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Features to Look for in a Modern Prom Dress

Prom season. Youe been looking forward to it all year long. It the climax to the school year social scene. Naturally, you want to look your best.

In fact, you want to do more vera wang cocktail dresses than that. You want to be the head-turner. The belle of the ball. The girl who makes other girls jealous because she getting the stares from their dates.

So you absolutely need the perfect prom dress. The one that ultra-cool and super-hot! Not something that your mom wore to her prom back in the dark ages.

Good news! Today cutting edge trends in prom dresses give you a multitude of options which weren available even a few short years ago. So if you want to be the forward-thinking fashionista at this year main event, you need a crash course in what hot this prom season.

Here are five features you should look for in modern prom dresses:

Prints

Don limit your choices to solid colors. Some of the most eye-catching prom dresses these days are all about prints. This way, you can combine all kinds of shades for a uniquely stylish look. Plus, print dresses are more likely to match your favorite shoes and jewelry combinations.

The Green Sleeveless Chartreuse Multiprint Prom Dress beaded wedding dresses combines hues of red, pink, and blue with a sheer midriff and plunging neckline. The Floral Fuscia Multiprint Dress features a fuscia print down to the thigh and a green print down to the floor, along with an open X-back and beaded empire waist. And the Long Silky Knit Print Halter Dress sports a white, lavender, and black painterly print with an empire waist and a tie-in-back halter.

Glam

Many of this season prom dresses are all about the wow factor. Some feature embellishment throughout the entire dress. Others incorporate illusion fabrics which flatter the wearer even more. And some even have fitted silhouettes for a uniquely fashionable look.

The turquoise-and-lime Strapless Layered Tulle Ball Gown is easily identified by its sequin-encrusted sweetheart bustline and its lettuce edge hemline. If purple is your passion, youl want to check out the Short Silky Halter-style Dress with Beaded Neckline and Waist with bows in the back at the empire waist and halter neck. And the Strapless Tulle Dress with Caviar Beading at the bust and hem is available in numerous color choices and has ruching at the empire waist.

Cutouts

If youe been working hard on your figure and/or tan, then you need to show it off when prom rolls around! So you may want a dress with sexy back or side cutouts to accentuate your natural beauty. Or maybe youl go for a dress that is completely backless.

The Jewel-tone Chartreuse Sapphire Gown has sparkling beadwork which accents subtle cutouts, along with a crisscross back which ends in a V-neck in front. You might also like the sexy X-back on the Short Iridescent Taffeta Halter Dress, which also features delicate soutache detail throughout the skirt. And the Jeweled Neck Short Halter Dress is made of gorgeous matte chiffon fabric with a unique "inverted-V" back.

Bows, Ruffles and Tiers

There nothing like a frilly accent to catch the eye! Bows can spruce up almost any style, flirty floral ruffles can create a jaunty look, and tiers can help build a three-dimensional ensemble. And if you can combine these elements, you may just have the most talked-about dress at the prom!

The bow in the back is the perfect accent to the moss-colored Silky Knit Short Dress, which features a bubble skirt, sequined hemline, and delicate spaghetti straps. If youe looking for ruffles, the white Spaghetti Strap Tiered Lace and Mesh Trumpet Gown with a black satin ribbon tied around the waist is chic, trendy, and comfortable. And the Short Strapless Tiered Organza Dress with Sash and Sequined Bust is best described as the "little black dress that makes a big statement."

Asymmetrical

Maybe you want your prom dress to look more like a work of art. Then you might opt for the asymmetrical appearance, which will stand out in a room full of more traditional designs. This look can be achieved using unique draping, straps, or necklines.

The perfect example of asymmetry is the One Shoulder Silky Knit Long Dress, which is available in red or turquoise with a side slit skirt and a fabric flower-detailed bodice. The fiery red Strapless Stretch Satin Dress with Side Shirring and Layered Skirt beautifully flatters fuller figures. And if you want to blend tradition with a splash of flair, the Black and White Mesh Prom Gown is a conventional black strapless silhouette gown with a white side-drape ruffle.

So when youe searching for your prom dress this season, don settle for stodgy, frumpy, boring body coverings that may have been popular last century. Look for prom dresses with the most vibrant colors, dazzling accents, and sexy designs. After all, prom night is supposed to be a night to remember ?so why not make sure everyone remembers the dress you wore to the event?

