Prom night is something which high schoolers will spend the whole year looking forward to. As one last chance to socialise as a large group before everyone takes their own path in life, this event can prove to be more important than a lot of people realise.
To go along with something like this, everyone in attendance is going to want to look the part. For girls, this will often mean choosing the perfect dress, and this can be a challenge by itself. To help you out with this, this article will be exploring some of the best prom dresses of 2020, while also giving you tips to ensure that you have a head start when you’re going through the process of choosing your own.
What To Look For In Your Prom Dresses
Before diving into the very best prom dresses of 2022, we’re going to take a look at the features you need to be looking for when choosing something like this. There are a lot of crucial factors which make the perfect prom dress, though a lot of people don’t consider this when they are choosing a prom dress for themselves or their kids. Most people won’t be able to find a dress which has everything, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t try. Jovani’s collection has something for everyone, including plus size prom dresses.
Fashion: While it is a school event, a prom opens an opportunity for youngsters to dress up like never before. Fashion plays a heavy role in this, with young people often having their finger on the pulse of fashion more than their adult companions. This means that they will have a much better idea of what is popular than their parents, making it worth spending some time talking to your child if you plan on choosing their prom dress for them. Of course, though, it’s usually better if they have their own choice.
Theme: Schools have been looking for ways to make their proms stand out over the last few years. This can involve choosing fancy locations for them, picking great entertainment, or setting a theme for everyone to follow with their outfits. If the prom your planning for has a theme, it will be crucial that the dress you pick matches it, even if this is only with color and shape, as this will stop the dress from standing out for the wrong reasons.
Labels: Designer dresses come in loads of different styles, colors, and, most importantly, price points. Most people can afford something with a good label if they if they have to look at the secondhand market for it. While brands may not seem that crucial, a lot of kids are keenly aware of the market surrounding clothing and accessories, making it easy for them to spot brands. This isn’t absolutely essential, but having a designer prom dress will make a lot of kids happy, especially if they’ve had the benefit of growing up somewhere affluent.
Choice: As mentioned above, it’s crucial that the person wearing the dress plays some role in the process of choosing it. Kids will always know more than their parents about fashion in younger circles, especially when they are looking at things like prom dresses. Along with this, most people will feel happiest wearing something that they’ve chosen for themselves. A big part of this will involve trying dresses on, with different types of dress working for people with different body shapes.
Formality: Everyone loves the chance to dress in formal clothing, giving themselves the chance to look better than ever before. Most proms will be formal events, making it crucial that you choose a dress which falls into this category, rather than one which is designed for more casual use. This may not seem that important, but it can have a huge influence on the experience your child will have at their prom. They will look very out of place if they are wearing something which is designed for the wrong type of event.
Inspiring Your Prom Dresses
Next up, it’s time to think about inspiration, and influence something like this can have on your dress picking adventure. A lot of people ignore the tools they have when looking from prom dress ideas, making it hard to take advantage of the work other people have been able to do in this market.
Inspiration can prove to be an incredibly valuable resource, though. When you’re searching the market for things like prom dresses, having any sort of insight into the market can be helpful, and this is what inspiration can provide. Of course, you will need to find the right sources for this before you can start using it.
Social Media: Websites like Instagram have found huge success over the last few years, social media has become commonplace across the world. There are a lot of users on these sites who have been able to make themselves into fashion icons. While many of these accounts don’t focus on formal clothing, there are a lot which do, and you can often figure out whether or not they were wearing things that work for your child by comparing styles. You will be able to get a huge amount of information about the dress market when you go down this route.
Celebrities: Next up, it’s time to think about celebrities and their impact on the prom dress decisions you will be making. Like influencers on social media, celebrities can provide a huge amount of insight into current trends and modern fashion, and can prove to be a huge source of inspiration for anyone trying to choosing between prom dresses. You can find images of celebrities across television networks, in magazines and newspapers, and on social media, giving you loads of different entry points to this market.
Dress Stores: Dress stores should always be one of the first places you look when you’re trying to find popular dress styles. These places will be packed with great options, giving you loads to choose from when you’re searching for prom dresses. The employees of businesses like this are usually very interested in fashion, giving you the chance to talk to experts about their opinions surrounding the dresses you’re thinking about choosing. This is one of the most helpful tools you have when searching for a dress.
Movies/TV: Finally, as the last source of inspiration, it’s time to think about TV and movies. Shows and films which are set in different times will have to be ignored for this, but those which are set in the modern-day can give you a huge insight into the world of fashion. The people making these movies will have a good idea of what is popular at the time and will include the latest styles when they are putting movies together.
