#8

I think most girls, when the time arrives, develop a love-hate relationship with prom. There's the immediate joy of getting to dress up to the nines, falling in love with a dress and ultimately, feeling your prettiest. However, then comes the realisation that there is more to attending your prom than just getting to look good. The panic over not being able to find that perfect dress sets in and that's before you've even considered your shoes, accessories, hairstyle etc. Then (unless you're very lucky!) you've got the parents in your ear reminding you of your budget, which of course won't cover that dress AND those shoes AND the matching clutch, let alone the fancy transport and ticket costs. On top of all of this, there's the (almost constant) voices in your head debating whether your weight is okay, your nose is too big or your skin's too pale. Add all of this together and suddenly Prom is this big stressful and competitive event.

The big sparkly taffeta dresses that you come across when literally typing into Google 'prom dresses' are unrealistic in many, many ways and if you ask me, they really aren't too flattering either. While you may think unless you get a big fancy dress you won't look good, you're wrong. Bigger does not equal better and most girls will be avoiding dresses along the 'traditional prom' line anyway. You can get plenty of flattering plain dresses and then use accessories to make it a little fancier! e.g. a skater dress and an embellished collar...

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=4867406&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208523&parent_categoryId=203984&pageSize=200

£48

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Pearl-and-Diamante-Collar/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1643045&cid=13102&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Cream

£15

or maybe combine a skirt and top instead of going for the typical dress?

http://www.missselfridge.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33055&storeId=12554&productId

=5000680&langId=-1&sort_

field=Relevance&categoryId=208044&parent_categoryId=208035&pageSize=200

£22

http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/skirts/lipsy-sequin-detail-tutu-skirt/product-is-SK00723_041

£45

The great thing about these ideas is that the items you buy will probably be wearable for more than just the one occasion, making it a much more worthwhile investment.

Or try a different idea all together and rent out a dress for the day/night for under £100 with girlmeetsdress.com. Their dresses really are something special (red carpet material) so I'd certainly recommend taking a look at their website. The only downfall to this trick is that you'd have to be on the look out for potential spillages at all times!

And finally, if you are still stuck, head to shopstyle.co.uk. Simply type in 'dresses' into the search bar and just like that you are presented with 1139 pages of dresses to choose from, from all kinds of different shops, for all occasions and at all prices.

Good Luck!