Are you ready for Prom 2024?
It’s that time of the year again when spring occasion dresses start to flirt with women everywhere preparing for a summer ball, a spring wedding, or an end of year prom. At Conscious Closet we have the most enjoyable job of making women feel at their very best for these occasions, and especially for the much-anticipated school prom. Prom season has now become huge for us, as we help the young ladies find the perfect dress to express their personalities and style.
So, what is the secret to success with a prom dress? Well, it is very much some serious styling rules and key trends of the season, but also a sense of adventure to make the girls feel fabulous and above all comfortable.
Most girls come into our studio with an idea of what they want and whilst we present dresses they have expressed an interest in, we are experts at knowing what will suit them according to their shape, skin tone and hair colour. 99% will go with a dress we have suggested, and we will ALWAYS tell them the truth. Whether that means a sale or not!
It’s always a surprise to parents that our private appointments can take up to 2 hours - but how often is it that these young women get to try on long dresses with fancy embellishment, plunging back details, flowing fabrics and showing lots of skin! Such a shock after shedding their joggers and hoodies to be fastened into a long gown with serious evening style.
So, it’s always advisable to have an open mind about dresses. Body shape and colouring has a huge impact on how the dress suits. We start with a colour analysis to determine the most suitable shades and then try on lots of different shapes to get feedback on fit. We always take our clients out of their comfort zone! As the shape you least expect is usually the one that looks best when tried on :)
Colour is key as it compliments skin tone and makes our clients shine. This season we have been asked a lot for pink – obviously reflecting Barbiecore mania - and yet the palest baby pink is a difficult colour to wear unless you are Margot Robbie. So we are very honest with our ladies that it does not suit the majority.
Jewel colours are always on-trend and this year we have seen requests for bold red and green. Our stunning bold red dress was picture perfect at the shoot against the midnight blue velvet sofa!
Black dresses courtesy of Dua Lipa, Carey mulligan et al at the Golden Globes this year have been a standout trend – and our ladies put a younger spin on the look with bold jewellery, makeup and nails! Whereas 6th form prom ladies - a little more grown up - just kept it classic and sexy. And cut out details? Not just for Tik Tok teens but prom girls who have the perfect physiques to show a little bit of midriff!
Cottagecore is another stand out look with Regency-era ruffles to empire-waist silhouettes, nodding to Bridgerton's Kate Sharma. This beautiful preloved dress with tulle flower embroidery and tiered skirt fits in so well. There is always an appetite for the Cinderella dress and pale blue has been a key colour trend here.
In keeping with vintage fashion this year we have seen a lot of corsetry in our dresses, boned and lace details at the top with a figure hugging skirt and sexy split, or a fuller Victorian satin skirt. Although thankfully not as tight as the Victorian era!
Accessorising is crucial to the final prom look. Some sparkle in silver or gold with a pair of earrings, an embellished or shiny bag and some sparkly shoes. Check out second hand stores for vintage preloved bags.
We recommend a block heel for the photos on grass or gravel and disco dancing after the meal. We don't want them falling over or getting their dresses caught in a pointy stiletto! We are even seeing the most comfortable wedge trainers and high-tops as shoes of choice. How fabulous that today we have no style rules!
Bags from https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk
We are so pleased to say preloved dresses have been very popular this year. Clients are requesting these as their prom option more and more – which is the perfect sustainable option to keep the beautiful dress worn for longer and encouraging to see that young women are not afraid of second-hand style. We salute you!
This beautiful silver satin dress is the ultimate pre-loved - and with pockets!
To continue with our sustainable journey, we also recommend that the girls return the dresses for re-sale or choose a dress that they could wear again in the future. Shorten to a mini dress for a party? Fit tighter maybe for a 6th form or Uni ball? Or wear to a summer holiday event? Always nagging to wear those beautiful dresses more than once!
One thing for sure is we would never allow our prom queens to leave unless they have fallen in love with their chosen dress. And when it happens, you know! Their smiles say it all………
For a prom or summer occasion dress appointment please use the appointment tab.
Happy Prom 2024.
Sarah and Lisa xx