The Prom Dresses Themselves
It’s time to move onto the prom dresses themselves. This is the most crucial part of this article and will explore some of the most popular prom dress styles going into 2020. It’s likely to be a few months until your prom, giving you loads of time to hunt the market for the perfect dress. Of course, though, it always makes sense to be prepared for this event.
Many factors have gone into deciding which dresses should be on this list. Fashion and popularity have gone into it, but we’ve also been thinking about the age of the people wearing them, and how this ties into the choice a parent would want to make. Modesty is important at an event like this, but you also have to think about appearance, too, giving you a fine line to walk as you go through this process.
#1 Traditional Ball Gowns
Few things are more popular in the modern world than items from the past. Retro, vintage, or whatever you want to call it; choosing something traditional is a safe route to take when you’re unsure about the dress you should be picking. Ball gowns have been popular for centuries, with people wearing them long into the past.
Of course, though, you have to be careful when you’re choosing something like this. There are a lot of styles for ball gowns available, with some offering features which are very popular in modern fashion. You can even find modern recreations of old dresses which feature all of the beauty of the originals, but will be much easier to wear and will offer great comfort than their older counterparts.
#2 Prom Jumpsuits
While they aren’t exactly dresses, jumpsuits fall well and truly into the category of formalwear, nowadays. Loads of celebrities are choosing outfits like this for the events they attend, and garments like this have seen a huge surge in popularity as a result. They come in loads of shapes and sizes and can compliment all sorts of body shapes nicely.
Prom jumpsuits will usually have flared trousers, along with either long flowing sleeves or no sleeves at all. Some will have additional features, like belts, cut shoulders, and even hats or bags which go with them, but you don’t need anything too ornate to look good at your prom. As time goes on, more and more options like this are hitting the market, and this shows just how popular this sort of outfit will be at your youngster’s prom.
#3 Sequined and Metallic Dresses
There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of flair when you’re at an event like a prom. A lot of people opt for outfits which will hide them amongst the crowd, though this is a shame at prom, as you have a great opportunity to make yourself stand out. Sequins and metallic fabrics can be great for this.
Metallic dresses will shine in the light, making it very hard for people not to notice you and creating a very glamorous look. Dresses like this can be paired with shiny jewelry to great effect. And sequined designs tend to offer something even more unique.
With these small colorful disks providing designers with a unique tool to make their dresses, a lot of sequined prom dresses are more like a piece of art than a garment. This can be too much for some people, and you may want a dress on the more understated side of things, but you can still find sequined dresses that will offer what you’re looking for.
#4 Strapless Dresses
Strapless dresses have been popular for a long time, and they don’t seem to be going anywhere. Using thick fabrics and hardened pieces, dresses like this are able to hold themselves up by hugging the body of the wearer. This creates an almost magical look, with the dress sitting as if it held up my nothing at all.
Some people view these dresses as lacking the modesty of others, though they rarely show anything off which will be inappropriate at a prom. Instead, they will create a refined and stunning look, making it hard for people to ignore the person wearing them, without being uncomfortable or hard to wear.
#5 Unique Designs
Looking at red carpets across the world, it can be easy to see that a lot of designers are trying to carve out their own place in the world of the modern fashion. As a big part of this, a lot of the dresses you’ll find on the market are very unique. This can make it hard to know what to choose, but it will also provide you with an excellent opportunity to wear something different. A lot of people find themselves worried when picking something that no one else will be wearing, though this can be one of the best ways to stand out.
If you’re worried about picking a unique dress, it could be worth trying some on. Not only will this give you the chance to see if it fits, but it will also enable you to figure out whether or not you’d feel confident wearing it. You need to make sure that you’ll be able to enjoy your prom night without worrying that you’re wearing something which other people will dislike.
Current Fashion
It would be wrong to talk about modern dress styles without exploring the way that current trends are going. While a lot of the dress styles you find on the market aren’t being worn by celebrities or found on social media, fashion has become far more relaxed than it used to be. You will still find a lot of people subscribing to the options which are most popular, but you have a huge amount of freedom to wear garments that were popular in the recent past.
Maxi dresses are a great example of this. While they may not be on many fashion websites or guides at the moment, these dresses look great and are comfortable to wear, with very few people turning their noses up at them when they see people wearing them at formal events. Going down this route can make it much easier to find a dress that suits your body and the styles you like to wear, while also opening the doors to second-hand dress purchases.
Accessories
Getting a dress for your prom is only a small part of the story. You’re going to need some accessories to complete this outfit, and you have a lot to choose from when you’re putting together the outfit you wear. It’s well worth exploring these options thoroughly, as this will give you the clearest insight into the current market and what other people are wearing. You can find some examples of the most common prom accessories below.
