Plus Size Prom Dresses
Buying Plus Size Prom Dresses – Tips & Advice
Every girl dreams about her prom. Who will ask her? How will he ask her? And, most importantly, what will she wear?
Females will sit for hours discussing hem lengths and hairstyles, trying to imagine how beautiful they will look on that magical night. But getting ready for a prom takes a lot of hard work and imagination.
Finding the best plus size prom dresses or prom gown is not an easy task. There are hundreds of stores and thousands of styles. What’s a girl to do? Follow these tips and you will have the perfect prom dress to wear on your perfect prom night:
Making a Plan For A Wonderful Prom
When searching for the perfect prom dress, organization is the key. Begin looking at dresses far in advance of the prom. If you don’t have a date yet, think positive! Some lucky guy will certainly ask you and you want to be ready when he does.
Pick up copies of the latest fashion magazines and see what dresses catch your eye. Look at celebrity photos to check out what’s current in Hollywood. As you pass a magazine stand, stop and look at the covers. Is there a dress that jumps out at you? Buy the magazine and file away the photo, or go home and draw out a copy of what you saw.
February/March time is generally Oscar time, when anyone who is anyone in Hollywood will be strutting their stuff on the red carpet.
The Hollywood Oscars ceremony attracts a global audience most of whom are just as interested in what the women celebrities are wearing as they are in who has actually won any awards!
So, watching the Oscars ceremony on TV or buying the magazines or newspapers thereafter, will provide you some brilliant ideas on high glamour dressing up.
Points to think about when getting ready for your Prom Night include:
- Look at the dress fabrics, colors and styles
- Look at the way the celebrities have fashioned their hair and done their make-up
- What sort of jewelry are they wearing?
- Pay attention to their shoes and wraps/stoles/shawls
Step into stores, not to buy, but to look. Try on lots of different prom dresses, from short to long, from silky to lacy. See what works and what doesn’t work. Some styles will make you look terrific, while others will fall flat. Make note of colors that make your skin glow and styles that accentuate your positives. Check out major department stores and small boutiques to get a good idea of what’s available.
Trying on dresses also helps to determine your size. Since there is no standardization in the fashion industry, a Macy’s size 12 might be a Kohl’s size 10. Keep track of what sizes fit at each store, and add that information to your growing prom file.
As you try on prom dresses you will begin to see what styles and colors work best for you. This will save you time when you are ready to actually start shopping. And don’t make the major mistake of thinking that you will slim down to a smaller size. Be realistic. You want your beautiful prom dress to really fit on your beautiful night.
Designers often offer catalogs with choices that are not carried by stores. Ask boutique owners if they have any catalogs, and add them to your growing prom dress selection collection. Another great place to look is fabric stores. If you want something that no one else will have, getting a dress created just for you will do the trick. Even if you plan to buy off the rack, looking at fabrics will help you figure out your likes and dislikes. Take a friend along and hold up fabrics to your skin so she can tell you what makes you look really great.
Don’t forget the biggest prom dress photo gallery in the world – the internet. Spend a lot of time checking out prom dress sites and perusing fashions on the web.
So, to recap:
- Get inspiration from Oscar night or any other Red Carpet events
- Buy magazines, check billboard hoardings to see what celebrities are wearing
- Visit stores and try on clothes to get a feel for what works best for you
- Get catalogs from major Prom dress designers and manufacturers
- Look online
What’s Hot and What’s Not When Dressing For Prom Night
There’s nothing worse than showing up in yesterday’s fashion. Keep on your toes and look for trends that will make you the belle of the ball.
What Colors Look Good on You?
One of your most important choices in a prom dress will be the color. Do you want something muted or flashy, something striking or understated? Look at the favorite pieces that hang in your closet. Which ones draw the most compliments? Which ones make you always feel great when you put them on? Look for those same colors in your prom dress.
Black and white are always classic choices. Black is slimming and always a bit mysterious. It says that people may not know the real you. A hint of mystery is great for any girl! Black can drain the color from some people, so try on a black dress in different kinds of light (dim, shiny, etc) so you don’t fade out on the dance floor.
White says innocence and loveliness, but not everyone can wear white. If you find that stark white is not right for you, choose one of the sister colors like ecru or champagne. It may give your skin that special glow that will set you apart at the prom.
A favorite choice for prom night is a prom dress in deep, colorful tones. Think of brilliant coral that lines the beach, or robin’s egg blue. Choose a color that matches your eyes or brings out your great tan. Wearing a bright, brilliant color makes a statement. You know who you are and where you are going.
Don’t be afraid to wear bold, beautiful colors. Everyone will be talking about how wonderful you look.
