Would You Wear

Would You Wear Your Prom Dress Again?

the prom to beat all proms.jpgIt’s prom time.

Stores are full of floor length tafetta, there are stretch limos in Times Square and teen based TV shows are heading toward their high school gym.

Which of course makes us think about our prom. I spent three weeks searching for the fifteen pound, multi-colored, wannabe Britney Spears costume that will haunt me forever. Abby wore a hot pink sequined number with matching press-on nails, custom dyed shoes and sparkly hose (Ed Note: The year was 1993. I swear it was cool, not tragic then). Britt wore a short black Audrey Hepburn-esque dress with tulle petticoats - clearly the smartest of us three.

There’s a slim chance I’d wear mine, if it turned into a mini and had a leather jacket over it. Abby will don hers as soon as she gets invited to an-original-90210-90’s-prom-themed party and Britt did re-wear hers to a formal in college.

The question eventually becomes, can you still fit into it? But prom is such a major moment and the dress is kind of the whole point. So whether it was ten months or ten years ago, will you ever wear it again?

— CARSON GRIFFITH

Comments

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1

posted by nuhh429

May 06, 2009 4:27PM

My prom was just last year and I fully plan on wearing that dress again. I might shorten it, but I went for a green, white, and pink Lilly Pulitzer that I might seriously wear for the rest of my life.

2

posted by chicprepster513

May 06, 2009 4:31PM

hell to the no.
commenter #1's sounds cute.

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3

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 4:39PM

I whined until I got my dream prom dress - a Marc Jacobs gown that I re-wore just this year. Six years later, it still fits. (Life is not worth living unless you're the same size you were in high school).

4

posted by darcykins

May 06, 2009 4:43PM

As far as I know we don't have proms in Canada, just formals, semi-formals and dances with weird themes like 80's beach party and 80's dance party and neon 80's party.
That said, why not?

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5

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 4:43PM

Funny you should post this because just the other day I was shopping and saw a girl wearing a dress so similar to my prom dress I actually grabbed my mom and pointed her out. Hers was belted with a jacket over it but it was the same dress...15 years later! I only wish I still had it...

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6

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 4:52PM

#4, we do have prom, some schools just go by different names (aka formal)

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posted by collegiate

May 06, 2009 4:53PM

My prom was two years ago, and I would wear my dress again in a heartbeat if the opportunity presented itself. It was a white column dress with a gold beaded halter that was sort of greek-ish. I'm bad at describing things. But I love that dress.

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8

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 4:54PM

ha this made me think of a post i just saw today on fmylife.com:

"Today, I was excited about my friend going wedding dress shopping. Before I went to go work out, I decided to try on a prom dress from high school to remember what it felt like to get dressed up. It was too tight, I broke the zipper, and spent 45 minutes trapped before I cut myself out. FML"

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9

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 4:57PM

How about posting some pictures???

and ouch #3

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10

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 5:00PM

Junior year- Pale blue poof with corset top and... sparkles. You've never _seen_ so much pale blue poof. Entire vehicles were taken up by that dress. I had fun, though. I'd wear it just to get stared at.

Senior year- a red, slinky and very plain column that I'd definitely wear again. No glitter or sparkles or any such thing.

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11

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 5:01PM

my prom was in 1995 (in Kansas!) & I wore a black floor length Tadashi (kind of spandexy-bandage) gown w/ back cutouts. The same style that's all the rage again now. Everyone else was draped in sequins & poufy pastels mostly. May have to go hunting for that dress actually and wear it on a date night w/ my husband.

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12

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 5:02PM

I was mostly kidding with the above post. I meant to suggest that it's worth it to get something more timeless so that you can wear it again. All this dieting to get back down to my HS size has made me seriously cranky. Always hungry = mean girl.

- #3

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13

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 5:16PM

i would absolutely wear mine again. it was five years ago and a beautiful fitted, strapless number, seafoam green, with chiffon overlays. it's still one of my favorite purchases ever and i plan to wear it to a wedding this summer!

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14

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 5:32PM

Yeah I'd wear mine again! It was just a few years ago and I had a full length BCBG dress, not poofy at all and really slick. So yeah, definitely wear it again.

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posted by Pretty Young Thing

May 06, 2009 6:16PM

Junior prom just a few years ago, I wore this draped navy jersey number with a pretty assymetrical hemline and some vertical bust ruching so it had a goddess affect to it. Very pretty, versatile, and timeless. I've worn it again and dressed it down too since it's so neutral!

