Get Free ‘Personal Shopper’ Prom Dress Advice

Blue Sequin Dress £199 – John Lewis

Ever wonder how celebs look so amazing on the red carpet? The answer could well be a personal stylist. Someone who dresses people for a living. Stylists and personal shoppers know what’s in, what’s out, which shops stock which designers and when new stock comes in. Most importantly they know how to put a complete look together, one that really works for the wearer.

We spoke to the lovely Niki Whittle, an independent fashion stylist and personal shopper, who’s been managing wardrobes for years, and asked how a personal shopper can help when it comes to prom. Read more…

The 2012 Prom Garter

One of the prettiest prom keepsakes you can have is a prom garter. They are massively popular in the USA where the tradition is to swop your garter for your prom date’s bow tie at the end of the evening. Hmmm think I’d rather have the garter than the bow tie!

Traditionally worn on the right leg just above the knee, the wearer raises her skirt a little to show it for the formal photographs. She can then ‘gift’ it to her prom date to wear round his arm for the rest of the evening showing they are a couple.

Now prom garters are jolly hard to come by in the UK so we asked garter specialist Laura George, who’s been designing and hand making exquisite wedding garters for years, to help. Laura has created the first British hand-made prom garter, complete with Prom 2012 ribbon, for all you lovelies to wear to prom 2012 and treasure forever afterwards.

Designed in palest pink soft tulle, with hand tied lipstick pink satin ribbons, it’s made with plush backed elastic for extra comfort, and comes in its own white organza bag, making it the perfect prom keepsake. Available in sizes XS-EL, it’s priced at £8 plus P&P. Order yours online now!

Best Price Tuxedos

George at Asda Tux

If you’re worrying about the cost of tux hire for prom then have a look at Asda’s website where they have a tuxedo jacket for an incredible £25!

The George at Asda tux has ribbon covered buttons, edged trim, a double back vent and, as its made of polyester/viscose, is machine washable. It comes in chest size 36-48 and offers regular or short fitting. Matching tuxedo tailored trousers are available at £15 complete with ribbon detail on the legs. So you could have your prom suit sorted for £40 and have the tux to wear afterwards. Order quick, at these prices they’ll go like hot cakes.

Burton Tux

Not far behind Asda are Burton who are celebrating the tux’s 150th birthday this year with a £40 tuxedo jacket. The tux, which is normally priced at £69, is two button, double vented with satin lapels. It hangs well in the photos and has very good reviews on the website. Available in chest sizes 36-46. The matching tailored tuxedo trousers are priced at £30 making the complete suit £70.

Good Foundations – Shape Wear for Prom

Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless Bra

Believe it or not your prom lingerie is just as important as your prom dress. Why? Because it can make or break your overall look. A stunning slinky dress with lumpy bumpy knicker lines or a gorgeous low backed gown with bits of your old M&S bra showing will kill your prom perfect look dead.

So plan ahead. As soon as you have your dress, check out what type of undies you need. Wonderbra, who’ve helped us make the most of our assets for years, have launched an ‘Ultimate’ range with both a strapless and a deep plunge bra. They say their ‘hand tech’ in the cups lifts and supports for that Wonderbra cleavage while the silicone bands and wide bottom elastic reduce movement and keep it firmly in place – so no hitching your bra up all night. Wearers certainly seem to agree with the claims – reviews on the Debenhams website give top ratings although some do suggest you might want to reduce your normal cup size when ordering. Priced at £34 it’s available in sizes 30D-38E.

Spanx Natural High Rise Shapeware

Spanx creator Sara Blakely was named the youngest self made female billionaire earlier this month. Not surprising really considering Spanx control hosiery promises to make you look like you’ve dropped a dress size. Even if you’re slim Spanx can streamline your figure under a demanding slinky dress so it fits and flatters. Priced at £33.50 for the High Rise Shapeware pants, they’re not pretty but they certainly do the job.

Twilight Prom Dresses

Fashion Junkee Dress

Bella and Edward At Prom

The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn (Part 1) dvd goes on sale this week in the UK. To celebrate we’re sharing some Twilight inspired prom gowns. First up is Bella in her blue prom dress with her prom date – Edward Cullen. Versions of her simple tiered frock, created by Twilight costume designer Wendy Chuck, are rare on the high street but Fashion Junkee have a good copy priced at $50.

Alfred Angelo Dress

Bridal and prom designer Alfred Angelo, who created the first replica of Bella’s wedding gown for sale in the USA,has now created a ‘Romantic Vampire’ collection of prom dresses inspired by Bella and the Cullen ladies. One of the best sellers in the collection is this gorgeous Blue Moon taffeta and net gown (style no: 4027) with rhinestones and crystal beading on the skirt. You can find your nearest UK stockist by visiting their UK website.

