With less than a week left before our spring break, many students are beginning to plot out how they will spend their time. But while guys may be devoting blocks of time to videogames or sports, a lot of upperclassmen girls are eyeing up store ads, circling operating hours, and preparing themselves for doing laps around the mall. Spring break, for many who haven’t already done so, is the perfect time for obtaining a prom dress that just screams “you” because it looks perfect on you! It’s also a last ditch effort, because once school begins on the second, the big day will be just a few short days away. In anticipation of the last push for prom purchases, stores have been stocking up on the latest fashion trends. Here are some of the hot trends that you will see, if you’re still trying to find that one elusive dress:

Short:

The first thing that a girl should consider when looking for a dress is whether she wants a floor length gown or a short dress. While Prom is traditionally a long, more formal dance, short dresses have been flooding the racks this year. Short dresses have a lot of nice advantages to them that one may want to consider. They’re not as warm, easier to move in, and show off one’s more fun, outgoing side than a sleek, elegant, floor length gown would. Short dresses also tend to have either bright colors or be multicolored, making up for the lack of length with the use of tule, layers, and dramatic patterns.

Ball gowns and flared skirts:

On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, top designers like Jovani, Nika, and Maggie Soterro have designed a lot more ball gowns than previous years. And they’re flattering for just about everyone—the high waistline is designed to emphasis the small part of a girls figure before flaring out, giving a girl both prescience and beauty. For those who don’t want to have that much bulk but don’t want the straight and sleek style, a nice compromise is a flared skirt that acts more like an A-line. These dresses are not only form flattering but can make a wannabe princess’s dreams come true.

Embellishments:

Everyone likes a little bling, and this year it’s showing up big in just about every dress. Jovani specifically likes to use sequins and colored beads on the bust of his ball gowns, not only adding color but texture to his dresses. Everywhere else, rhinestones, beaded trim, and jeweled-waistlines are in. They ensure that every dress, even if it’s the same general cut or style, can look completely different, putting more of an emphasis on the saying  “to each their own.”

Bold Accessories:

The bling continues to be strong in the accessories as well. Rhinestones and glitter are a prominent part of the perfect shoe to go with the dress or an embellished clutch purse to accent your look. Big, almost chunky jewelry is in to make that bold statement, which helps one stand out even more in a crowd.

Bright, bold colors:

And lastly, this is one of the things that still remain the same from last year. Whether the dress is one solid color, or changes, bright, bold colors such as turquoise, fuchsia, and canary yellow are a big hit this year, as is the ever popular “the die-dye machine threw up all over my dress” design. These dresses are normally straight, sleek, and combine both a rainbow of colors with different, overlapping animal prints.

Are you wondering where to find your exclusive dress? There are numerous options, but mostly senior girls don’t want to spend a lot of money on a dress they will wear only once. College is coming and they are trying to save up. But, everyone wants go look like a princess for their graduation night! With this dilemma, my advice would be to visit first the cheaper stores like JC Penny, Maurices, Kohl’s…(price range: from 100 to 250 dollars). You can find a beautiful dress there as well. Money shouldn’t stop you from fully enjoying prom dress shopping or prom night. If you are ready to spend more, you think you deserve it and you were saving up for prom then I have some other options! Bridal stores are very exclusive and have model of some top designers. During your spring break, you should stop at David’s Bridal, Windsor or Prom Pageant in Waukesha (price range: 250-500 dollars) . In these stores, if you get your dress, you can write your school so the store makes sure no one else buys the same one. That is very classy.

In our opinion the tie-dye dresses are perhaps a style that we don’t agree with at all (You don’t want to send my date into an epileptic fit, thank you), but ultimately no one’s opinion really matters. What every girl needs to remember is that, especially with these paradoxical trends that seem to clash, prom is whatever you want it to be. When looking for that perfect style that matches your personality, anything this year can be considered “in”, so don’t be afraid to follow your heart and wear what you truly want to wear instead of something that your peers will view as “popular.”