Senior prom I wore this incredible Diane von Furstenburg chiffon minidress. It has an A-line silhouette (not babydoll though), and has this cool colorful pattern on the chiffon that's also mimicked in the satin underneath it, so it's got great depth. It was a little wild and unique for my school, very untraditional, but it was super fun and statement-making. I still love it and I've worn it multiple times to parties, wedding dinners, ballets, etc. since and I always get complimented by the coolest people. Throw a leather jacket over it and it's amazing. A little risky to wear in the wind, but totally worth it. ;)

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16

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 6:19PM

yes! I would wear my senior prom dress again!! Although it was 13 years ago, I can still fit into it :) It was a vintage inspired dress, blush pink, gorgeous!! I will always keep it! :)

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17

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 6:27PM

My prom was six years ago, and I wore the most gorgeous tea-length nude taffeta dress with black branch and leaf embroidery coming out of the bodice.

It was vintage, heavily corseted and strapless with a sweetheart neckline. Safe to say I was going through a major retro phase at the time, but that's the great thing about truely gorgeous vintage - it never goes out of style.

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18

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 6:35PM

yepppp! i wear it to weddings. i got mine at a vintage store mainly because I couldn't afford the fancy dresses that everyone else in my class was buying. i have a picture of it on chictopia....

http://www.chictopia.com/photo/show/5518-vintage-dress-banana-republic-purse-nina-shoes-moms-necklace

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19

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 6:36PM

yepppp! i wear it to weddings. i got mine at a vintage store mainly because I couldn't afford the fancy dresses that everyone else in my class was buying. i have a picture of it on chictopia....

http://www.chictopia.com/photo/show/5518-vintage-dress-banana-republic-purse-nina-shoes-moms-necklace

my prom was only 5 years ago though... haha so i guess that makes a difference!

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20

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 6:51PM

I would definatley wear mine again! I bought it at Tooties in Dallas and it's pretty much a classic. It's a long, red, strapless dress, with ruching all around, and an appropriate lengeth train for dancing in. Pretty tightly fitted, but just enough to hold you in. Haha. I felt so good wearing it!

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21

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 7:13PM

I would definitely wear mine. Mine was avocado green (that sounds gross, it is a really pretty green color, just take my word!) silk satin, with a grecian style drape. That was four years ago, but it actually looks better on me now because I lost just a little weight in all the right places. I'd love to have a reason to wear it again.

22

posted by porscha

May 06, 2009 7:27PM

I had a short slinky black dress for one prom, and I wore it several times after my prom. If I had somewhere to wear it now, I would probably bring it out and add some new accessories to update it a bit.

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23

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 7:49PM

abby's dress sounds like a barbie prom dress. i would totally love to see pictures!

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24

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 8:49PM

I wore a floor length off-white silk dress with long pearls and a my great grandmothers pearl embroidered clutch. I am so glad I went with a classic, timeless style. Looking back it's funny to see people who tried way to hard to stand out.

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25

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 9:14PM

Megan, ( Carson ) your senior prom was in 2003 not 1993. In 1993 you were about about 8 or 9. Your dress was about 15 pounds of sequins. And your are right, it would look great as a mini with a dash of leather.

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26

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 9:57PM

My prom was last weekend, and I will definitely wear my dress again if I get the chance. It sounds a lot like Britt's, it's black, tea length, and a little bit poofy. Very Audrey Hepburn, 1950's-ish. I bought it because it was classic and if i'm spending a fairly large amount of money on something, i'm wearing it more than once!

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27

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 9:59PM

My prom was just on friday. Truth be told? I would wear my dress again. I got this gorgeous Phoebe Couture dress from Neiman Marcus [which is the last place my mom and i expected us to get a dress] that was an off white fabric, with a black ribbon belt trim with rosettes. The bottom had a rosette trim. This wasn't a prom dress, and it was almost Marilyn Monroe-esque, therefore I would totally wear it out. It's more of a cocktail dress...the tacky poofy sparkly neon gowns that make girls look trashy [no offense] are absolutely hideous, and make me want to gag.

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28

posted by rockferry

May 06, 2009 10:16PM

I was just talking with my mom about wearing mine again to an upcoming wedding. Mine was six years ago, but I didn't stop growing until after high school (I think I grew two inches taller since I was eighteen) so I'm skeptical as to whether it still fits. It was a classic sort of Old Hollywood dress, though, so I might be able to still wear it.

I broke out my prom shoes not that long ago and got tons of compliments on them, though.

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29

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 10:24PM

guest 25, read more closely. "ed note" clearly refers to the editor abby, not Carson. Britney spears wasn't even britney spears in 1993...

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30

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 10:39PM

mine was only two years ago and poofy and i'd wear at least half of mine again.it was a black taffeta bodice with a big black ball skirt with a few pick-ups at the bottom. the top would go with anything and the bottom would look good with some tweaking and different everything else.

