The Great Prom Search

The first anniversary of my first major styling gig passed recently. My sister Dacia attended her prom last June, and like every other teenager, needed something to wear. But Dacia is no ordinary teenager. She is one of the most stylish people I know, and her knack for pulling an outfit together is utterly chic. Two other stylish women I know are my youngest sister Amaris (who has an amazing eye for colour) and my cousin Hannah, who can accessorize like there's no tomorrow.

Dacia needed something special; something that matched her bubbly personality and infectious laughter. No mall-bought, cookie-cutter dress would do. Not for my sister. She also had a list of requirements. First, she is petite-framed, so the dress had to highlight her slender build, yet add volume to the right places.

Second, we were on a tight budget, both time-wise and cash-wise. Whatever we found had to be inexpensive, easily tailored, and have loads of pizazz. What other way to go than VINTAGE!!! Also, I knew heading in this direction ensured that none of her friends would show up on prom night in the same dress.

I started out looking up some inspirational looks for Dacia, and one person who kept coming to mind was Sarah Jessica Parker, a true style icon of our time. The Divine SJP is very similar to Dacia. They are both petite, with long hair, and possess an idiosyncratic sartorial spirit. I showed Dacia some Googled looked of SJP in the one style I knew would work for her - the 50's Prom Dress. This SJP signature always works, and I love that she makes it fresh in every iteration because she ensures that she balances the familiar with something quirky. To keep things looking young, it is important to juxtapose classic with edgy, formal with tribal, new with old. It makes things so much more interesting than following a formula of a 'look.'

SJP in (clockwise from top) Vivienne Westwood; Alexander McQueen (with the designer himself); McQueen again & Philip Treacy hat.

So Dacia and I headed down to Toronto's fashion District: Queen Street West. We combed through every store from University to Spadina and way, way, waaaaaaaaaay beyond. Our journey brought some interesting encounters.

First, there were the promising prospects at Fashion Crimes. Every dress, in every shape, in every colour is here. It's a really good place to go hunting if you haven't a clue where to start. However, they were outside of our price range....by a couple hundred dollars.

Fashion Crimes Storefront & Windows @ 322 Queen St. W

Second, there was Lemor. Some beautiful options here, but more suited to the dance club scene. Also, nothing really flattered Dacia as I wanted it to. This was also the place where I almost went into cardiac arrest over the price of beaded chiffon slip. "I'm sorry, how much...?"

Further along Queen W. there were arcades set up along the sidewalk with beautiful jewelry handmade by artisans from all across the African continent. This would have made a great foil to all that 50's formality. But I thought it better to buy the dress first. Let's not put the cart before the horse.

The most interesting experience to be had occurred in Kensington Market, where the kooky owner of a vintage store said that we could get a 20% discount if we went out onto the front porch of the shop and sang karaoke. She wasn't kidding. I could hear the strained vocals of budget conscious shoppers outside as I spoke with her. I couldn't decide what was worse, their voices, or the clothing in the store.

Dacia finally settled on a Berry Red dress from Tribal Rhythm, my favourite vintage store in Toronto. It needed some alterations, but it had tremendous potential. We even got a white crinoline to add some needed volume. Imagine our surprise when we took out the dress at the tailor (the talented Jean Wu), and saw a tag hidden inside with a date from the 1950s!! I don't remember the exact date, but I can't tell you how cool it was that my sister was wearing a dress to her prom was just as fashionable 50 years ago. That is the difference between style and trend.

Dacia accessorized the look with her own black strappy heels and gold mesh earrings. In a last minute decision, she ran to the craft store, and handily made a sash out of some gold fabric. It was exactly the foil that the dress needed.

The pictures below captured a shared moment that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

The gorgeous Dacia: Best Dressed Girl @ Prom! Sometimes I don't think she realizes how stunning she is :o)