Thursday, March 25, 1999
On the prom dress prowl
Three Princeton High School students hit the mall looking for perfect gowns
BY REON CARTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The perfect prom dress defies second thoughts.
That's the standard three Princeton High School students set during a gown-hunting trek Saturday through Kenwood Towne Centre.
“You know it's the dress when you look at it and can say with all certainty there's no other dress out there anywhere that will look better on you,” said Lauren Wright, 18, who was joined by Meredith McIver, 16 and Daphney Grave, 17.
For an insider's peek at this rite of spring, we tagged along with the trio as they checked out dozens of gowns for the Princeton High prom May 1 at the Sharonville Convention Center.
@ First stop, Gantos
Gantos, a women's apparel boutique known in teen circles for its generous prom dress collection, was the first stop.
Lauren and Daphney had a general idea of the dresses they'd like.
“It's got to be a light color,” Lauren said. “I expect to return from spring break (which is just before the prom) with a tan. A light color will make a tan look even better.”
Daphney also preferred a soft spring color.
“The light colors are pretty and make you stand out more,” she said. “I doubt if I'll go for a black dress. Everybody wears black.”
Meredith, who doesn't have a style or color in mind, will know the dress when she sees it.
“I'll probably buy two dresses,” she said. “Then I'll end up taking one of them of back.”
For all three, price would factor heavily into the decision. Though Lauren has a part-time job at Anthony's Dry Cleaners, her parents will pay up to $100 for her dress.
“If I want something that costs more,” Lauren said. “I'll have to pay the difference.”
Her mother has asked to approve her daughter's dress choice.
“I'm OK with this,” Lauren said. “I respect her fashion sense.”
Daphney works at T.J. Maxx, but said her mother will pay up to $200 for her dress. Meredith, who is too busy with cross country running, track and swimming to hold an after-school job, had a parent's credit card. Her limit: $150.
The once-overs
They each chose four or five dresses quickly.
Daphney fell in love with the first she tried on — a satin-like lavender slip dress with a short sweep train and a matching long matching scarf for the neck.
“I can't believe I'm this lucky,” she said. “This one is definitely in the running.”
Meredith modeled a curve-hugging black lace sheath with spaghetti straps. The lace was sheer from the knees to the ankles.
“This is different,” Meredith said, intrigued by the lower half of the dress.
“Yeah, it is different,” said Daphney. “But it's not dressy enough for the prom, maybe homecoming.”
Meredith gave it another thoughtful assessment before agreeing.
Lauren decided she doesn't like the white polyester A-line dress with an empire waist and glitter top.
Out of curiosity, Meredith and Daphney tried dresses with full ball gown skirts.
Lauren passed, citing that most guys, including her boyfriend, do not like billowing gowns. Meredith and Daphney were not sure who their prom dates will be, so they weren't shopping with anyone in mind.
“The magazines say these big poufy dresses are really hot right now, but I don't think they'll be at the Princeton prom,” said Daphney, holding up a yellow ball gown. “I would like to see what I look like in one though.”
Meredith, who seemed to favor slinky styles, was curious as well. She emerged from her dressing-room cubicle in a bubble-gum pink ball gown.
“This is too poufy, too Cinderella for me, no way!” she said, crinkling her nose at her reflection. “And look at this.” She pointed to the softly swagged fabric in the tummy region. “I think this is supposed to hide a big stomach.” A feature she doesn't need.
Modeling her full ball gown, Daphney said: “I love this color, but I think the style reminds me of the olden days. ... Schools have personalities that determine what's cool to wear. You'll probably see more of these big poufy dresses at the private schools' proms.”
Lauren tried on another white dress, with blocks of sheer, flesh-tone netting at the waist. The size 6 was too big, and there were no 4s.
For her third choice, Lauren considered one of Meredith's rejects, a fitted white lace dress with a silver sequined under-layer. It was a bust with her as well.
“I think it makes me look fat,” she lamented.
Having experimented with a demure, pretty-in-pink dress, Meredith returned to the sexy femme fatale theme with a second-skin black tube dress with a thigh-high side slit.
She questioned whether the strapless cut flattered her V-tapered back and broad swimmer's shoulders until someone assured her that athletic shoulders, a la Madonna, were in vogue.
“Yeah, I like this one a lot,” she said.
What would her parents think of the provocative dress?
“My dad might say something like "That's a little tight, isn't it?' But they don't usually have a big problem with my choices,” Meredith said.
Lauren strayed from white to try a navy velvet-like dress with an electric blue sheen that looked as if it would glow in the dark.
“This is definitely not me,” she said as she swiftly U-turned into her dressing room.
Daphney tried on the rest of her selections, which included a black dress with sparkle center flowers, but her first love — the lavender gown — was still on her mind. It could be the dress. She put the $120 frock on hold, just in case.
The shop only had one of the black Zum Zum tube dresses that caught Meredith's eye. She showed more confidence in her selection than Daphney and whipped out a credit card. The acetate/nylon number with just enough Spandex to keep its strapless tube construction snug and secure was $120.
On to Lazarus
Lauren struck out at Gantos. Lazarus was the next stop.
Several voluminous ball gown styles loomed like tumescent clouds in a prom dress department wall display. The girls snubbed them.
“We gave those a shot at Gantos,” Meredith said.
They headed for a rack of discounted red dresses.
“What are these?” Daphne asks. “Valentine's Day leftovers? They kinda look like lingerie.”
Lauren and Meredith reached for one anyway.
Lauren returned a three-quarter length style to the rack. “I'd never wear this length to the prom. It looks like it shrank.”
In the dressing room, Meredith slipped on a white A-line polyester dress with sweep train. She looked like a Greek goddess in the draping frock.
“It's makes me look too old,” she said.
Daphne liked two long slip dresses. A navy gown with a butterfly motif on the bodice had piqued enough interest to be put on hold.
Lauren was excited about a classic long, black Jessica McClintock sheath. She inspected the price tag: $116.
“Not bad for Jessica McClintock,” she said as she gathered her shoulder-length brown hair up in a twist. “If I got this dress, I'd wear my hair up this way.”
She thought the dress was a strong contender so she put it on hold for her mother to inspect. She wasn't sure if it would stand up to weeks of second guessing. And it's black to boot, the opposite of what she set out to find.
However, she was reminded that black could be a complementary color for tanned skin.
Short stop at Cachet
A shopping pit stop was made at Cachet, another women's apparel boutique. The girls were in and out in less than 15 minutes. All the selections they liked were $200 and up, outside their budgets.
Four hours, one purchase and three possibilities later, the girls decided this year's prom dress stock was good.
“Last year, I picked the right dress on my first trip out,” Lauren said. “But I had a different attitude then because I was a junior. This is my senior prom, so the dress has to be extra special.”
Daphney, also a senior, agreed. Meredith, a junior, didn't feel the same pressure.
Prom night accessories — shoes, jewelry and hair ornaments — typically won't be sought until the dress is chosen, maybe as close as a week before the prom.
After all the anticipation and preparation, were the girls worried about the ultimate prom-night disaster: another girl showing up in their dress?
“That would only be a problem for me if one of my close friends had the same dress,” Meredith said. “But that's not likely. We all know what the other is wearing way in advance.”
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