Wear these to your school dance

image

I was asked by Beautybook to write about what to wear to Prom (or Grad Ball, or whatever you call your high school dance). Instead of just an article, I decided to take on the challenge myself: put together a head-to-toe look on a student-friendly budget.

image

I started around 10 o'clock in the morning and gave myself until the afternoon to cram everything, and this is what I came up with. And since I have no dance to go to, I’m giving away this dress as a personal gift to my high school readers. Read more for details.

image

Icy blue strapless sweetheart high-low tulle lace dress with gold high-waist bow belt, Viola at The SM Store. Gold embellished evening sandals, Gibi. 

image

Gold clutch bag, sparkly drop earrings, and floral bangle, all SM Accessories. Multicolor pastel nails, Nail It.

image

I explain in my Beautybook article what silhouettes suit which body type, and what colors suit which skin tone. I chose the cut and color of my dress based on my petite frame and summer skin tone. 

image

I also answer a question I get a lot on my Tumblr Ask: how to figure out what shoes and bag to wear with an outfit. 

image

image

image

image

In this case, I followed a theme: sparkly, icy blue, gold (because “Frozen” is amazing). I pulled the color and fabric of the shoes from the satin belt, while the metallic clutch goes with the glitter of the dress. The bangle is inspired by a Prom corsage and matches my pastel nails. The pieces are complementary rather than matchy-matchy.

image

Instead of going to the salon, I went with DIY makeup (check out my tutorial on the basics here). A basic smoky-eye with brown and gold eyeshadows blended together, no falsies, romantic blushing look, natural lips. Contact lenses, Japanese Candy. For the hair, I went with soft waves instead of an updo for a fresh and fun look—it’s high school, and you have the rest of your life to look older!

image

What do you think of this look? Hype this on Lookbook here, vote on Chictopia here. Read the rest of my tips for your body type and skin tone, plus Prom hair and makeup tutorials here

image

If you or someone you know is my size, join my little giveaway :) You must be following me on Instagram, Twitter and/or Tumblr. Reblog this entry, or Instagram/tweet a collage of two of my photos with this caption: “www.lovechic.com.ph - I want to win @shailagarde’s Prom dress!” Then, write a Disqus comment below with the links to your post(s) as well as why you want this dress. On March 10, Monday, I’ll choose the winning answer and post it as the “Featured Comment” right below this entry. :) I’ll also announce it on Twitter. Happy weekend!

Photographed by Anton Holmes at 22 Prime, Discovery Suites.