May 12, 2025 by Alli Richard (‘26)
The SSHS 2025 Junior-Senior prom is approaching everyone! Whether you haven’t yet gotten a dress and need hot take, or want to find out who everyone’s going with, I’ve got you!
Across America, teens are preparing for a night of fun with creative promposals, hurried dress shopping, and exam-related procrastination. The end of the school year is coming, and we all are trying to fit in as much fun as possible while balancing out the coming regents and AP exams.
Is prom the problem and the solution? Yes. Always a stressor, the idea of having a date for prom has been a main cause of distress since the tradition started in 1879. However, modern-day mindsets in regard to prom have shifted the focus away from solely date-oriented to a date or friend basis. Many people are choosing to attend with a group of friends over the unknown of having a date. I recently sent out a survey to find out whether we truly have shifted away from dates, resulting in about a third of all votes suggesting likewise. While the numbers for dates outweigh the former, it is evident that teenagers are feeling more and more at ease with appearing with friends.
Where are we getting our dresses, you might ask? From what I’ve seen, attenders are frequently seeking out bridal stores instead of designated prom shops, in hopes of finding wedding-style dresses with a more casual but detailed apparel. Department stores and bigger websites like Windsor, Macy’s, and Nordstrom are additionally at large, offering very traditional gowns for quality but affordable options.
When looking at these larger brands, however, trying to find specific, unique, or individualized styles can be a challenge, guiding shoppers to visit vintage thrift stores or buy from individual sellers, which can provide dresses that are out of stock or special edition.
But what are the surfacing 2025 trends themselves? The obvious bit can be seen in the retail stores I mentioned earlier, showing standard mermaid-style dresses with sequin patterns, spaghetti straps and floor length fit, which follows the typical prom standards of the 21st century.
Have there been any actual changes in fashion preferences this year in comparison to the past? Yes! Girls have been favoring laced-up backs and straighter, more obvious corset boning, and the addition of a sweetheart style neckline with a cowl neck layered below. Most of the guys are remaining with the typical black suit style, but the concept of matching colors with dates or friends has become popular as well.
Transitioning to the actual color scheming of dresses this year, my prediction based off what I’ve heard is that we will see a lot of dark colors in blue, red, green, and black, as has always been the case. It’s unanimous though, everyone wants to hear the best prom music! (Alright, maybe that’s up for another debate.