Fashion Brief
Prom, as seen through the prism of American TV and film, is far more than a night out. It’s the scene of Mean Girls-style drama and epic Footloose dance routines. It’s where transformations are revealed (She’s All That), and where nightmares (Carrie) and happy endings (Pretty in Pink) happen. It’s a significant step on the road into adulthood, with the prom dress crucial to the coming-of-age narrative. For British teenagers, those prom night pop culture dreams have become an end-of-school reality, with proms now standard at most British schools. It has been estimated that proms in the UK cost parents £90m a year, with prom dresses costing an average £220. Of course, it’s not just about the money – these dresses symbolise leaving school behind, the end of an era that doubles as an irresistible Instagram opportunity. We talked to young women across the UK about what prom means to them, why Pretty In Pink remains a reference and how shopping in sheds can lead to a dream dress.
“If I miss prom, I will miss an essential part of my life” – Amna Khan, 18, High Storrs school, Sheffield (above)
I have designed my dress and my mum is making it – it’s nice to have a project together. There’s lots of beadwork and it’s a dusty pink colour with lots of lace. It doesn’t need any frills because the material speaks for itself. Making my first garments was a big achievement for me. Fashion was a hobby and now I am thinking I would like to take it seriously. I have applied for law but I can always switch to fashion design. I want to go to the University of Leeds and they have both.
I like Elie Saab and Ralph Russo. For year 11 prom, I wore something my mum made me, based on a Zuhair Murad design. I also like Asian designers because I am Pakistani. It was my dad’s idea to fuse western and Asian aesthetics in my design because I have been brought up in two different cultures. My aunty sent the fabric from Pakistan. My go-to colour is black but I throw in colour here and there – and definitely for an event. I like dressing up more for occasions such as prom.
I don’t go out that much generally; I’m a bit of an introvert. I would far rather binge-watch Netflix. A lot of my friends aren’t going – they’re not into loud music. But I want to go and see my classmates for the last time. I will go with four or five friends and see some of them there. I have gone to this school for seven years and the two years at sixth form were the best. If I miss prom, I will miss an essential part of my life. I want to go there and make memories. Afterwards, we’ll go to a dessert bar. I’ll take dessert over alcohol any day. Lately I have been really liking ice-cream sundaes.
“We have a prom passport – you have to do a certain amount of revision to go” – Abigail Turner, 16, Chorlton high school, Manchester
I decided on my dress based on pricing. I needed enough money to buy some shoes as well and I wanted something that I might wear again. I bought it during exam season so didn’t want to go out shopping. I got it on Asos in the sale. I thought if it’s only £30, and it fits, then great. I like wearing bright colours and a lot of people going are wearing black, maybe because it’s more grown up. I wanted lace because it dresses up really well.
I enjoy makeup. I think I’ll do dark eyes and a glowy face. I don’t want to do a red lip because my dress is red. I want it to be quite chill to focus on the dress. My eyebrows are very light so I do them every day. I’m getting them tinted just before prom.
I follow a lot of shops on Instagram – Urban Outfitters, Topshop – so I get a lot of inspiration from that. I also watch a lot of people on YouTube, like fashion bloggers. It feels a lot more attainable when someone is sitting in their bedroom. They have become rich and famous but before they were pretty normal, with pretty normal incomes.
At our school we have a prom passport and you had to do a certain amount of revision to be able to go. There are about 300 pupils in our year and 200 spots. I’m thinking of it as a thing to say goodbye to high school. There are people I went to primary school with who aren’t going on to college. It’s a nostalgic event. I’m a massive Glee fan and I think there were three proms in six seasons. That’s my idea of what it will be like.
“Last time, one boy hired a green Lamborghini. I don’t know how anyone is going to top that” – Nzinga Banjoko, 18, High Storrs school, Sheffield
I chose my dress spontaneously. I’ve never been the kind of person to think those things through. My last prom dress, for year 11, was bodycon and navy. I wanted something brighter but pink or red isn’t really me. Blue is my favourite colour – my bedroom is blue. I saw this off-the-shoulder one and thought, “I need that in my life.” Lots of people are wearing maxi dresses and over-the-knee bodycon dresses in different colours. We have a prom page on Facebook so no one buys the same dress as someone else. That would be so awkward. I always keep my dresses, although I only wore the year 11 one for about four hours.
I wasn’t going to go but I talked to my older friends who are at uni and they said they regretted not going. I don’t know what this prom will be like but the school has made a lot of effort. We have a sit down meal and an afterparty. There will be over 100 of us. Last time, some boys went in traditional Asian dress, some in suits. One hired a lime green Lamborghini. I don’t know how anyone is going to top that.
I would describe my day-to-day style as sporty casual. My other favourite colour is grey and I contrast it with a pop of colour on my trainers – sparkly gold trainers, turquoise Vans. I really like Beyoncé’s and Rihanna’s style. Rihanna puts everything together and it works. She wore an off-the-shoulder floral dress and strappy shoes at the Met Gala and that stuck in my head. I will have strappy shoes that tie up my leg and my friend is doing my makeup. It’s the last time everyone will see me. I thought, “This time I’m going to be girly and look presentable.”
“When I put the dress on I thought, ‘I look like a small woman’” – Edie Kench-Andrews, 15, Clapton girls academy, London
It was kind of nerve-racking choosing a dress because I am a tomboy. It will be the first time anyone at school has seen me in a dress. I wanted it to be long, like a midi-dress, but at the same time I wanted it to be out there. I think it’s a one-off thing – I’ll see it in the future and think, “That’s what I wore to prom.” I was thinking of Pretty in Pink with my dress – I’m going to be the Andie of my school.
