Your Goal: To Create Feminine Curves Party season is upon us, and we know what you're thinking. You've got nothing to wear to your company party/book club cocktail hour/toddler's preschool holiday concert. But before you reach into your closet and pull out those black pants and white silk blouse again -- or worse, a holiday sweater with appliques and bells -- consider another option: A dress. Festive, pretty, and utterly feminine, a dress is the perfect choice for your holiday celebrations this year. To help you find the best dress for your shape and goals, we've pulled together a cheat sheet (and don't forget -- even the most perfect dress may need to be slightly altered by a tailor to achieve a flawless, made-for-your-body fit). Your Goal: To Create Feminine Curves The Best Dress for You: A halter dress with a soft bias-cut skirt. Whether you want to play up an already-curvy body or make curves where there usually are none, a halter dress with a bias-cut skirt does it for you. The halter draws the eye upward to your cleavage (it can even help create cleavage if you're lacking -- simply wear a push-up, strapless or convertible bra underneath). And a bias-cut skirt skims and flows over your bottom half, gently rounding out hips and giving the illusion of a curvier derriere.
Step 1. Start your search six to nine months ahead. Special orders can take four to six months, plus time for alterations. Step 2. Keep your file of photographs of dresses you like from bridal magazines, advertisements and boutique promotions handy when you shop. Step 3. Choose a style appropriate for the ceremony. For a formal evening wedding, a floor-length dress in ivory, white, cream or champagne, often worn with gloves and a train, is an elegant choice. Semiformal dresses can be also be pastels, a floorbrushing (ballerina) length, with a short veil and no train. At a less-formal or second wedding, the bride may choose a long or short dress, or even a two-piece suit. A short veil may be very stylish paired with a classic pillbox hat. Step 4. Flatter your figure with a dress that suits you. Take a trusted, honest sister or friend who has your best interests at heart for feedback. Try one of each basic shape--princess, ball gown, sheath and empire waist--to see which flatters you most. Check that you can walk, turn, sit and bend comfortably, as well as lift your arms and hug loved ones without splitting a seam. Comfort and confidence are vital on this day of days. Step 5. Shop at bridal boutiques or department stores for a wide array of styles. Try on a few designer gowns first so you recognize the quality, then choose a dress based on your budget. Step 6. Set a budget. Off-the-rack dresses can be found for $250 and up. Jessica McClintock has a large selection of moderately priced gowns. A simple custom-made dress can be had for as little as $750, and can go as high as $10,000 for a Vera Wang, with many dresses in the lower third of that range. Step 7. Ask when bridal stores are next having a sample sale. Be on the lookout for warehouse sales on discontinued styles, samples and overstocks. Step 8. Make the deposit with a credit card. Get an itemized receipt spelling out every detail (manufacturer's and design name, number, price, color and size) and stating that the deal is canceled if your dress isn't ready by a specified date. Step 9. Budget for alterations, which can run $300 or more. Ask if pressing is included and if they'll store your dress until the big day. Also ask for recommendations for cleaning and storing the dress.
Choosing a prom dress is not always easy. Most people talk about the latest fashion or the greatest styles. But that is not what you are interested in. A designer gown may be too expensive for you. Or maybe you want to stand out from the crowd and look different. If this describes you, then a vintage prom dress might be what you are looking for. When you think of vintage clothing, you think of clothing from the 60's to the 80's, but it is not unusual that there is a demand for 50's or even 40's vintage prom dresses. And often these vintage dresses are very well made and designed. This could mean that you will not always get off cheaply. Very often this kind of dresses is hard to find. And the price really depends on how rare it is and in what condition it has been preserved.
