout the year, and the best part is getting to dress up and express yourself.

I’m Australian (in case you didn’t know), so our formals as they are called, are timed much differently to other countries, as here, the school year starts at the end of January and finishes at the end of November/start of December. Typically, we get one formal at the end of year 10 (age 15-16) and one at the end of our final year of school (age 17-18). I don’t think it’s quite as big here as it is in the US, but the night is pretty much identical. Just keep in mind that ours (generally) do occur at the beginning of Summer as well so my tips may be a little seasonal.

Knowing proms occur all over the world at different times, I decided to start this series early in the year so that I can help out as many of you as possible!

In this part I am going to talk about the all important dress and accessories.

Year 10

For my first formal, I didn’t really have a particular look in mind. All I knew was that I wanted something simple. The thing I kept in mind was that I had another one coming in two years, so I didn’t want to go all out straight away and run out of ideas for my senior year. 

I ended up shopping with my Mum and Grandma, which turned out to be the best decision, as because we all have different tastes, I got the best of both of their opinions.

I think my biggest tip would be to take more than one person with you (if possible) when you shop. That way, you will get multiple perspectives on what looks, fits and seems right. I wouldn’t take more than two though. Three really is a crowd.

I tried on a couple of dresses, but this one just made me feel that little bit more special. It probably sounds silly, but you will feel an attachment to the dress you want. And no matter what anyone says, if you feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful in the dress- it’s the one for you.

I also felt really special in this one, as I had recently lost my Nanna, and she used to love bright colours. Even though she wasn’t there to see me, I knew she would be looking down on me with a proud smile.

Yellow is also my Grandma’s favourite colour, so she was obviously #teamyellowdress as well.

It was a brilliant choice, as I was the only one in that colour so I definitely stood out, despite how simple the look was!

This dress was from a local boutique and luckily, I managed to get it on sale. I didn’t want to spend too much on the dress, and this ended up being the cheapest in the pile I chose to try on. Just goes to show- you can find the perfect dress, even on a budget.

I was INCREDIBLY fussy when it came to picking my shoes, simply because the dress was short, so they would be seen. I actually got these a week before the formal because I simply couldn’t find a suitable pair anywhere, no matter how hard I looked. I need heels to be at least 4.5 inches or above generally, as I have big feet and I find them way more comfortable to walk and -most importantly- dance in. These are the silver ‘Serena’ heels from Betts. They were a little pricey but so comfortable and really completed the look. They’re not available anymore, but Betts do offer some really great alternatives.

My biggest tip for shoes- ALWAYS choose comfort over fashion. If you find a gorgeous pair of shoes but they make you want to hack off both of your feet and feed them to a pack of wild dogs, they’re not the shoes for you. If they only feel a little uncomfortable, they may just need breaking in. But one trick I’ve learned when trying on heels (shoutout to FleurDeForce) is to stand on your tip toes with them on in the store. If you can’t lift the heels off the floor- they’re too high.

I was equally as fussy with the bag. I knew I wanted silver but every one that I found had some type of embellishment that would likely snag the fabric of my dress. I ended up finding this one from Nine West which I love and still use to this day.

Year 12

This was the formal that everyone would be watching. It wasn’t so much a competition, but it was all or nothing when it came to effort. The only thing I had in mind with dress shopping was that I wanted something long.

I desperately did NOT want something covered in glitter, sequins or rhinestones. But what do you know…

Again, I went shopping for this dress with my Mum and Grandma, but this time we went a lot further from home. It was a cold winter’s day and I was not particularly in the mood for shopping, but as soon as I walked into the store, I got super excited.

The women were lovely and really helpful. They helped me narrow down what I wanted and spared no expense with time.

On the hanger, I thought this dress was beautiful, but I didn’t particularly want one in this style. I really just picked it up out of curiosity, merely wanting to see how I would look in it.

In the big pile I had to try on, I chose this first just to get it out of the way. It’s SUPER intricate and VERY heavy so its a bit of a struggle to get on and off. I wasn’t expecting much, but when I walked out of the dressing room and saw myself in the mirror, my mind was totally changed.

I tried on the whole pile, plus a few that were handed to me from around the shop. the others were absolutely beautiful and may have even suited me better, but I could not take my mind off this one.

It made me feel confident, comfortable and for the first time in a while- beautiful. That’s how I knew it was the one (sounds like I’m talking about my husband. Lol!)

The dress is from a brand called J’Adore. It’s rather pricey, but again, I managed to pick it up on sale which I, and my bank account, were very happy about!

The struggle with shoes this year was even worse than year 10, as the skirt of this dress consisted of layers upon layers upon layers of this beautiful light chiffon that was silky and floaty. Something that would snag SUPER easily. I totally would have just worn the same shoes again (like I did with the bag and jewellery in case you didn’t see that), but the fabric was just so delicate I didn’t want to risk it.

That’s when I found Kurt Geiger.

I fell head over heels in love with these shoes as soon as I saw them (see what I did there). I was in David Jones looking around when I spotted them from across the room and felt an instant connection.

Again, they were up there in price but I got them on sale for $90. I was able to justify them as I do wear a lot of gold and I knew I could wear them time and time again.

I definitely recommend checking out Kurt Geiger for formal, or any other shoes for that matter. They have some really awesome on trend, as well as classic styles and I am super impressed with the quality and fit!

Jewellery

As I mentioned earlier, I actually wore the same jewellery for both formals. This is really what brings an outfit together and I found a really neat way to save here.

I stumbled across Lovisa’s diamond simulants range when I was in there with my Mum looking at other accessories. Everything in the range is honestly so beautiful and authentic looking, you can hardly tell the difference.

I paid under $25.00 each for the ring and earrings and on, they look like something you would have paid an unspeakable amount of money for at Harry Winston or Tiffany & Co.

Above all, I am super impressed with the quality of these. They’re not sterling silver, and they’ve never once turned my skin green or dulled out and I’ve worn them quite a few times. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth. I also have a gorgeous bracelet but I can’t seem to find it anywhere at the moment!

I’m pretty certain these exact pieces are no longer available, but the range is, so I’m sure you will find alternatives if you have access to a store.

My biggest tips when it comes to dress and accessory shopping are:

1. Take more than one person with you.
2. If you don’t feel 100% sure about a dress, put it on hold. If after a week you still can’t stop thinking about it, you know it’s the one for you.
3. If you don’t feel comfortable in something, try a different size. If it still isn’t comfortable, I would look for something else. If you can’t sit down in it, you probably can’t dance in it either.
4. Always do the FleurDeForce heel test that I mentioned above when shoe shopping.
5. Check out smaller boutiques and online stores so there’s less of a chance of showing up with the same dress as someone else.
6. If ordering online, be sure to check their return policy in case it doesn’t fit or you aren’t happy with it.
7. If ordering online and something sounds too good to be true, it most definitely is.
8. If buying from a major brand, shop around and see if you can find a sale.
9. Try to go for accessories that you can wear more than once to get your money’s worth.
10. MAKE SURE THE INSIDE FABRIC OF YOUR CLUTCH BAG IS ACTUALLY INSIDE IT SO YOU DON’T HAVE A RANDOM PATCH OF PURPLE IN ALL OF YOUR PHOTOS. #FAIL.

Hair looks and advice, as well as a full makeup tutorial for my Year 12 look will be coming in the next few days. So stay tuned for those!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to get back to you as always!

Claire x