Verb Prom Dress

British evening dress specialists Verb have a wonderful range of prom and ball gowns. We chose this stunning satin dress with beaded bodice detail and corset back, as it has a timeless elegance one would associate with romantic heroines and stylish, upmarket vampires. It’s currently on offer to mortals at £164.50 (30% discount) until the end of March. Verb have stores in Bedale and Newcastle Upon Tyne and an excellent website.

Precious Formals Dress

The UK’s only Prom Magazine is now on sale and attached is a whole extra magazine by Precious Formals featuring a huge range of their 2012 prom dresses. It was hard to pick one dress with so many to choose from but in the end we went for this little black and red number (style no: S44248) as it’s both fun and super vampy. Check out the Precious Formals website for UK stockists – there are lots!

Rent The Designer Prom Dress Of Your Dreams

Dina Bar-El red ball gown

Girl Meets Dress

Want to knock ‘em dead on prom night in a stunning designer gown? Well, the latest online dress hire sites have designer gowns aplenty and you can rent the frock of your dreams for a fraction of its red carpet price tag.

Girl Meets Dress

Goes without saying you won’t have a dress hanging in the wardrobe after prom but ask yourself how often you’d have the chance to wear it again anyway?

The two giants in UK online rental are Girl Meets Dress and Wish Want Wear. They stock different designers so it’s worth looking at both. Girl Meets Dress carry gowns from over a hundred designers so there’s plenty of choice and their range of figure hugging gowns by Dina Bar-El are stunning. Wish Want Wear stock about 40 designers but do have several gowns by popular prom designer Jovani. Check out the FAQ’s on both sites before deciding if renting’s right for you.

Girl Meets Dress

Girl Meets Dress Dina Bar-El red satin gown, style name Gemma, (above) costs £109 to hire but retails at £700. The Girl Meets Dress Dina Bar-El black lace gown with flared fish tail, style name Louise, (right) costs £109 to hire and retails at £700. Girl Meets Dress Ruth Tarvydas gold gown (left), style name Hidden Gem, costs £69 to rent and retails
at £640.

Wish Want Wear

Wish Want Wear black Jovani dress with silver detail costs £65 to rent and retails at £405. Did you love the dress Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, wore to the War Horse premier? Hers was by Temperley London and Wish Want Wear have one similar to hire for £265. Pricey but then it does retail at £1995!

Prom Shoes 2012

Having chosen your prom dress, the next big decision is shoes. While a statement gown is best paired with simple footwear, the classic little black dress can benefit from something stunning on your tootsies.

Whether you go for sky high heels or ballet flats, classic sparkling evening sandals or cutting edge fashion finds, remember try them on with your dress to check the length and wear new shoes round the house before the big night to get used to them. Here’s some prom shoe ideas for 2012.

Long Hair Updo for Prom

This is a great tutorial video for those wanting a really simple hair style for long hair. I doubt you could do it on your own, unless you’re very clever, but it’s so simple your mum or a friend could easily do it for you. Have a watch, then have a go!

 

Ruby Prom at New Look

New Look have teamed up with British frock designers Ruby Prom to offer a collection of eight glamorous prom dresses for Spring 2012.

Created in satins, tulles and taffetas with lots of sparkly beading, the dresses really are something special. They come in a range of the season’s hottest pastel shades and have all the extra detail you’d expect from a designer gown, including being fully lined.

The frocks are only available online but can be delivered to your nearest New Look store for collection once purchased. Prices range from £120 to £225 and they come in sizes 6-14.

Snap yours up quick – we doubt they’ll hang about for long!

 

 

Brighton’s Walk in Wardrobe

From time to time we like to cover specialist prom stores in the UK and this week it’s the turn of Walk in Wardrobe in Brighton.

Katherine, the proprietor, has been helping girls find ‘the dress’ since 1997 and her service includes advice on which outfits flatter which figures and personal styling for special occasions. The store also boasts its own catwalk, an asset which allows customers to see how a gown looks, fits and moves.

It’s possible to buy or rent prom dresses, they offer minor alterations, and customers can shop in store or online.

Precious Formals, Forever Unique, Gino and Dynasty frocks are all stocked and Katherine and her staff take pains to ensure no two dresses of the same style and colour go to the same event.

For the past few years Walk in Wardrobe have run a Prom Dress Competition open to Year 11 school pupils in Sussex and this year the closing date is 12th April 2012. Enter online via their website.

A selection of Walk in Wardrobe prom gowns can be seen at The Martlets Fashion Show on March 20th at Sussex County Cricket Club.