1950 S Dresses

Alternative proms gain a following

“A lot of my friends couldn’t go to the high school prom, so we went to a different one,” she said.

In today’s language, a different prom is what has become known as an alternative prom, commonly called a modest prom. Such proms are events that cater to teens who opt out of their school dance for a variety of reasons.

“A regular prom would have been way too expensive,” Morrill explained.

Another benefit?

“None of that dirty-dancing stuff,” she said.

Morrill is not alone. Thousands of other teens from all walks of life have been seeking what has become known as alternative proms, dances where the dress standards and music are more akin to a 1950’s atmosphere than the Snooki-improvised club.

For the past four years, the Issaquah Community Center has hosted the region’s largest modest prom open to all teenagers on the Eastside. It regularly draws several hundred teens and is chaperoned by parents in the community.

The sponsor this year was the Bellevue North Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“There are a lot of good youth who desire modesty, clean language, good music, and to have fun,” Bellevue North Stake President Stephen W. Yose said. “This event provides that environment.”

It starts with the dress

For Morrill, the environment was a huge part of determining whether to attend a prom at all. The second consideration was her dress.

“Purchasing a dress can easily run $300 to $400,” explained Chris Hash, founder and CEO of www.modestprom.com , the largest provider of modest prom dresses in the United States. “That’s before alterations and without any of the accessories.”

Hash said she can identify with Morrill’s concerns about a dress, noting that young women like Morrill make up a large percentage of her customers, but not all.

“Bigger girls don’t want their upper arms showing or the middle of their tummy,” she explained, relating how she recently modified a dress for a 16-year-old girl who is a size 24.

Likewise, well-endowed teenagers who might be thin elsewhere don’t want boys leering down their dresses the entire night. Covering up skin issues can also be a reason for a girl to get a modest prom dress.

“We have young women who come in during the middle of puberty and might have back acne, rashes or psoriasis,” Hash said. “It turns out that these otherwise beautiful girls want a glamorous, affordable dress that doesn’t show their arms or middle of their back.

Cele|bitchy » Blog Archive » Jennifer Garner is a 1950s housewife ...

I have little kids-I get wanting to be comfortable and cute at the same time. But this is HIDEOUS. It’s not just that it’s so dated without being whimsical-it’s so totally unflattering on her body. And it’s not like the woman doesn’t shop-she’s always getting papped with shopping bags-where are those cute clothes???

It’s like her hair and sunglasses are now and then there’s that dress. Like two eras in one but not in a good way.

I could see a young stylish actress, like Rachel Bilson, throwing on this vintage dress in some whimsical way but it’s too young on Jennifer and the rest of her look is soo serious!

She put this dress on with a straight face…no irony and no whimsy. And like others have said it is ill fitting.

You are right to the people that say she doesn’t have to look great all the time or please people but you should look remotely presentable…just in case you run into a co-worker, friend or another mom.

She should have picked out a different, more flattering dress or gone safe and picked out a boot cut pair of jeans as Kaiser recommends in a dark wash and a simple blouse. That wouldn’t involve too much thinking and it’s comfortable.

Or goodness sakes some of those dressy sweats that are out there.

I think these shows that she does think about clothes or tries but with no sense of humor and she tries too hard or the other end of the spectrum and she is just clueless.

Oh, and it’s too long on her!

Jennifer knows how to play this game and well. She can deny this pap stuff all she wants, she has them on speed dial. Does she think that dressing down will de-value her shots, no they are still money and people still talk about her so well done Jen, well done. I also will throw that husband of hers in the mix as well, its not like his name is on the tongue of people anymore.

The dress is just bad and it NOT superficial to have clothes that fit you and your body and not have your ass crack show for the world to see. The clothes and handbags she wears if you note are very expense and she manages to make thousand dollar outfits and handbags look cheap; Jen world be better off spending saving that money and buying her clothes a K mart. I don’t think anyone saying that she should dress like Gwen Stefani but she can buy the same clothes that she wears now just ones that fit and flatter her body type and she would look 10 times better and still doing the same things she does now with her kids, I mean who wants to go around looking pregnant when you’re not because your clothes make you look twice as big.

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