Bags: Bags have long been a common compliment to a range of different dress styles, but you have to make sure that you have the right kind of bag. Clutch bags and purses are the most common examples people will use, though you may also be able to find a small handbag which can also fit the bill. This needs to match the rest of the outfit, and this will often mean looking for ways to color match them or find options that use very similar fabrics. This is perfect when you don’t have any pockets.
Jewelry: Alongside bags, it also makes sense to look at jewelry options to go with your dress. This is an opportunity to add more color or features to your outfit, without dominating the whole thing with something large and hard to ignore. Anyone can wear a necklace, and earrings can be great if you have existing piercings. You don’t need to spend much money to get your hands on nice-looking jewelry, though it can be worth doing some research to make sure that the products you order online are going to look like they do in the pictures.
Additional Garments: Adding more garments to your outfit can feel like a tricky game, and a lot of people find themselves worried about this. Hats can work but will be tricky to match with dresses which they haven’t been made for. Scarves and belts are the best options. While these will sit on top of the dress, they won’t change the way it looks too much, ensuring that you’re able to retain the style you’ve worked so hard to cultivate. Alongside this, they will make the whole thing look a lot more interesting.
Shoes: It’s likely that you’ll have thought a little about shoes already, as you wouldn’t be able to get very far in your dress without some shoes to go with it. Choosing shoes can be hard, as you need to find a pair which not only matches the color of your dress, but also complements the style, and this can feel impossible when you’re shopping online. The store which sells your dress is the most likely to have an option which works, and this is the first place you should look when on the hunt for your dress shoes.
Buying A Prom Dress
Finally, as the last stage in this process, it’s time to think about buying the prom dress itself. A lot of people struggle with this, finding it hard to find stores that charge good prices for the dresses they have on offer. You can find some of the best locations to look for your dresses below, giving you the opportunity to avoid the cost which usually comes with products like this.
Where To Shop
Online Stores: While only stores don’t give you the chance to try clothing on before you order it, they will often have returns policies that enable you to take an outfit back if it doesn’t fit properly. This makes them a great resource for anyone who has enough time to go through this process. Options like Jovani are great, as they offer a range of different prom dress styles, while also providing all of the accessories you could possibly need to go with your dress. More and more people are going down this route all the time.
Second-Hand Stores: The idea of getting a dress second hand can seem like a risky one, though there are a lot of physical stores out there that sell products like this. If you have a vintage clothing store close to you, it will be worth talking to the staff to see if they can find a prom dress for you. Companies like this will have a lot of connections in the clothing market and may be able to find an outfit that costs far less than you’d pay buying something new. Of course, though, this will limit the choice you have a lot.
Friends/Family: The people closest to you can provide an excellent resource when you’re shopping for something like a dress. By talking to your friends and family, you may be able to find a dress which won’t cost anything at all. Like buying second hand, this will limit your options quite a bit but will save a lot of money when compared to a new purchase.
Trying It On
Once you have a good idea of which dress you’d like to buy, it will be time to look at trying it on to make sure that it fits. There is more to this than simply wearing the dress, though, and it can get quite complicated when you’re wearing something very fine. You can find some pointers below which will show you what needs to be done when you’re struggling to find a dress that works well for your body type.
Fit: The very first thing to consider is the way that the dress fits you. Women can have a wide range of body shapes, and this will mean that not all dresses will fit you, even if they are your size. You will be able to feel if a dress is too tight anywhere, but will need to use a mirror to make sure that it isn’t too big. It will always help if you have someone to do this with you, as another set of eyes will make it much easier to tell whether or not your outfit fits.
Body Shape: Making sure that the dress you choose is going to work for your body type can be a real challenge. This is particularly hard for busty or short women, with most clothing being designed for tall, thin ladies sporting an hourglass figure. This is something you can talk to dress store employees about. While it isn’t always easy to talk about your body type with other people, it’s well worth using their expertise to find something which is perfect for your body. You should get a good idea of this when you’re looking in the mirror.
Movement: A lot of people make the mistake of trying on a dress for the first time without moving around in it. Clothing will often feel like it fits perfectly when you’re in the changing room, but the moment you try to sit or walk around, it can start to feel like it’s the wrong shape. Feeling comfortable on your prom night is almost as crucial as looking good, and this means that you should be working hard to make sure that your dress isn’t going to feel bad on the day.
Choosing the perfect prom dress is something that a lot of people struggle with. Not only do you need something which matches current fashions and trends, but you also need to find an option that won’t hurt the wallet. This is getting easier as time goes on, but is something you have to work hard to fight when you’re first looking on the market for your perfect prom dress.
Here at Jovani, we’ve had the opportunity to work with loads of customers on their prom styles. While this is a complex process which a lot of people struggle with, our dedicated team is always happy to help where they can. If you’re struggling through this, feel free to get in contact on our site and we’ll be more than happy to give you all of the advice we can.
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