Wedding Dresses For True Fashion Lovers

Fashion is a fickle thing. Styles come and go over the years. But one particular tradition has helped create an enormous industry in the United States. Even as the total number of marriages continues to fall, the revenues for the bridal industry have hit a record high. How is this possible? Because wedding costs have doubled over the past twenty years!

About two million American couples get married each year. The average cost of a traditional wedding ceremony is around $25,000. Not surprisingly, more and more couples are choosing unconventional ceremonies. The outdoor wedding, for instance, can save couples thousands of dollars.

Why is the modern wedding so expensive? It all started in 1840. That was the year Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in an elaborate royal wedding that set the tone for future generations. Instead of simple ceremonies, Western brides fell in love with the pomp and pageantry of the so-called white wedding.

White weddings were and continue to be elaborate affairs that involve designer dresses, exotic flowers and expensive decorations. They are typically all-day events that include a ceremony in a church and a reception in a fancy restaurant. The price-tag for the average contemporary white wedding is fast approaching $30,000.

As wedding costs continue to rise, couples are exploring other options. The beach and the backyard wedding are incredibly popular these days. One item that brides-to-be refuse to compromise on, however, is the wedding dress. They spend over one thousand dollars on wedding gowns, even if they agree to a more casual ceremony.

Bridal warehouses have helped bring down the cost a bit, but most brides-to-be refuse to walk down the aisle in anything less than their ideal dress. This is something the average man cannot possibly comprehend. Sexual stereotypes aside, most women invest an incredible amount of energy in finding the perfect dress. In fact, they generally start shopping for their bridal gown a full year before their big day.

Color

The latest trend in wedding day fashion for the bride is the shift away from white. No, brides aren wearing blue or red. But they are eschewing pure white shades, since they do not compliment most skin tones. Off-white colors like champagne and ivory have grown increasingly popular in recent years. Pure white is still the top shade, but it certainly isn the only one available at local bridal boutiques or salons.

Length

The classic white wedding gown was an elaborate, floor-length number with a heavy train. But because more and more ceremonies are being held outdoors these days, the most popular dresses do not sweep the floor. Tea length and ballerina length gowns are now more commonplace than full-length gowns. These dresses have hemlines that fall around the ankles.

Material

Heavy brocade wedding gowns look great coming down the aisle, but they are difficult to dance in. Not only do they weigh ten to fifteen pounds with a train, but they also don breathe well, which is why many traditional brides buy a second, lighter gown to wear at the reception. The average price of these reception gowns is around five hundred dollars. Purchasing a shorter, lighter bridal gown can eliminate the need for a second dress.

Heavy materials like satin, silk and velvet are common for traditional gowns. As we mentioned, these materials are most assuredly eye-catching, but they do not breathe well. Lightweight fabrics like china silk and douppioni are far more comfortable. They can be worn the entire day.

Accessories

The two most expensive and indispensible accessories for the bride-to-be are her shoes and her veil. Elaborate veils are quite common for indoor ceremonies. But for more casual, outdoor affairs during the summer months, shorter veils are de rigueur. The most popular short veil is called the blusher. It is a lightweight accessory that touches the shoulders and can be swept back by a stiff breeze. For indoor ceremonies, the flyaway veil is a multi-layered veil that also touches the shoulders. It is a bit more elaborate than the blusher, without being uncomfortable or obtrusive.

Shorter dresses give brides-to-be the option of adding a few interesting accessories. A high hemline, for instance, can be decorated with beads, lace or embroidery. This is an easy and inexpensive way to spice up a somewhat plain or mature wedding dresses pedestrian outdoor wedding gown.

Another fashion accessory that is quite popular with younger brides is leg wear. Beach brides often wear white fishnet stockings when they stroll down the sandy aisle. Many also choose to go barefoot and bear-legged. It all comes down to personal taste and style preferences.

Strapless

While it is still considered risqu?for traditional brides to wear strapless gowns in church, unconventional brides wear them all the time. Outdoor ceremonies in the grass or on the sand during the summer months generally call for shorter, strapless numbers.

Finding the right wedding gown takes patience and time. The bride-to-be should start shopping for a dress at least nine months ahead of her big day. Take some time to find your perfect wedding dress now.