TO MOST HIGH school girls, prom is a big deal. The whole process sort of resembles a little wedding. It involves lots of planning, which includes finding a date, buying tickets, reserving a restaurant, ordering boutonnieres, and last but not least, finding that perfect dress for what many call the most special night during one's high school life.

I don't really consider prom the most important night of my life so far. The day college acceptance letters came out and the day I went to state in cross country are some of the many days that are more monumental in my life.

It seems that at Uni, people generally don't take prom as seriously as students from other public schools. Most girls don't wear elaborately beaded and sequined poofy ball gowns, they don't tan, get facials, and get their nails and hair professionally done, and their parents don't hover around them as they get ready, snapping pictures every other second.

Nevertheless, prom is still an important event. And the perfect dress is the most critical factor in the making of the perfect prom. It's the basis for what your date is going to wear, what accessories you will wear, and what color boutonnieres/corsages you will need to order.

There are so many options when it comes to prom dresses. There are short, simple dresses, sleek long gowns, and poofy ballroom wear. They can be purchased from department stores, specialty prom/bridal stores, and online prom Web sites. Here's a guide to your main options, along with a few suggestions.

Where to buy? A look at vendors

Department Stores

Bloomingdale's prom section (click to enlarge)

If cost is a big concern, nationwide department stores like Bergner's, Macy's, or Bloomingdale's will offer the best deals.

If you shop online, these department stores have special prom sections offering a decent variety of dresses. However, the downside to getting your dress at a big department store is like there's a greater likelihood of someone else having the same dress as you.

Higher-end department stores such as Saks and Neiman Marcus also offer a wide selection of evening dresses. Their styles are generally simpler and more sophisticated than the typical prom dress.

Prom/Bridal Stores

M2 Prom in Urbana (click to enlarge)

Specialty dress stores are popular choices for high school girls when it comes finding a prom dress. These boutiques are generally small and offer a lot of personal assistance.

Locally, stores like M2 and Bridals By Ducky's offer such services.

They carry dresses by specialty formal wear designers such as Faviana, Jovani, Sherri Hill, and La Femme and offer only a few of the same dress, so there's less likelihood that you'd run into someone with your same dress. These stores typically also sell jewelry, dress shoes, and clutches.

Unfortunately, dresses and prom/bridal stores typically run from $300 to under $600, so they're quite a bit more expensive than department stores. But if you're willing to go all out, by all means get a dress at a specialty store.

Online

The online site Promgirl.com (click to enlarge)

With the high gas prices, online shopping is more popular than ever. When it comes to finding that perfect prom dress, the Internet offers the widest selection in brands, fit, color, and sizes.

Popular prom dress sites such as PromGirl, eDressme, and BestPromDresses offer huge selections of prom dresses from a variety of designers. The price range and types of dresses they carry are similar to specialty formal wear stores, but there's a much, much better selection online.

Recently, I've heard from several friends that they got their dresses from eBay, the popular online bidding service. There are eBay companies in China that offer made-to-order outfits based on model dresses.

The downside of online shopping is that you can't try on the dresses and have to spend extra for shipping. Also be sure to check the return policy: Many specialized prom stores do not allow returns.

What to wear? A look at styles

Dresses come in a variety of styles. From sleek, long gowns to casual, short pieces, there's something out there for everybody. Here are some general guidelines.

Halters

Halter dresses are very popular when it comes to prom. A halter that ties in the back can be easily adjusted according to each individual. As long as you don't go with something incredibly risque, you probably won't run into any wardrobe malfunctions. Plus, they're very flattering for your shoulders and allow for lots of back exposure.

Strapless

Many girls like to opt for strapless dresses. While they can look very glamorous, they are not always the most figure-flattering or convenient styles. If you want a strapless dress, it's best to purchase it at a store where you can try it on. A slightly too-tight dress while create underarm bulge (incredibly unattractive), and if you get a slightly too-big dress, you'll be spending your entire evening worrying about your dress falling down. They're great for accentuating your shoulder bones.

Spaghetti straps

Few prom dresses out there have spaghetti straps. They have the tendency to make your shoulders look broader than normal. But whereas halters and strapless dresses require special bras, a dress with spaghetti straps is easy to work with.

What to wear? A look at colors

Neutral Tones

White, black, silver. While I'm all for little black dresses and white sundresses, I'm not that into neutral colors for a prom dress. Prom is supposed to be lively and fun, a highlight of your high school career. Although blacks, browns, and whites are very classy, they're not as youthful as other colors. So don the bright colors while you can. You've got plenty of time for subdued tones when you have wrinkles.

Brights

Turquoise, magenta, red, and emerald are all popular colors for prom dresses. Vibrant colors photograph really well and match the mood of spring. Just be sure to find a color that works well with your skin tone: Pink shades look good on pale skin tone, purples complement dark skin tone, and shades of blue and green are generally flattering on everyone.

