I cannot even imagine the number of girls at Ludlow High School spending countless hours on our prom Instagram page, searching for some inkling of inspiration for their prom gown. Most of us girls are looking forward to one of the biggest nights of the year, but we are also struggling to find our dream dress (as well as the perfect prom date to go along with it). 

Finding the perfect dress is hard. Trust me, I would know. As a pageant girl myself, I even think back to my first time dress shopping, searching high and low without even knowing what I’m searching for. I want to help save you the stress and help you get an idea of what you’re looking for by offering the latest styles and trends for this year’s prom season.

Most of us probably know the big designer names like Sherri Hill and Jovani, but what are their trending dresses this season? Well, this year seems to be one of a lot of sparkles as we see styles like Sherri Hill’s famous “55500” and Jovani’s “59762” coming out this year. With this, there are also a lot of floral patterns from both designers, giving a little bit of a spring-like vibe to this year’s prom. 

Aside from the bigger designers, there are also a lot of trends streamlined through the smaller companies. Especially with our masquerade prom theme, there are a lot of blues this year, specifically royal and navy blue, along with darker colors like emerald green and plumb. Expect to see a lot of cool tones! 

Also, within all dresses, there are a lot of layered skirts of all kinds. It seems like most people are going for flowy, more detailed dresses. The backs of dresses are also a little more unique this year. We’re seeing a lot of statement backs, with corsets or deep-Vs, or even just open. Similarly, necklines vary as well, with more sweetheart necklines and strapless dresses. And, of course, we are seeing a lot more dresses with slits up the leg as well. 

For styles, it is kind of all over the place. From ball gown to A-line, to form-fitting, we aren’t really seeing one specific trend, so it’s all about personal preference. However, what I can say is ball gowns are starting to become less and less popular over the years, and instead being replaced by much smaller and less puffy dresses. 

One of the bigger, most controversial trends this year is “easter dress” or “brunch” prom dresses. This controversy started on TikTok last year and has made its way into our styles again. If you have yet to see this, many girls are going the more simplistic route, choosing things like florals and pastels, with not very much detail or frills to their dresses. However, this struck up the conversation of what was “too casual” for prom. People in the comments were outraged by such a simplistic dress. How dare someone have a different style than normal prom dresses! In my humble opinion, I really don’t think the dress someone wears is make or break, but don’t tell the prom dress police I said that. 

Overall, trending dresses and popular colors shouldn’t dictate what you wear to prom. The biggest trend, and probably the reason we aren’t seeing everyone wearing very similar dresses, is people are starting to wear what they like. This is most important about choosing your dress: making sure YOU really like it, not what others are going to think. I hope this guide could offer you a little help, but always keep in mind that menial trends in our styles shouldn’t be your #1 priority when deciding upon your next gown.