Dancing the Night Away in Your 80s Prom Dress

If a high school is throwing a 80s style prom (Darnit! There goes your original dress idea!), the fun doesn’t stop at the 80s prom dress; the decorations that come along with the theme are fun and vividly reminiscent of two decades past. The main event is the dancing and rocking out to the fabulous 80s tunes that your parents probably loved.

Partygoers can be seen dancing to tunes from song artists such as Cindy Lauper, Ted Nugent, Europe, and Madonna (yep, she was around back then, too). An 80s themed prom is a great way to let go of inhibitions and not have to worry about getting the right dress to fit into what everyone else is wearing. A 80s themed prom lets you go a little wild and crazy with your friends and date for a timeless and treasured night.

Get Color with Your 80s Prom Dress

So what did people wear to proms back in your parent's generation? Hoop skirts and pillbox hats? No way. An 80s prom dress is typically bright and flashy, typically characterized by bright colored chiffon. Think gold, silver, hot pink, purple, orange, electric blue, or often a combination of brilliant colors. Multicolored dresses, of course, have the advantage of being easy to accessorize. Your 80s prom dress may be short with a ruffled skirt, or knee length with a straight skirt and body with large puffy chests and arms. Long prom dresses were available in the 80s, of course, but they tended to be the exception rather than the rule.

Ready to go retro all the way? Then accessorize your 80s prom dress with spike heels (just remember you have to dance in them!), bright makeup and nail polish. If you're totally dedicated, you may want to spike your hair, or at least have it streaked with color. (We're not talking subtle highlights here; we're talking streaks of blue, green, pink, magenta, etc.)

The best places to find a 80s prom dress are online, in vintage or thrift shops, or specialty consignment shops. They are likely to be gently used and available at significantly lower prices than new and designer prom dresses.

Making Your 80s Prom Dress Look Fabulous

Okay, its time for prom and everybody is going to be dressed to the nines in the newest, most expensive fashions. If the thought of being a designer clone makes you want to hurl, why not take your prom dress in a different direction? Rather than shop for the latest offerings, take a trip down memory lane by choosing an 80s prom dress.

If you go retro, it's a sure bet that you won't be anyone's clone, unlike the girls who all buy the newest fashions and then watch, horrified, as half the female population of the school shows up in basically the same gown. Meanwhile, you and your 80s prom dress will stand out as a bold, quirky fashion statement.