Formal time (for the ladies)
 

Since Formals are coming up soon (within Months)

Have you ladies started looking for dresses or are you going to just recycle a dress/borrow a dress?

I have not started looking yet because trying to decide if I wanted to recycle one of my dresses that I only wore once and it's such a classic black dress strapless dress.

But I will start soon;)

Do you have a set limit or is it just buy the dress that see regardless of the price?

FSS

I'm a big fan of recycling dresses. Out of all my homecoming/prom/formal/semiformal experiences I've only bought one dress ever. It just seems like a lot of money to spend on one night (that I often don't have:p ) and just as exciting to wear someone else's dress that is "new" to me!

I was in a wedding of a friend last March. the dress was so beautiful that I am using it for Sapphire Ball this year.

I've recycled dresses before. I wore my highschool formal (prom) dress to my first Pi Phi formal. Last year I bought a new dress. This year I might buy a new dress, or I might just do the classic black dress thing since I already have one.

I don't spend a fortune on my dresses because I know I probably won't wear it again.

I've started looking, but I don't know if I want to buy a dress or have my mother make me one... I have about 10 dresses that I could recycle, but most I think there are only two that have only been worn once.

Looking back I know I should have recycled my formal dresses because I've only worn them once and I know I'll probably never wear them again, I don't have any events to go to! The only dress that I was able to wear a few times was this black strapless knee length dress from Arden B. that I wore to a fraternity formal... was able to wear that to another fraternity formal and my sister wore it to a dated party and fraternity formal so that got a lot of use.

Good point! If you buy a new dress, go for something simple, elegant and basic that you can wear again after college. There will most likely be a million weddings you will have to attend after college and you will need nice dresses.

I don't go to sorority formals anymore. I attend weddings and events. I happily recycle dresses. I always 'shop' in my sister's closet. :)

sisters closets are a great place to go shopping!! most of the older girls have been to a bunch of formals and have a bunch of dresses. thats what i did for my first formal. its way less expensive than buying a dress for every one that you go to!!!

Our Formal is April 3...I'll definately just be wearing a dress I already have! I have a gorgeous formal I wore to the Dinner of Honors at the SAI national convention this summer, along with the shoes and jewelry and all...just makes sense to save money. :) Especially since I am going to New York for spring break and will be broke after that! :p

I'm all about recylcling dresses. I currently have two formal dresses. One is dark shimmery blue and from my prom, and the other is a gorgeous light green one, empire waist with silver embroidery on the bodice area. For the last two years I had 2 formals each spring, one for PSP and one for AXiD, so I just alternated dresses. I'll probably wear the green one again next year because I like it so much!
Sadly, there will be no formals for me this year, since I'm studying abroad...

I've got a few formal dresses at home, but only two that keep making an appearance. One is an iridescent blue swing-style dress, and the other is actually a mint green satin ball gown skirt, both of which Mom made. For Scherzo, the School of Music formal, I bought a plain white sleeveless top to go with the skirt; for Carnation Ball last year, I made a sleeveless top out of a really pretty satin brocade. The green leaves matched the skirt perfectly! I don't know what I'm going to do this year, but I'd love something different. Whether that's a brand-new dress or some thrift-store fabulousness (all of my sisters seem to be either bigger/thinner/shorter than me!), well, that remains to be seen. :)

I wore a high school prom dress to my first formal in college and have bought a new dress for every formal since. What I can I say, I just can't bring myself to wear something like that twice. It can get a little spendy though since I usually attend 2 formals a year sometimes 3 or 4 depending on how many fraternity formals I get invited to. So I like to hit up places like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe for Smei-formals because they have great cheap, one time wear dresses.

Tee-hee! I just got a dress today (sort of) - I got it from E-bay, so I just have to actually get it and put it on to make sure it fits right...I'm pretty sure it should fit though. Here are pictures (note that the mannequin is only a half mannequin so it looks funny, my hips are obviously a little less pointy and more round):

http://i12.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/4b/a0/10_1_b.JPG

http://i24.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/4b/68/cb_1.JPG

The back is my favorite!! If the dress doesn't fit, it's no big loss - I'm only paying $5.50! :D

But I hope it does work!

Speaking of formals...

Ours is March 6th. I have my dress. I have shoes and have have my jewlery (although I might get a few different pices and see with ones I like best)

I don't know how to do my hair. It's short and in layers (the longest layers is about to the middle of my neck). Any ideas on how to do short hair for a formal?

WhiteDaisy, that dress is gorgeous!!

I am definetly not recycling a dress this year. I actually wore the same dress to three formals in a row b/c I have been so broke the last couple years. Its my senior year though and last formal so I'm gonna put out the money and get a new dress- even if I don't wear it again, I'm sure I can find someone who will.

ours is May 1st and in Monterey (on the beach again!!!!) I am an alumnae and keep telling myself i am going to go to one of these elaborate formals my sorority puts on before i get married or something. :rolleyes: But then again, they are always super expensive and i gotta get a hotel this time. I am probably gonna use the same dress i have been wanting to wear for the past 2 semesters, but never got a chance to.

