Vintage Hollywood Glamour
Top 2011 Prom plus size junior homecoming dresses Dress Styles, Colors & Trends
Prom season is here, and high school girls everywhere are gearing up for the biggest night of the school year. Fashionistas and style-conscious girls are on the hunt for prom dresses which will not only make them look fabulous, but trendy as well! 2011 prom dress trends offer something to suit every girl's coloring and body type, with plenty of fun summer bridesmaid dresses flair. This year's lineup of top prom dress styles ranges from elegant and simple vintage Hollywood glamour to bright, flowing print fabrics. Let's take a look at some of the top 2011 prom dress styles.
Pretty in Print
Unlike previous years, prom dresses with bold prints are in this season. From large floral prints to multi-color watercolor splashes and exotic silver and black combos, prom dresses in prints are a great way to add color and flair to the traditional prom look. To add the kind of bohemian flair that's so popular in 2011, look for pretty floral prints in long, flowing fabrics paired with dangling earrings and simple sandals.
White is the vintage bridesmaid gowns New Black
When it comes to solid colors, white is one of the most popular prom dress trends for 2011. Paired with a mini prom dress style and bright sequins, white prom dresses offer a look that's elegant and refined. White and black combinations are also in this year, looking best in beautifully classic, vintage-inspired styles.
Mermaid Skirts
One of the most unique prom dress trends to emerge in the 2011 lineup is the mermaid-style skirt. This style is close-fitted from the bodice through the upper hips, where the skirt flairs out in ruffles or a taffeta-boosted full skirt, creating a mermaid-like silhouette. If you want to make a dramatic entrance and stand out from the crowd on prom night, this look is for you!
Minis & Short homecoming dresses 2013 Party Dresses
In the past, mini dresses were considered too informal for prom, but in 2011, short prom dresses are the darling style of many top designers. From sequined short shift dresses to taffeta-skirted cocktail dresses, mini prom dresses are a great way to make your prom style flirty and fun.
Vintage Hollywood Glamour
In contrast to 2011's other popular prom styles, this year's popular antique Hollywood look is all about simplicity and elegance. Belted short shifts in lovely pastels paired with pearls and matte-toned pumps create a perfectly classic look. Or, for a more glamorous Hollywood style, look for sequined snug-fitting strapless gowns. Not sure where to start? Use your favorite 1950's Hollywood icon as a style guide.
Hi-Lo Dresses
Another new, dramatic style to emerge for the 2011 prom season is the hi-lo dress with a short skirted front and long flowing train in the back. Designers' favorite hi-lo prom dress styles feature cascading ruffle trains and snug, a-line mini skirt fronts. If you can't decide between a short prom dress or long gown, this style is for you!
Where do you want to buy your Prom Dress, online or offline
When the prom season approaches, many girls start looking for the most beautiful dresses that fit them the best from many different places. It can be retail stores or online dress shopping malls. Which place has the best price and quality for a buyer convenience and budget?
Online shopping is a new trend since 2000. The annual growth rate is 11% every year. Traditionally, all girls have shopped for dresses at wedding shops, dress specialty stores, or department stores. They tried on the dresses and compared prices and styles. However, this traditional trend has rapidly changed. Here, I would like to analyze the merits and weak points of online and offline dress buying with a price comparison.
Before you decide to buy a dress, you will need to know the basic price structure of the dress. The true cost of a dress does not mean anything until all the expenses added before it can be sold to the customer as a retail price. Most physical stores have high extras such as the rent, employees?wages, utilities, insurance, etc. Those sums add up to at a least 30% increase from the original dress cost, which is from either the manufacturer or a wholesale store. For example, if the original dress cost is $100, the expenses would be around $30, so you are paying $130 for a $100 dress. Prom dresses are seasonal products from mid-March to before July, so business activity is confined to about half of the year. We need to add this seasonal factor into the retail prices. So, if the owner wants to pursue a 30% profit, the retail price will be $338 (Original cost $100 ?expenses 30% ?seasonal factor 200% ?profit 30%.) This calculation is totally hypothetical but also realistic. It can be vary per stores by stores. You may feel that retail prices are a bit higher and cannot be justified. However, if we carefully observe the nature of the prom dress business the profit margin is not that much because it is not spread out for the entire year. The pure profit of $338 dress is only about $39.
Compared to the offline ball gown bridal gowns dress stores, online dress stores have much less overheads. First of all, they are not physical retail stores, so they do not need to have pay rent. Less space needed, less employees, less burden on liability insurance, less maintenance cost compared to the physical stores add up to less overall expenses. Also, the strong point of an online store is its versatility of inventory. They can carry any product they want to sell, so can be less seasonal and have fewer inventories need to carry. If the dress cost is $100, the final retail price on the Internet mall will be around $220 (Original cost $100 ?expenses 15% ?seasonal factor 50% ?profit 30%.) The pure profit of $220 dress will be $52. Here we do not add extra expenses such as technical outsourcing cost, Internet advertising cost, etc, so the actual profit per dress will be decreased after those expenses are applied.
Everyone agrees that price is cheaper on the Internet. However, there are other factors you need to consider such as the availability of a dress, quality, design, etc. You can verify stock availability at the physical stores and online by simply calling them and asking. The main weakness of dress buying on the Internet is it lacks your immediate inspection on the dress by not allowing you to touch and see in front of you before you buy it. You are the person who must see the dress, and then you drive to the store and buy it. This is a great idea. Conversely, if you want to save time and gas, and would like to pay less money for your dress, you may want to try to buy it online. Many online stores provide you high quality customer services and a reasonable return policy. All transactions can be done by their merchant account. This can protect you from being hacked for your financial information.
You can buy great dresses from any place, but the trend is shifting from traditional dress shopping to the virtual stores that we all agree will continue as long as shoppers are looking for lower prices for their dresses.
Thank you for reading this article.