Prints

Zebra, leopard, florals, etc. All I have to say is: Beware of prints! OK, so florals can look fine as long as they are tasteful and not tacky, but animal prints generally scream out "trashy." So ask for several honest opinions if you are really considering a print dress.

What to wear? A look at length

There's a whole big debate over whether to go long or short for a prom dress. While the girls of Laguna Beach all don mini-dresses for their prom, classic prom dresses are supposed to be long. To conclude this guide, here is a reprint of last year's OG debate on dress length, with Lizzy Warner and Deborah Ladd defending the long dress, and Lauren Piester making the case for short dresses.

Lizzy Warner & Deborah Ladd: In Praise of the Long Dress

Lizzy Warner models a long dress, just the type she and Deborah Ladd prefer for prom. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

Prom is supposed to be the biggest dance of the year. It’s the dance that many students look forward to attending since the beginning of their high school career. Girls spend entire days preparing their hair, nails, and makeup, and weeks (possibly months) searching for the perfect prom dress.

It isn’t a “one-day-I-went-to-the-mall-
and-found-a-dress” adventure, but includes observing the dresses worn in previous years, flipping through magazines, and visiting multiple stores before deciding on the perfect prom dress.

Some of the more traditional aspects of prom dresses have been slowly fading away, though. You’ve seen pictures of the poofy princess dresses that your parents wore. These ruffles and layers used to be the defining image of a prom dress.

Recently it’s become extremely popular, though, for a girl to show up to prom in a snug, well-fitted dress. Now girls will even wear flats to prom, not feeling expected to wear toe-squishing three-inch-high heels if they don’t want to.

Most of these new prom styles we’re completely fine with (and in some cases we think they actually add to the overall experience), but there is still one new “reform” that agitates us: when girls start wearing short dresses to prom.

Slowly people have started showing up to prom in dresses that barely hit their knees. We personally don’t have a problem with the type of shoe a girl chooses to wear, and it doesn’t phase us if someone comes in wearing a form-fitting gown. On the other hand, we think that it’s essential to stick to the tradition of wearing a longer dress.

The definition of a long dress has changed slightly. It used to be that a “long enough” prom dress was one that was floor length. Now, as we can see in pictures not only in magazines but also in the Gargoyle, many people wear dresses that don’t even skim their knee. It just doesn’t seem satisfying if someone wears a dress that is three-quarter length.

But what separates a prom dress from a winter formal dress (or any other type of dress for that matter) is the length. You can wear the short, mid-thigh dress to winter formal, which, despite its name, is less formal than prom. It’s fine because it’s a slightly more casual dance that you’ve been able to attend since your subfreshman year.

If it’s a yearly occasion available to all students, with normal hours and normal rules, then you should feel free to experiment with a wide variety of lengths, fits, and colors each year. But with prom, there is a certain standard of elegance that is supposed to be maintained, and wearing something that shows off more than half of your lower body detracts from that.

It’s understandable that a shorter dress may be pretty or flattering, but the idea of prom is that it is a classy dance. Everyone wears a dress or tux to prom, and if someone wore a denim skirt they would definitely get darting glances of disapproval throughout the night. Although wearing a skirt is a different thought altogether, wearing a short dress seems to be along the same lines of flaunting yourself in an unnecessary and distracting way.

The fact that prom is a formal, elegant night is what makes it so special. Even those who don’t go to a single other dance their entire high school career are likely to attend prom (along with the majority of the other juniors and seniors). Because there is such hype about prom, there should be (and to some extent there is) a certain level of expectation.

Prom is described as “the night of your life.” It may not be all it’s cracked up to be, but it is still a special, significant night. Lots of people wear short dresses or even more casual outfits to other dances throughout the year, especially to winter formal, but no one ever wears a long elegant dress in high school unless it is to prom.

The length of the dress is what sets it apart, and it is a major defining characteristic. If you can wear the same outfit you wear several times a year on “the night of your life,” it won’t be the night. It will be a night.

Lauren Piester: In Defense of the Short Dress

Deborah Ladd models a short dress. It's not her cup of tea, but Lauren Piester thinks it's just fine for prom. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

First of all, by “short dress” I do not mean
super-duper-unbelievably-slutty-shows-your-
ridiculously-expensive-lacy-underwear short. By “short,” I mean that the hem of the dress is somewhere in the vicinity of your knees, a little above, or a little below.

Longer doesn’t necessarily mean fancier, and shorter doesn’t necessarily mean more casual. It all depends on the style of the dress, and what you’re comfortable in.

