When? As soon as possible. Where? Online, a boutique, or Orland Square Mall. What? The perfect color, the right amount of glam, the best style, THE dress. Prom dress shopping over the years has emerged as an event of its own as girls look to find the perfect dress even months before the big day.

Sandburg senior Camya Jones remarks upon the importance of finding a dress early in order to assure the best fit and style. She says, “I was looking for, for one the color, and then how it would look on me. Making sure the ruffles on the button were cool enough, the gems were [set], and all that stuff was cool.” Every detail was planned to perfection, and Jones obtained her dress a few weeks before Prom weekend, assuring herself that she had found the perfect fit. 

Jones says, “now it’s just like, you have to go all out,” adding that prom dresses nowadays are more “outgoing” than in previous years.

Fashion instructor Mrs. Sims explains that trends nowadays include more fitted style dresses as opposed to poofy ones that reigned prior. She also notes that she’s seen a growth in students having custom made prom dresses with eccentric and unique styles that fully satisfy their interests, assuring every gem is placed to their liking. 

In addition to finding the perfect dress, many find it impossible to stand out at prom. Several boutiques offer exclusivity and assure customers that they will not sell the same dress in the same color to someone from the same school, but the prices of some of these dresses may exceed $500. Though this is a justifiable expense for many, some disagree with the concept of these boutiques and point to the ultimate goal of dress shopping as finding a dress one feels comfortable in, regardless of who else is wearing it. 

Mrs. Sims says, “Kids that you see in sweatshirts and sweatpants everyday, just [show up] looking glamorous with their hair and their makeup and a beautiful dress and just feeling good about themselves. That’s really what it boils down to, just feeling good about yourself.”

Layan Wahdan, a junior who will be attending prom with her friends this year, says, “Prom isn’t just a one day thing. It’s the weeks leading up to it- the shoe shopping, the dress shopping, looking for accessories, and things like that, so it’s always more than just getting an outfit. It’s really about the experience that leads to you looking like that.”

Wahdan shares her dress shopping experience saying that “it wasn’t a long trip, but it was really fun.” She says, “I went with my friends and I feel like shopping with friends is a completely different experience than shopping with other people, like my family or something, because it creates a new bond.” 

Many people, girls in particular, worry about far more than just an outfit. Jones, a senior, notes that she had begun planning her makeup, hair and nail appointments weeks before prom. A key distinction between the two groups of students at prom is the difference in preparation of juniors as opposed to seniors. 

Wahdan, a junior, says, “I don’t take junior prom as seriously. I’m waiting to do more things for senior prom, because I it’s more special going to prom with your graduating class and even though you may not be friends with a lot of the people, it’s just a new more fun environment that allows you to connect to a lot of people, whereas junior year prom, you don’t know as many people, so it can still be fun with your friends, but it isn’t necessarily the same experience.” 

Mrs. Sims says that prom is “the one day you kind of look forward to as a senior… and [with that] moving on to really the next step after prom, which is graduation and starting your adult life.” She adds that “[she] think[s] everyone should go to Prom if they can because it’s such a great celebration of the end of your high school career and it’s just a fun night to be kind of adult-like.” 

Prom not only marks the end of its own experience and journey for many through preparation for the event, but also the end of many students’ preparation for the adult world. Every stylistic choice and detail is a decision based on one’s journey to this moment and prom is the perfect time to leave your mark as you continue to the next chapter.