Hello all you Darlings of Design! Spring is here and young women everywhere are caught up in the thrill of deciding what to wear to one of the most important events of a young woman’s life. Perhaps a wedding, you say? Oh no my dears…. Prom! Yours truly designed her own prom dress and with the sewing skills of her extremely talented mother got the dress just right! Of course, my prom dress was not anywhere near the meringue-like confections you see here…
Mercy, what a lot of tulle! It is interesting to see how dresses like these progressed into some of the couture silhouettes of today. Take, for example, the work of Bill Gayton for Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2012 – similar, no? The color palette, of course, has changed but the dress is remarkably alike.
Here are some prom dresses from the early 1960’s. Once again, we have a tight bodice with a very full skirt that emphasizes the waist and makes it look smaller (never a bad thing, hmm?). Notice the more unusual colors of these dresses compared to the pastels in the top photograph. Here we have copper and sage green. The 1960’s was introducing more “offbeat” colors to the general public that goes hand-in-hand with the more experimental colors of interior design and textiles in general.
Here are two very demure designs that positively drip charm. They are classy and grown-up yet entirely appropriate for a very young woman. I find the colors of these dresses particularly intriguing. The dress on the left is ice-blue, strapless and has a cascade of ruffles that speaks of a spring or summer occasion yet the dress on the right is a rich, dark teal, with an adorable portrait collar and sashed waist that points more to fall or winter fashions.
I hope this little trip down memory lane was as much fun for you as it was for me. Until next time, darlings…
Repro-Retro 