In my opinion, comfort should play a huge part in choosing a prom dress. If you’re totally comfortable in a strapless cleavagetastic number with a back made out of one little piece of fishing line that you'll be adjusting all night long, go for it. As for me, I’d much rather wear something really cute that also doesn’t require me make frequent trips to the bathroom or just spend the whole evening fidgeting.

If you’re uncomfortable with your legs, by all means, go with a longer dress. If you’re fine with your legs, a shorter dress might be a little more comfortable on that hot dance floor, especially if you’re actually dancing. I mean, think about how much you’re already going to be sweating, regardless of the length of your dress. I know, it’s gross, but it’s something to think about.

If we’re talking about practicality, long dresses are problematic. They usually look silly when they’re ankle length, but when they’re longer, you trip over them. In an attempt to not trip over them, you’re holding them up, and that’s just annoying.

I, personally, like to not be annoyed. I like to not have to worry about tripping. I like to not be uncomfortable. I like to not have to pull up my top every few seconds to keep from having a total wardrobe malfunction.

Of course, I have never been to prom, so maybe I am totally and completely missing the point and you should just disregard all of my advice, but I don’t think the dress makes the prom. To me, that’s not what this is about, so you shouldn’t worry about what is or isn’t a “real” prom dress.

Prom is about dancing and having fun and hanging out with your friends. You should wear what you like, what you’re comfortable in, and what suits your body type so you don’t look like a giant pillow wrapped in rubber bands.

While I may have never been to prom, I’ve been watching “What Not to Wear” for years and have recently become a huge fan of “Project Runway.” Long dresses don’t look good on everybody. They just don’t.

The length of a dress really makes a difference in how it looks on you. There is a dress out there for everyone. There’s a dress that flatters every body type. You’ve just got to find it, and usually, you’re not going to find it in a long dress. That’s not to say that there’s not a longer dress that will look good on you. Often, it’s just harder to find and in less abundance.

One more factor to think about is the style of the skirt. Those full, bushy Cinderella skirts do make you look like a princess and can be absolutely gorgeous, but that is a whole lot of material to maneuver through doorways and upstairs and in and out of cars and kind of prevents people from sitting directly next to you. And, especially if you’re already an itty-bitty person, you can get swallowed up in too much dress.

So if you are just totally averse to wearing anything but a stunning, floor-sweeping Oscar-style gown, then whatever. But you really should think about what you’re putting yourself through for several hours. And make sure that it’s the absolute best stunning, floor-sweeping Oscar-style gown for you and your body type. Nobody is perfect, so what looks good on the model is not always going to look good on you.

That is not to say, however, that any shorter dress will look good on you, either. You still have to look and try things on and think about it. I’ve just always found it a little easier to look incredible in dresses that show off a little leg. If you’re not incredibly tall, wearing a shorter dress can give you the illusion of being a bit taller.

As for having to be “classy” at prom, we’re living in an age and going to a school where we’re trying to break through stereotypes. Aren’t we trying to get out of that idea that girls have to wear long fancy dresses and guys have to wear fancy tuxes? While I’ll definitely be wearing a (knee-length) dress, it is my firm belief that you can go to prom in jeans and a nice shirt and still have a wonderful time. I’m certainly not going to be glaring at you.

And if it’s those glares you're worried about, why do you care? Why does it matter so much whether or not other people approve of your ensemble? This is your prom just as much as it is everyone else’s. So don’t worry about what everyone else is going to think about your knee-skimming dress.

Prom is apparently described by some people as “the night of your life” (which, by the way, is silly. What about your wedding? Or the day one of your kids is born? Or the night you win an Academy Award for best actress? Or the day you become the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company? Or the day you invent a car that runs on dirt? I think this is overexaggerating), so you should wear whatever you want to ensure that you have a good time.

The length of the dress, in terms of the fact that this dance is different from all others, doesn’t matter in the slightest. If you can wear the same outfit you wear several times a year on “the night of your life,” it can still be the night, but I actually think that a night might actually be a better term anyway.

One more word of advice: Prom is just one night. Don’t buy a ridiculously expensive dress that you’re just going to hang in your closet when you’re done and never touch again (except when you’re playing dress up). Buy something that has potential to be worn again someday, or to be turned into a gorgeous Halloween costume, or to be made into a pillow or something to commemorate the fantastic time you’ll have at prom. Don’t waste your money. Save the designer gowns for the Oscars.

So, to sum up: Your dress should look incredible on you and make you look even more amazing than you already do, and you should be totally comfortable in it. Think about its practicality, its future uses, and whether or not it shows off who you are.

And if you’re looking for something amazing that other people aren’t likely to have, try the Internet. There are thousands of prom dress sites out there for your perusal. My personal favorite is Unique Vintage, which features a ton of gorgeous vintage-style dresses at all different lengths (particularly promoting short dresses).