When I put the dress on I thought, ‘I look like a small woman.’ I had never seen myself like that before. I wanted to show people what I would look like as a grownup. I have been wearing it around the house, seeing what it’s like to not wear trousers. I have my shoes – heels from Topshop. I walked for half an hour in the park the other day and I was in so much pain afterwards.
I go to a girls’ school, there are no boys. I think this will be quite emotional, there’s a lot of us who have been talking about how we’ll cry on the night. There are so many teenagers at prom in TV shows that I watch. It’s always the best night of their lives.
A lot of my friends are wearing bodycon dresses, all very short. My friendship group aren’t competitive. My friends think it’s funny because they’re so used to me in trousers. I have been quite stereotypical, using Snapchat and sending pictures of myself to my contacts.
Some girls see it as a competition. They are going more co-ordinated: lots of them are in black and red, which I think is quite sweet. But I wanted my dress to be about expressing myself. I want to look back and think, “Aw, didn’t we look lovely?”
“I’m borrowing shoes from a friend. She said they were expensive so I’m nervous now” – Francesca Milburn, 16, St Andrew’s school, Flitwick, Bedfordshire
My dress is floor-length and red. I got it on a shopping trip with my mum and my nan in London; it was really nice to go with both of them. I bought the dress straight away, from Phase Eight – it was the first shop we went into. I have my own sort of style, mostly jeans and T-shirts. Topshop is my favourite shop. I love the ripped jeans in there and I’ve just bought a denim skirt with a floral print on it.
I wanted the dress to be special but also a bit different, because a lot of people are wearing navy. I’m wearing the dress with gold shoes that I’m borrowing from my friend. She told me they were really expensive so I’m a bit nervous about that now. I have never worn a long dress or had my hair and makeup done. I am having my hair curled and wearing it half-up and half-down.
I go to a girls’ school and there are only 20 in my year. The prom is mixed with a boys’ school nearby. I’m going with five of my friends. It’s a bit annoying because this year they’re not allowing external guests and my boyfriend goes to a different school.
I don’t think there’s much competition about the dresses beforehand but there will be when we get there. I have a messaging group where we have shown each other our dresses. We’ll take loads of photos because it’s the last time our whole year will be together. There was going to be an afterparty but there’s not now, so I think I’ll go back to my friend’s and watch a film. We’ll probably watch Mean Girls or something, that’s my favourite.
“I’m not usually a last-minute person but I was really picky about my dress” – Nicole Ekwensi, 15, Ousedale school, Milton Keynes
My dress is a long-sleeved, red, maxi length open-back lace dress with a bow at the lower back. I got it from Goddiva, a website I discovered while I was looking for my prom dress. At first I was looking for a navy dress with long sleeves but tried some on in Debenhams and realised the colour didn’t suit me. I wear lots of different colours but red is good on me.
I wanted lace because I saw it on many prom dresses. On Instagram, I’ve seen beautiful lace dresses on different accounts such as Sherri Hill. She’s a designer in America who does a lot of prom dresses. My aunty had a dress from her and I really liked it.
Choosing my dress was quite stressful because we had exams at the same time. I got my dress three weeks before my prom, and I was the last one in my friendship group to get one. I’m not usually a last-minute person but I was really picky about my dress. I have a group chat with my friends – we sent in pictures of our dresses on there. Everyone was saying to each other, “Aw, you’re going to look so good.”
I’m not sure if I will wear the dress again. Maybe at a wedding or something. It’s the first time I have had to think about a dress and what I wanted to wear for a special occasion. When I have been a bridesmaid, they have always picked the dress that I would wear.
I don’t have a particular style – I’ll wear jeans, dresses, anything that looks nice. I really like the Kardashians and their makeup but I also like my mum’s fashion sense. She wears a lot from Zara. I don’t borrow clothes from her, but sometimes her heels. I do borrow clothes from my elder sister. She likes bright colours.
“All the dresses were in a shed in the back garden” – Erin Wells, 16, Ousedale school, Milton Keynes
I’ll be wearing a navy fitted dress with a racer top, and silver beading. I saw it on Facebook from a place called Prom Boutique. I went with my mum and it was in a woman’s house, she had all the dresses in a shed in her back garden. I wanted to try a lot on because you hear horror stories that they’re not the right colour, or they don’t fit [when you buy online].
I knew I wanted a fitted dress but not short because it’s prom and I wanted to feel elegant. I saw it and knew it was the one. I said to my mum that whenever I put it on it makes me smile. My friends have all gone for stuff that is totally different. One girl has a baby pink dress, another has turquoise. I don’t know what they’re like because they’re all being quite secretive – I think they want it to be a surprise. I showed mine to my friend Emily because we thought we might have bought the same one. We didn’t, so that’s OK.
I had trials for hair and makeup. I thought I would have a ponytail but now I am going for a bun with bits cascading down so you can see the back of the dress. I feel really pampered when they’re doing it. I’m on Instagram and I follow loads of celebrities. I think Gigi Hadid and Hailey Baldwin are the ones I am inspired by for hair and makeup.
My friends and I all live in different parts of Milton Keynes, so I’ll probably get ready at home and go and meet them. Afterwards, a girl in my year is having a party. I’ll quickly go home and get changed out of my dress into something I normally wear. Prom is where we’ll look nice, the afterparty is for relaxing.