Another great choice in a prom dress is the entire spectrum of sherbet colors. Pale yellow, hazy pink and sweet lavender will make any girl look special. Find gauzy tones that work with your skin color, and then find an eye shadow that picks up a hint of the color.
When choosing a prom dress style remember that you will be the one wearing the dress, not a Hollywood celebrity. If the style is not you, you won’t be comfortable.
Consider Your Body Shape Carefully
Look at your body realistically and pick a style that accentuates the positive and minimizes the negative. Brighter colors on top take the eye away from a less than perfect bottom, and if you’ve got too much on the top, steer away from empire waists and bold patterns that accentuate your chest.
There are as many styles as there are prom dresses. Slim and chic is always popular, but a one-piece prom dress is not right for every girl. If you prefer a broken line, look at great separates that work well together. A coordinating top can set off a slinky skirt in a way that a one piece dress could never do. And if you have great legs, show them off. A very popular prom dress style is mid-calf rather than floor-length. If you have it, flaunt it!
A strapless gown will make you feel like a movie star when you glide into the prom, but you need to have nice shoulders to pull it off. Short prom dresses are very popular, especially ones that make a statement with asymmetrical hems or small trains.
Don’t forget Cinderella dresses – what seems like miles of fabric in a bouffant skirt, with beads and jewels added for glamour. What little girl doesn’t want to be Cinderella for just one night!
Accessories To Complement Your Prom Dress
Pay special attention to accessories. They can make the difference between fabulous and flat. Choose lingerie that works with the dress. If you’re going strapless, pick a bra with strong underwire and a slight push-up so you will get the cleavage you want. A clingy satin prom dress calls out for a one-piece shaper that will look invisible.
Jewelry, shoes, scarves, and hair decorations all need to be selected with care. Pearls look best close to the neck, and never wear necklaces that dip down into your cleavage. If you plan on wearing your hair up, dangly earrings that sparkle around your neck are terrific. For those with long hairdos, pick out dramatic studs that make a statement about who you are.
As for shoes, remember that you will be dancing. What looks great at the store may hurt your feet all night. Find something stylish and comfortable. You won’t regret it. Another tip for those with larger feet: an open toe or heel will cut the line of your foot, making it appear smaller.
Where to Buy Your Perfect Prom Dress
Once you’ve spent hours of your life narrowing down your choices and deciding what color and style is right for you, it’s time to shop. You’ll be looking for the highest quality at the lowest price, not an easy combination to find.
Almost every clothing store carries a selection of dresses that would look great at a prom. The larger retailers like Macys or Nordstrom carry a huge selection, but you always take the chance that you could bump into someone at the prom who is wearing the identical dress. Some stores actually keep track of prom dress sales, so you can check to see if anyone from your school has selected the dress you want to buy.
Small boutiques don’t have as much selection, but what they have is often one of a kind. You’ll be able to find special colors or fabrics that aren’t in the fashion lines carried by the big box stores. Local designers often place their dresses in small shops, so you will be assured of having something that is unique.
Whilst it might not pop into your mind at first, thrift stores and second-hand shops are a great resource. Thousand dollar gowns that have been worn only once can be snatched up for pennies on the dollar, and these types of stores have wonderful accessories that can turn your prom dress into something really special.
Last, but not least, is the great shopping mall in the sky – the internet. Wonderful prom dresses are only a click away.
You will find incredible choices, from designer gowns to discounted fashions. There is something for everyone on the World Wide Web. Internet shopping is especially good for plus size prom dresses.
Many stores still carry only the standard sizes, but plus size girls want to look fabulous too. The web gives them access to hundreds of sites that cater to the curvier teen, and some even have virtual fitting rooms where a model sized just like you can show you how the dress will fit.
Here is a list of some of the best prom dress stores online. These dresses are breathtakingly beautiful, utterly stylish and range in pricing from discount to $1000s of dollars. Take a look at some of these dresses and you will get a feel for the sort of dress you would like to wear on your Prom Night:
Once the prom is over and you’ve happily pasted the pictures of your perfect prom dress into your scrapbook, think about doing something really terrific. There are girls all over the world who can’t afford to buy their perfect dress, and organizations have sprung up to help them. From the Fairy Godmothers of Flagstaff to the Glass Slipper Project in Illinois, a donation of your dress and accessories can help make another girl’s dream come true. Check out the internet for drop-off sites near you.
Here is a list of some of the places where you can donate your Prom dress and accessories and play fairy godmother to another girl who dreams of going to the ball:
http://www.glassslipperproject.org/
In any case, the tips in this post should help you get started towards planning for your truly magnificent prom night.
You can be the belle of the ball and look and feel a million dollars in a beautiful prom dress that fits perfectly and makes you look great too!
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