A pivotal milestone for high schoolers is upon the class of 2025. This year’s Senior Prom is on May 22, and as the day rapidly approaches, many senior girls are rooting through the racks of dress stores in search of their attire for the event.
Senior Ellie Pasacreta voices, “I’m most excited to get ready with my friends. I’m so excited to wear my dress, and see all the other dresses everyone else is wearing!”
Finding the “perfect” dress can be stressful and tedious, however. The pressure added by the immortalization of the night in pictures spurs many prom dress shoppers to travel to multiple locations in their pursuit. This is coupled with the added worry of fitting a theme, or wearing a particular color to balance out photos, or to match a group.
Senior Faith Doyle shares concerns she faced during her dress shopping process.
“A lot of stuff wasn’t really my style, I didn’t know if it would fit what I wanted,” Doyle explains.
Prom shops such as Atianas Boutique and Sabrina Style are the traditional routes and offer a wide selection of gowns, as well as staff who assist in finding the perfect dress. Winged Monkey in Westport is also a popular route for shopping.
This process can seem daunting, making the most of prom starts with the right dress for many. Some girls might even try multiple boutiques when they can’t quite land on the perfect dress.
Senior Rosina Smith bought her dress in-person at Atianas Boutique, citing the store’s convenience and longstanding reliable reputation for her choice in location.
“I prefer in-person because I have the ability to actually try the dress on and see how it looks. For my dress in particular, I tried on the same style in-store and ordered the color online,” she explains.
Smith’s inclination towards in-person dress shopping illuminates her belief that material is the most important factor in picking the ideal outfit.
“I want my dress to be comfortable but also durable for the long run,” she reveals.
This process, however, anticipates a fun and exciting moment for seniors, making shopping a fun experience; some girls even bring their friends and try on gowns together. Senior Adrianna Gonzalez shares what she took from the experience.
“[Shopping together] was definitely stressful, but it was fun, I feel like it was better because I had a second opinion, like what colors look best on me,” expresses Gonzalez.
Every person has a different opinion of what qualifies as a “prom dress.” Some decide to stray from the traditional vibrant dress, prioritizing an outfit that best suits their style. What completes a prom dress is different for everyone.
While some prefer shopping in-person, other girls choose to make their dress selections online. Senior Olivia Dyki found her dress online at For Love and Lemons.
“I knew I would get too stressed out if I went into the store with a bunch of people. I already found that dress two years ago, so I already knew what I wanted,” she shares.
During her selection, Dyki felt that it was important to purchase a dress that she would both wear more than once and is cost-effective.
She elaborates, “My dress, I can definitely wear it again. Especially if you’re only going to wear it once, a $600 dress is kind of crazy.”
Many senior girls are still in the midst of their hunt for their prom dress. Despite her shopping, senior Devon Hines has not yet made her final selection. Hines cites the extra-particular criteria applied to prom dress shopping as the reason for her hesitancy to make a final purchase.
“It’s the dress you’re going to have on on the night you’re going to remember forever, so there’s pressure to find the ‘perfect’ dress, whatever that means for each individual,” Hines explains.