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31

posted by Carson Griffith

May 06, 2009 11:12PM

Guest #25, are you my little brother in disguise? Because:
1. You called me "Megan"
2. There is a grammatical error in your post
and
3. Beading is not the same as sequins haha
...although I'm not quite sure my brother would ever say "dash of leather", so... mom, is that you?
kidding, guys.

32

posted by arue

May 07, 2009 2:01AM

My prom was last year and I wore jeans, and acid green shirt, a vest a blazer I made everything but the jeans and I've worn those things a lot since last year. What I made for prom this year I plan on wearing again

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33

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 2:21AM

My prom was only two years ago and I wore a DEEPLY discounted Roland Mouret Galaxy dress. To this day, it is the most expensive (even at 80% off) article of clothing I own, so I have, and will continue to wear it.

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34

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 8:29AM

I wore my senior prom dress to a wedding a few years later. It was black with netted tulle that had a glitter effect. I didn't want to buy a new dress for a black-tie affair so I recycled the dress and splurged on some turquoise pumps to match. No one was the wiser. But I can't do it again. Neither my junior nor my senior prom dresses fit me anymore. The junior one actually falls off when I put it on it's so loose.

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35

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 8:35AM

Sorry Abby but I must defend 1993. That was my senior prom and I promise dye to match shoes and lee press on nails were not cool- though I bet your dress was cute! I would wear my dress again - my mom made it- It was exactly the same dress bridgette Fonda wore at the end of the remake of "le femme nikita". I loved it! Am I the only one with a mother that refused to buy homecoming and prom dresses? I am one of five girls and my mom made everyone of our formal dresses.

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36

posted by AmandaMichele

May 07, 2009 9:38AM

I wore my prom dress to a wedding not too long ago and my date's jaw dropped as much as my prom date's 6 years ago. It was black, completely backless, Dolce and Gabbana cocktail length. Def no frills or neon. I wore it with a big crystal cuff and earrings and I felt like a rock star.

37

posted by mpw

May 07, 2009 10:03AM

My boarding school didn't have a prom, only 'Spring Fling' on a boat in Lake Winnikesaukee, and no one got that dressed up. It was in the late 90's, so I wore one of those mesh Betsy Johnson dresses with embroidered flowers with a slip underneath -- with black steel-toed boots (like I said, it was the 90's). I wouldn't wear it again because that thing's already long gone.

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38

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 12:31PM

I made my prom dress-- i used a pattern from vogue of a strappy, cowl neck, asymmetrical hemmed dress from Alexander McQueen for Givenchy (from the spring 1998 line, i think). It was pretty modern, yet timeless, and i would probably wear it again in a different fabric.


fashionista- my prom was 10 years ago; you're making me feel so old!

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39

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 2:07PM

I'm DYING to get decked out 90s style and go to an original 90210 party!

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40

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 3:43PM

My prom is next weekend, and I absolutely hated every dress I saw in stores. They all looked like... prom dresses. Which is why I decided to design and have mine made, and I LOVE it. I could definitely wear it again to any extremely formal event. I was inspired by a few of Valentino's gowns, and meshed them into one idea to make a timeless piece.

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41

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 4:35PM

I think a lot of people could only find rare times to wear their prom dress again,so why not donate it to a girl who is need of one for a prom of her own! There seems to be a lot of places you can donate your old dresses so a girl can pick out her own to help cut out some costs considering the price of the prom ticket, the limo, the hair, the accessories! So for those of you who still have your prom dress, from more current times haha, think about donating yours!

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42

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 8:21PM

I would definitely wear my prom dress again! My junior prom was four years ago, and my dress was a red BCBG halter gown, no weird embellishments. A classic gown.

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43

posted by guest

May 07, 2009 9:36PM

Would I wear mine again? Of course. It was a tux.

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44

posted by guest

May 08, 2009 5:10PM

I chose with my candid eyes a beige lace floor lenght dress from a vintage store in Paris. The novelty never wore off...i still fit in it, i still look like the bride of chucky re-vamped when its on me, and i would wear it back in a heartbeat. Without even trying to jazz it up with accessories. Unconditional love.

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45

posted by guest

May 08, 2009 7:37PM

You can donate old prom dresses to our non-profit organization that supplies them to teens in need! www.everaftergowns.org

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46

posted by guest

May 09, 2009 8:02PM

My prom dress was a blue/teal cocktail dress from BCBG, but it's a size too big now! I've since acquired a gold bubble dress and also a black sequined shift for sorority formals, and I love them both. But I want to go BIG for my business school graduation ball - pink or red, with a full skirt or something that twirls :)

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