It almost fits! Dark green lamé! Oh my!
I don’t really have 27 prom dresses, but I do have four. And, yes, I have kept them all. I was fortunate to attend four proms during the glorious 1980s.
The proms were almost all identical: hotel ballroom, lots of balloons, chicken cordon bleu for dinner, chocolate cake for dessert and of course the commemorative labeled glass, but I wouldn’t change a moment of any of them.
We were young, refreshingly innocent and optimistically unaware of what lay ahead for us: college, careers, heartbreak, families, layoffs, health issues and loss of loved ones. What mattered was that night, dancing to Stairway to Heaven, under a mirrored disco ball, surrounded by our friends. We danced until our new heels rubbed our feet and we finally took off our shoes and danced barefoot on the shining wooden floor.
Classic pale pink, lacy Jessica McClintock.
Today’s prom style is much more mature and glamorous than when I went. In the 80s, Jessica McClintock and Laura Ashley’s gowns were dripping with lace and the colors were pastel and frosty just like our eye shadow. Skirts were full and shoulder pads were big.
Our role models for style were Solane from Ferris Bueller, Madonna and any character Molly Ringwald played in the brat pack movies. Our hair was also much bigger. Aquanet was a staple in our lockers and handbags. Girls these days don’t know what a teasing comb and cloud of aerosol spray really can do for your hair.
I borrowed these shoulder pads from Joan Collins on Dynasty.
Now I have a daughter going to the prom. Her dress is beautiful and I’m excited to see her all dressed up with her date. Her hair and makeup will be simple, not a frosty blue eye shadow or can of Aquanet in sight. I hope she’ll have fun, dance a little and enjoy the fleeting moments under the disco ball, making memories. It doesn’t seem all that long ago that I was in her heels, on my way out the door to the big event. But, it was never about the dresses, it was about friends and times that passed too quickly.
This was also the color of my favorite eye shadow.
Time to cue “If You Leave” by OMD… I have a movie date with Andrew McCarthy. But, now I can have it with a glass of wine as I watch Pretty in Pink for the hundredth time and reminisce over my youthful nights in the fancy dresses with the blistered heels and big hair. And for the record, the green metallic dress almost fits… 🙂
Kirsten
I always loved attending the dinner dances and proms at Twin Valley. Seeing all of ‘my kids’ dressed up in their finest. I have fond memories of the dance floor filled with everyone doing the Chicken Dance and YMCA !
Love the article! I think I have some old dresses that you could have borrowed for the article 🙂
Love love love