I thought this would be a unique thread. I went to countless proms when I was in school. I found that every year it was completely different from the last and each school had their own traditions. I want to know what type of dress you wore, what did friends wear? I love all of the stories we all share…Maybe you don’t remember-or want to remember your prom, What about your wedding? I think it’s funny how styles fade and come back.
I guess I will be the first to answer my own question….Our School hosts a lot of dances. I went to almost every one they had to offer. I was in the ROTC program and they had a military ball every year. I went all four years. I also went to Sr. Prom Four times. I went to the junior prom (i think) twice and The senior prom at another school oh, and can’t forget homecoming…….I think that’s it. I might as well just count dresses, I had a different dress for each, many of which I made.
I will tell about my favorite….just so I’m not typing all night. My senior year’s Millitary Ball I mmade my dress. I was in the running for Queen, So I had to have the most extravigant dress possible. (I got Queen) I made it from a wedding dress pattern so it would have a train. It was a deep burgandy color, Crepe back satin. With a sleeveless Princess cut. When I used a light weight material for the lining (I was learning) it just wouldn’t hold it’s shape….So I took upholstry fabric….the heavy kind for sofas and such…needless to say the beginning of january never felt so warm. But the thing that set it apart was that I beaded around the top….and all 186inches around the bottom…by hand. I should say that the beads were a half inch apart, though. It was well worth it.
Replies
My mother never did anything until the last minute. I remember coming home from school the day of the prom and the bodice was in one room and the skirt in another. It didn't particularly startle me but my friend was wide-eyed and alarmed. It was a really pretty concoction of satin and tulle in the manner of a talisman rose with layers of soft yellow over a soft pink. All mom could find at the last minute in her stash was an ugly white zipper so she sewed the placket down after i put it on so the white wouldn't show. I remember her mumbling something about praying I didn't catch on fire because I wouldn't be able to get out of it. It was a normal event for me.
Also, I remember one of those years big, wide satin bands encircled the waists, had an enormous bow in back and.....two LONG streamers down the back. Every time you went into the bathroom all night you could count on at least one person in a stall shrieking..."Oh no! my bow went in the toilet. " People would lift their skirts, but forget about the big satin tails hanging from their waist.
Tee-hee - a suspicious person might think maybe Mom had an ulterior motive in sewing shut the zipper of your prom dress.
It was a few years later when that occurred to me, too.
That's so funny about the bow tails going in the toilets. Those were the days.
You must have been popular. The only ones I know of that went to that many were popular. I wasn't. I didn't go to mine. My first wedding dress was a simple dress in an ivory color. My other wedding dress was made, but not by me. It was a long dress in a very light pink nubby satin? Anyway, the back was open and the front was a princess cut neckline. It started to flare out at about knee length. It didn't cost very much and I was pleased with it. I might try to post it. I had one daughter and my husband had one daughter. They wore a little darker pink dresses with a scallop neckline.
Marcy
I made my junior prom gown out of a burnout type of fabric in an apricot color. It was a simple sleeveless bodice and empire waist with very full skirt. My biggest recollection of that prom was Sr. Mary Theresa telling us to "make room for the Holy Ghost" with our slow dancing! My senior prom gown was an off the shoulder white lace affair. I was trying to be Scarlet O'Hara and wore a big red rose in my long black hair. But the best was my youngest daughters prom. She came home one day and told me she had decided on her dress. Had I seen "The Sound of Music"? She wanted me to duplicate the dress the Baroness wore that was an off the shoulder fitted sheath. I did and it came out beautifully. Thank you, Von Trapp family!!!
My Favorite dress is in that movie, in fact that was my fav. movie growing up...The pink one Liesel wears in the "you are sixteen" number....I'll make it someday
Sound of Music....Beautiful Gowns, and Play Clothes made from Curtains. Just wonderful. That was my first movie at the Cinema, I was 3yrs old. I'm 36 now.
Know all the words. Have the Dvd. My son likes the song by Gwen Stefani, which samples the Lonely Goatherd music. I've had him sit, watch and listen, to Julie Andrew's original version. My mother sang me to sleep with Eidleweiss and I did the same to my son. Brings back memories.........
I will find photos soon of me and other gowns of my family to share with you all.
CherryPops
Did she mean, make enough room in between that the Holy Ghost could fit in, or keep it in your mind? The off the shoulder lace with the red in your hair sounds beautiful. I can't remember what the Baroness wore, but I believe I remember the dress in the I Am Sixteen number.Marcy
O.k. For the 3rd time, I will try to upload a picture of my wedding dress, my daughter's dresses and my hubby.
Marcy
I give up. At least I got my dress big enough to see.
Edited 4/24/2007 9:26 pm by fabricholic
Marcy, that is just beautiful, exquisite. You should be very proud. You have a beautiful family.The good Sister meant to not dance cheek to cheek and separate. Those were the days! The baroness's dress was a simple sheath but with an off the shoulder collar that fell into beautiful folds. We rented the movie just to make sure I got it right. DD loved it and I still have the dress carefully folded away. solo
We dont have a Prom in Oz but we do have the DEB BALL (Debutante)
the stress..........the trauma...........the expense!
Youngest daughter made her debut at 16 in year 11 high school. We drove thousands of kilometres around the country side trying on dresses............nothing fitted........either the child or the budget.............quite frankly she looked like a marshmellow in most of the dresses...........or some sort of child bride............not a good look.
2 weeks before the big event she found THE DRESS..........on the internet.......in America..............OMG!
