The modest prom dilemma. (or anyone else on the hunt for a modest party dress)
Dear, dear moms out there. Moms of teenage daughters going to prom. Wow.
I had the idea that I would find some cute, modest prom dresses and post about them. I figured, like how hard is that? I’d just sit down and boom! – in a few minutes I’d have a great prom post put together. Boy, was I wrong! It’s like thinking that I could just sit down and boom! – discover a cure for the common cold. How did I think that in a few short minutes I could solve a dilemma faced by mothers and daughters for generations?
So, I’m sorry to tell you that I did not find the magic answer. But, I came up with a few things that may work for you, or at least give you more options.
I hope I don’t make any enemies with this, but I have a strong dislike for the kind of dresses that you may find when you google “modest prom dresses”. Do you know what I’m talking about? They are huge, candy-colored, Disney Princess-ish, rhinestoned monstrosities. Yards and yards of crunchy taffeta or cheap satin (which, by the way, is a difficult fabric for even the tightest of bodies to pull off). Who wants to wear a huge thing like that to a dance? Seems awfully hard to dance in, right?
Now, if that’s the kind of dress that your daughter dreams about, then go for it. If she loves it and you love it, then who cares what I think!
But, if she’s a modern kind of girl and she’s stuck between wanting to be modest and looking/feeling like she fits in at a prom full of skimpy dresses, I have some ideas. My senior year (which was 10 years ago, so take my advice with a grain or two of salt) I didn’t want to mess with some big dress that I would never wear again and decided to wear a cute top and a cute skirt with some fun heels. I had a great time that year dancing with my friends, and you know what?, I still have the top and skirt (and the heels, actually!) in my closet to this day. I still love them. I can’t say that about the satiny dress I wore my junior year. It had a very short shelf-life, and the whole night I was messing with my dumb opera length gloves and my satin wrap-thingy. I was trying so hard to be fancy and it really killed the fun.
Maybe try and steer your daughter towards a dress that is cocktail length and something she could see herself wearing again. Then, you can keep it young and fun with some great accessories and killer shoes. That way, you’re getting your money’s worth with a dress that will be used more than for just one night, and playful jewelry and accessories are inexpensive and easy to come by. The key to making these dresses work for a formal is to ACCESSORIZE! If the dress has a full skirt, add a fun crinoline skirt underneath to add some fun retro flair. Add a big floral belt to one of the kind-of-plain dresses and/or wear a fun hairpiece. Go big on the jewelry, go wild with the heels, just go for it. A dance is meant to be fun, right?
1. Blue satin 2. Black tiered 3. Pink shift 4. Black ruffles 5. Peach sparkly 6. Green dupioni
1. Pink knit 2. Black lace (can’t find it anymore, sorry) 3. Gold belted 4. Black wrap 5. Plum chiffon 6. Red chiffon
If I were going to prom, I would wear this:
dress, silver shoes, bracelet, hoop earrings, necklace, ring, pink shoes
I’d put a half-tee underneath for a little sleeve coverage, maybe a fun slip for some extra fun, and then I’d have to decide if I was going to go silvery and sparkly or colorful and jazzy (by they way, if you go this route, buy like 4 of that necklace and pile ‘em on top of each other).
Now that I think of it, I’ve got a 10 year reunion later this year, I think I’m going to get this dress for that!
A few more ideas:
Try searching “modest bridesmaid dresses“. They’re usually shorter (better suited for a dance/party than a floor length gown), they come in lots of colors, and they’re made in formal fabrics so they’d work well for a prom.
Most of these dresses are from Nordstrom, and if you don’t like anything you’ve seen here, then go to their Dress Shop to see hundreds of more options.
If you’ve found the perfect dress but it’s too short – don’t forget the magic of a Vintage Hem slip.
If you’ve found the perfect dress but it’s a bit too low cut, try adding some trim like this, or find a tee with a similar neckline and layer it underneath.
Good luck on your search ladies!
Related posts:
http://www.jenclothing.com also has some really cute prom dresses that are modest and not just the big fluffy ones but fun, flirty ones that could also be worn again.
it is always quite the dilemna, i thought i was out of that stage but now my daughter is getting married! it is even more difficult but with a few additions i think we’ll figure it out. this is a great post and help!
My best friend and I made full length tulle skirts (it was part of our PP too) and she just bought a white shirt (like shade) to go with it and bought a tank and cardigan and it was SO much fun to dance in and we brought them to college and used them for dances there too. It’s important to be creative when it comes to being modest at prom. I think the Shabby Apple black ruffle dress would be a great modest prom dress!!!
I found this dress online… Apparently it’s [maybe] on sale at David’s Bridal stores. It has a longer length, funky elegance, and comes in silver or gold. It would definitely be sweet at a homecoming or prom.
Hidden among the poof and behind the froof of mother of the bride dresses, this website has some fun tea length dresses that I bought in the the past.
http://eternitygowns.com/evening.php?c=MS180&i=MS180
Never underestimate a good tailor. I consistently bought strapless dresses — and the matching “shawl” that accompanied them and asked the tailor to add sleeves. Sometimes I would buy two shawls and help design the sleeves too, i.e. when I had a black and white dress, I bought a black shawl and a white shawl and created an accordian effect.
They really aren’t as much shawls as long pieces of square fabric that match the dress identically, so they work well.
You’ve discovered some great finds! I particularly like the Blue Satin and the Black Tiered dresses. In fact, *I* would wear either of those for a special occasion. Well, maybe not the blue one – it’s a little too low-cut for my comfort level…
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pink long gown dresses are also great prom dresses for all times. **,