Jason's formal is March 20th at one of the Disney Resorts. I really need to find a dress but so far haven't had any luck. I don't want to recycle anything just because I am not crazy about anything I have in my closet. However, I also don't want to spend a TON of money on a dress that I won't be able to use again. I need to find something that would be good for this event as well as any of the black tie events I may have going on here in B'ham. Looks like I need to go shopping this weekend!!

My sororities formal is April 3rd. Two other sororities are having formal on April 3rd also. So, this will be pretty interesting all the salons and manicure places are going to be packed. I think I better schedule my manicure soon so that I will have an appointment.

For my original post I still have not figured out if I'm going to recycle or not. But I have seen some really pretty dresses.

I have decided to use one of my older dresses. I actually did not wear this dress ot my sorority's formal but to another fraternity's formal. It really classy a black strapless dress.

I haven't really decided, maybe use another sisters dress that's pink halter with sparkles, really sexy or this other dress I found at Mariposa that's strapless, pale pink with black trim and a gorgeous ribboned train, but it's $160, so I don't know... I have a while anyways, our formal isn't until May 15th.

Kappa Phi Formal
 

My Christian Womens Service Group (the Kappa Phi Club) is having our formal on April 3rd! :D

Wow our formal is April 3rd too! LOL Guess everyone decided to do theirs that day. :D

have not decided what im doing yet, i have until the middle of may. im hoping that i get luck again this year, last year i found a great little dress for $10 im going to go soon at look at the same place or i may jsut recyle something :)

I was going to recycle a dress, but I changed my mind so I've spent the last week running around like crazy trying to find a dress that I love. All the dresses out for prom right now are AWFUL, they remind me of cupcakes or something and I can't believe girls actually wear these things!!! :eek: :o

I finally broke down and spent way more money on a dress than I was planning too, but I found a totally glamourous (sp?) BCBG long black dress and I fell in love. So I bought it and new shoes and now I can not WAIT for formal which is a week from today, wheee! :D

For this year's formal (the first one I going to since 2001), I am planning to wear a purple two piece dress that I wore to my cousin's wedding back in December 2001.

If things well next year, I hope to attend the 2005 formal wearing the dress I wore to my senior prom back in 1991 and a college semi-formal almost a year later. Talk about recycling!


Edited to add the link to several photos from my cousin's wedding.

http://community.webshots.com/album/94143048WohDpn

My Little is a fashion major and dress maker extraordinaire (has been sewing since Jr. High..) she's making my dress for me ! It's a christian dior pattern... I'm chose some beautiful burgandy satin to make it in so excited to have a custom dress it'll be great !

ok so now i am going. i wasn't but now i am. i hate confusing the social chair. formal is still in monteray.

apparently a few of our sweetheart nominees need dates. a lot of our girls already have them so I volunteered to take a guy I have seen maybe twice. He seems nice. At least from the sweetheart speeches we had last night at the meeting.

I would feel really bad if a sweetheart nominee didn't go and would feel even worse if a sister that really wanted to go to formal didn't have a date (i'm an alumna, I don't need to go)... because basically a nominee is a guaranteed date.

but i don't know this guy at all. and it's out of town which makes it kinda weird for me.

i dunno... would you go? also have to add i have to get a hotel room still and find a dress... :rolleyes:

I'd go if you still are friends with a lot of the girls...and if he's a sweetheart nominee, he probably knows a lot of people that will be there too, so it's not like a random date that won't know anyone, you'll still get to socialize with everyone!

BUT! This is what my chapter is doing about dresses (our formal is on April 16th). My roommate is a Chi O also, and we're throwing a dress swap party on the 9th! Everyone brings their old prom and formal dresses, and I'm making racks that they'll be able to hang them on when they get to our apartment. We're gonna have snacks and cocktails, and get to hang out with our sisters while finding a fabulous dress to borrow for the dance on the cruise! So far we've gotten really positive feedback, and a ton of girls say they're going to come, which is good, it means more options for everyone to find their dress! I know this is probably too late for some of you w/ April 3 formals, but maybe for next year it would work. :)

I finally broke down an baught a new dress for our ball, April 24! I wore my prom dress my freshman year and barrowed a dress from my cousin last year.

our formal is the 24th too:) its not anything too fancy since there are only like 30 of us- we either hold them at our house since we have a ballroom- or this year its at our favorite bar- its basically a big party.... i'm not going since i'm here- but to answer your question- i usually recycle dresses from high school or i borrow dresses from friends/sisters or i just make up a fun outfit wtih a long skirt and a pretty top or soemthing....

Our formal is May 2nd! I will be shopping in a friends' closet :)

your formal is on a sunday? :confused:

My mom bought me a new dress for ours this spring, which I was stoked about, since my date was a friend from home and that ruled out old high school dresses. :p

I want to see some pictures of your formals! I haven't been to a formal in forever. :(

I'm a dork! It's that Saturday. :)

Pics from Formal!! :)

http://www.geocities.com/josiewvu/formal.html

Buy or borrow?
 

I used to trade dresses with friends I knew wouldn't show up to the same event, but eventually you go through everything in each other's closets and you're back to square one. I've been pretty happy with the people on http://www.gatheringguide.com/ec/bri...s_dresses.html though. It's a lot of bridal shops, but they have really fantastic formal dresses, especially if you shop around.