So we ummed and ahhed and measured and ummed a bit more...........and ordered it................OMG what had we done! If it didnt fit were were had it........no time to remake or find another.........
5 days later it arrived.........i was so nervous I couldnt get it out of the box...........but it fitted perfectly and was the dream dress...............didnt even need hemming......amazing what high heels will do! Fairly plain, organza skirt over satin, lace with a silver thread bodice, boned, and I made her shawl. Just a piece of organza that I added beads to..........shoes from Ebay! Make up and photo's by mum........hair by a friend.........now the dress hangs in the wardrobe! lol
cheers
jan
That is great story. I like the dress and your daughter is beautiful.
The dress is beautiful, I would've never thought she was only 16!!! what a beautiful pair!
hehehehe trust me DD doesnt really look like that at least not often!.......one of my best memories of the deb was going to pick Aaron up so I could take their pics. DD was in the backseat of my stationwagon in all her finery.............Aaron hopped in the car and gave this girl a vague smile and said...........when are we picking Raz up?
After I finished laughing...........i told him he was sitting next to her! Her turned and looked and said OMG! Is that really you?
DD was the youngest of her highschool year, a brain that wore glasses, did horseback riding and wasnt terribly trendy............her self confidence went skyward after she realized it wasnt what you had but how you put it together!
cheers
Jan
What a great post! Thanks for sharing! I'll be smiling all morning! Mary
You wouldn't be willing to post a picture, would you? I guess it would be a lot of trouble to unwrap it. Sounds beautiful. Marcy
Over the next few weeks I will be going thru a lot of things for the consignment store. If I come across it I will post. Have to check with DD to. I packed up a lot when we moved and gave to her so could be there too, but I think its here.
My mom made my Jr. prom dress. It was a pale yellow with a high waisted bodice with an A-line skirt attached. Over the skirt she put a sheer yellow flowered fabric, split along the center front and deep curves at the corners. The sleeves were the sheer fabric too. Pretty dress.
In my Sr. year I took Home Ec. and that meant sewing and a fashion show in the middle of the year. I had been sewing since I was 6 yrs. old and was fairly experienced so the nuns had me putting my classmates zippers in and making nun's habits. Didn't get much sewing done in that class so I did it at home. My Sr. prom dress was from a Dutchess of Wales pattern. It was a fairly plain pattern but it had gussets under each arm. That was my first experience with gussets. The main features were a 2 1/2" line of gathers under each breast and a back that tapered out slightly from the waist. I changed the neckline to a boat neck and made the sleeves elbow length and belled. I made it out of a pale green crinkled fabric. Over the gathers under each breast I put a bright green 2 loop bow with tails that went to the hem. Then I made a long bright green velvet coat lined with pale green.
This dress was so flattering that when I got married I used the same pattern. Only this time I used a white Chantilly lace over a white satin. I cut the satin neckline low and scooped and the lace came all the way up to a mock turtle neck lined in the satin. The sleeves were full and made from just the lace. I had to put little interfaced satin caps just at the shoulders to maintain the puffyness of the sleeves. The cuffs were 5" deep, lined with the satin and had little satin covered buttons. White satin 2 loop bows under each breast with tails to the hem. I made the back stand out more than the pattern called for so it stood out almost like a train. I purchased a long straight slip and added 3 tapered rows of netting to help hold the back shape. The headpiece was a plain satin covered pillbox with a V E R Y long mantilla type netting that I edged in the lace. Then my mom helped me sew on individual flowers cut from the lace onto the netting. The dress is preserved but the marriage isn't.
Fifteen years later and I got married again. Hubby had never been married before and he wanted a wedding. Yep, you guessed it, same dress pattern. This time an off white embroidered lace with seed pearls all over the embroidery, $38.00/yard, 17 years ago and an off white satin lining. Boat neck with a modest but deep V back. Sleeves lined to the elbow but gathered for about 3 inches in the center with larger pearls covering the gathering and a pearl drop. Under the breasts, pearl bows with 4 inch pearl drops. No veil or train this time but a big floppy hat covered in the lace.
I sure do love that dress pattern. Wonder what I'll do with it next.
Char
Edited 4/27/2007 2:03 am ET by Char9
I wish I could see those dresses. You were smart making that green velvet coat to match. They all sound lovely.Marcy
When I got engaged in January 1974 I had just completed a course in Pattern Cutting. Needless to say I wanted to design my own wedding dress so that it would be absolutely unique. I knew the style I wanted and went out the following week to buy the fabric for my dress and for the bridesmaids. We were getting married in the May - less than 4 months to go!
Each week my mother who lived in the North West of England (I lived in Nottingham in the East Midlands) rang me to ask how I was getting on with THE DRESS. Each week I told her that I hadn't cut it out yet. With 6 weeks to go I decided that I had better get started on it! When I returned home to Preston in Lancashire (my parents home) for the wedding there was only the hem to do. This was completed on the day of the wedding. I was quite calm about it, probably because sewing always relaxes me. My mother, however, was a different matter. She was getting rather worked up to say the least. In fact, she left for the church and I hadn't done my hair. I arrived at church in time.
When I lived at home in Preston I was one of a group of girls who used to go out together and most weeks there was at least one of us still finishing the dress on the way to the party!
When my daughters look at my wedding dress now (33 years on) they think it looks quite old fashioned of course with a high neck and long sleeves.
Roz
I am like your mother, I would be in a panic. I don't like deadlines and I don't want to sew for others, because of it. Wish you had a picture to post.Marcy
I will get out the wedding album and scan a couple of pictures.
Roz
That will be great!Marcy
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