Follow Up: Success

Hello internet! It's been awhile. My last post was concerning a vintage dress I hoped to buy as a prom dress, but unfortunately that didn't work out. I was deeply disappointed, but quickly cheered up in the joy of hunting for a new prom dress.

I knew I wanted a few things in my prom dress this year:

1. I wanted it to be floor length. This ended up being an extremely good decision, as play rehearsals resulted in extremely scabbed and bruised knees. That would not have been pretty.

2. I wanted it to be simple. No huge embellishments, wild prints or neon colors.

3. I wanted it to be classy and elegant. Nothing very revealing or risque.

4. I wanted it to go with a pair of heels I already owned as I was not interested in shopping for prom shoes.

5. I wanted it to have straps-- my prom dress last year did not, and what a pain that was. I have sworn off strapless dresses and tops ever since. They just don't work for me.

With these preferences in mind, I spent much frustrated time searching in stores and online. After much time, careful deliberation and consideration, my parents and I finally settled on a dress. Though the purchase was a bit last-minute and I wasn't sure about it at first, I ended up really loving the dress I chose.

We chose a beautiful, floor-length, dusty-pink/mauve dress from Nordstrom by Adrianna Papell (this is really a designer to check out for classy formal dresses). Though it didn't look exactly the same in real life as it did online and I did have to get it hemmed quite a bit, the overall fit was good and the dress grew on me more and more every time I tried it on. I loved the one-shoulder look, the crossover bust, even the tiny sequins embellishments. Ultimately, it was everything I was looking for. Beautiful, comfortable, flattering, and elegant. And I've been absolutely obsessed with this color the past few months.

I was also very pleased to find that I was the only one at prom wearing this particular dress. That was my biggest worry. I really dislike owning the same clothes as other people I know, and it would really have bothered me to be wearing the same dress as another girl at prom. My dress was also the only mauve or dusty pink dress I saw. Curiously, white was an extremely popular color this year.

It was an investment, but this is a dress I will keep for as long as it fits me. It was well worth the money and the service of Nordstrom's website was excellent. I highly recommend this dress to anyone who is looking for an elegant prom dress. I have every intention of wearing it to any and all special occasions I can. I'm absolutely itching to wear it again.

Overall, prom was a massive success. My beautiful friend Jackie, the girl in the white, is a complete makeup guru and has her own makeup blog. She agreed to do my makeup and did an absolutely fantastic job. I asked for a silver smokey eye to match my date's silver tux and my silver accessories.  She made me look as close to flawless as I ever have and I felt really beautiful.

I decided to do my hair myself and was quite proud of what I came up with :)

My sweet boyfriend became the first guy to ever ask me to a school dance. He left me lots of post it notes and duct taped a rose on my car.

He turned out to be the absolutely best prom date ever. 

Although he hates taking pictures, he was such a good sport as our parents clicked endlessly away. He seemed mildly amused at my attempts to make the situation less stuffy with a series of silly faces.

My group consisted of my best friend, my boyfriend, and my best friend's boyfriend (who is also my boyfriend's good friend). They were the best prom group ever.

Jackie's lovely mother made us an absolutely delicious dinner (free of charge!) and my date and I were lucky enough to snag a ride in a ridiculously fancy limousine. Prom was held in the Science Museum in the large atrium. It was decorated with the theme of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, and it was pretty magical. The music wasn't very good, but my date and I had a great time dancing anyway. Overall, it was a fantastic, fun, and very successful night that I will always remember.
I couldn't have asked for a better dress, date, prom group, or senior prom.
Until later,
Annika

Prom Dress?

This year, I'm shopping ahead. Way ahead. This is a dress I tried on in a vintage-inspired boutique in Richmond this past summer (July, to be exact) and really loved it. Hopefully this week I'll have a chance to drop by and see if they still have it, and if they do my mom said she'd buy it for my birthday this month. And of course I'd wear it to prom. I hope this works out, it's a really beautiful dress that I could easily use for many other occasions. And it would make the weeks leading up to prom a lot less stressful and frantic.

Happy New Year!

It's been about 5 months since my last dress purchase, mostly because I just haven't come across any dresses I absolutely love. But a while back, I found the Russian Roulette dress by Mink Pink, and I was absolutely smitten. I'd been looking for a nice velvet winter dress, and oh. my. god. This one is beautiful.

I saw it first online, but then I found out Urban Outfitters had it, so I tried it on the next time I went by and was blown away. The fabric, swing, colors, and cut of the dress are absolutely gorgeous. But at $118 is too pricey for me, even though I was totally willing to splurge on an investment piece like this. Luckily, over the past year I've learned a few things about smart shopping online, so I shopped around and managed to snag an  awesome deal, and got this dress for $70.
You can imagine my excitement.
To be honest, $70 is still pretty steep for a dress, but I'd already tried it on so I knew how beautiful and what high quality it was. I wear dresses all the time, so I know I'll get a lot of use out of it. Apart from that, I really wanted it, I'd just gotten my allowance and I was itching to get myself something really nice after blowing all my money on Christmas presents for other people (although I really do love buying other people presents).
Now the only regret I have is that I didn't have it on New Years Eve. I'm currently eagerly awaiting it in my mail, but the website said that due to inventory issues it won't be shipped until the 9th... that's okay. I've already waited this long, I can wait just a little longer :)

Daily Dress: Don't I Know You?

You probably recognize this model from my last post, which should be located immediately below this one. It's probably coincidence that I like most of the dresses she models on the website, but I must say, she is simply stunning in the most delicate, ethereal way. Just like the lovely dress she's wearing.

Exquisite.

This is one of those dresses I could admire endlessly and pine for forever, but I don't think I'll ever buy.

ASOS, $112

Daily Dress: Colors of the Wind

Good news! After spending several hours browsing through dresses at asos.com, my hope for a beautiful, unique, reasonably priced prom dress has been refreshed. This one I find especially appealing, although I was nearly certain I didn't want a long dress this year:

The blend of random colors look just splendid together. Also, it makes me think of Pocahontas.

ASOS, $117

Daily Dress: Purple Brocade

If I could wear any dress to prom that I wanted, I'd wear this one. Unfortunately, it's not being sold anymore on the website where I found it, and I don't think any other website has it. :(

Modcloth, $63

Prom Dress Issues

It is now April 1st. Prom is on April 30th. I have yet to get a dress. This is mostly because I hate most of the dresses sold at department stores. They just all seem so tacky to me, and I don't savor the idea of meeting someone else wearing the same dress as I do. But none of this is really that big of a problem, because there are plenty of cute dresses at Modcloth.

Up until today, I had my hopes set on this dress:

Simple, elegant, classy, somewhat reasonably priced, unique, and got great reviews. Just a moment ago I checked the website and saw that it was still out of stock (as it has been for the past week or so) but then I also noticed that the reviews had disappeared-- which usually only happens when that item is not going to be restocked. :(

So now I'm looking mournfully at other dresses, but I can't find anything that seems... right.

This dress is lovely, but I don't think I want a black prom dress. Also, I don't know if the cut would flatter my figure as much as the white one would have.

The color of this dress is absolutely stunning, and I love the cut of the back, but it doesn't seem quite formal enough.

Although I don't really want a long prom dress this year, this dress is beyond gorgeous and very tempting... but it's nearing the edge of my price range and I'm not sure I'd fit into the sizes they have left (based on the reviews).

THIS SUCKS.