Pageant Gown vs. Prom Dress

Hey nice girls!

I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am that today is Friday! It’s been a busy week for me on campus and with my arena football cheerleading team. I’m definitely ready to settle in and relax this weekend. I hope this blog helps you do the same thing. Now sit back, put your feet up and start dreaming about your next pageant.

I have been looking forward to writing this blog, because I think this is an important topic for all of you pageant girls out there. A question many pageant girls have is can I wear my prom dress to my pageant?

Before I get into the answer of this question I want to tell you what I consider to be the difference between a pageant gown and a prom dress.

A prom dress is a party dress that allows a nice girl to show off her personality. This season prom dresses are bright and colorful with fun and flirty patterns. Prom dresses are designed for showing off and dancing the night away.

Alternatively, a pageant gown is a dress that still shows the personality of the nice girl who wears it but, even more importantly, allows a lady to demonstrate her poise and grace on stage. You can’t do that in a hot pink, backless dress that is covered in sparkles and trimmed in metallic pleather. There is nothing elegant and graceful about that look. It may be great for a dance, but it doesn’t convey the message winning pageant contestants are going for.

When choosing a prom dress, go all out. Get the latest style from today’s trendiest designers. Have fun with your look. But when putting together a winning pageant wardrobe, choose a gown that flatters your figure. Select a gown that compliments your skin tone and moves with you as you glide across the stage.

I’ve included a few tips at the end of this post for selecting the perfect pageant gown. But getting back to the question of can you wear your prom dress to a pageant…I guess that depends. If your budget allows, I suggest separate dresses for each occasion. However, if you can only buy one dress, I suggest buying a gown for your pageant and then wearing it to prom or other formal event the following year. (I would never wear a gown to prom first because a lot can happen in that one night. Someone could step on the hem and rip it or you could spill something on it. Pageant first, prom second is my motto.)

Tips for finding the perfect pageant gown:

• Select a gown that flatters your figure. Try on a lot of different styles and study your silhouette in each so you know what looks good on you.
• Nice girls with pear shaped frames may find that gowns with empire waistlines are very flattering.
• If you don’t have a defined waistline, look for a dress that creates curves for you. Cinched waists often give you what Mother Nature did not. Look for strategically placed appliqués that fool the eye into seeing what really isn’t there.
• Cinching, ruching and pleating is also great for camouflaging problem areas.
• Nice girls with very small frames can sometimes benefit from gowns that create a curvy silhouette. Think stick figure. Not a winning look.
• If you are petite, a ball gown is probably not the look for you. While very graceful and elegant, ball gowns do nothing to make us short nice girls look taller. Instead choose a style that makes you look long and lean. (It’s ok to take some help from a great pair of 5 inch heels!)
• Yellow is a hard color to pull off. Be sure your yellow gown compliments your skin tone and allows your radiance glow on stage. Most fair-haired girls cannot wear light yellow.
• Love your pageant gown! You’ll know the right gown when you put it on. If you have to wonder if it is the right gown, it probably isn’t. I have a closet full of winning pageant gowns and I knew each one was the one the moment I saw it. Feeling great in your gown will help your confidence shine on stage.
• Know your pageant and the styles they expect. Study pictures of past winners and learn from what they wore.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Look for my next blog to go up in a few days where I will share my favorite March products with you.

Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think about re-wearing a dress from prom to a pageant.

And remember, nice girls always finish first!

BrittneeNoel