The Best Dressed at Prom Came From the Thrift.
The best part about any runway show, fashion week street style, or edgy luxury editorial is the idea of aspirational styling. This concept essentially uses the recognizable styling formulas and house codes from high fashion houses to recreate looks through either thoughtful thrifting or from clothing that you already own. Amongst Gen Z’s rising consciousness for sustainability and cyclical fashion, this form of “DIY” recreation has become a huge trend across reels. Though the catwalks of Paris and Milan may be a far throw from the IG Creator’s couch, the idea of aspirational styling can make milestone life events, such as prom, the perfect runway to adapt these luxury cues in terms of their own personal style and wardrobe.
Makeup tutorials have been some of the most popular forms of content for the last 5 years, with many creators even launching their own brands following their social media success. Additionally, with the popularization of “Euphoria-inspired” makeup, editorial looks amongst Gen-Z have become more popular than ever. When looking to sport an editorial runway look for this year’s prom, all you have to do is take a quick scroll through fashion reels to see the ease at which this can be recreated at home.
In one Reel, IG Creator Jake Flemming demonstrates how to make the subversively chic tear drop bows from the Simone Rocha FW23 show–all you need is some ribbon and eyelash glue! Other runway makeup looks to keep an eye out for include the delightfully pastel blushes from Christopher John Rogers Resort 2024 and the alien lip liner from Dilara Findikoglu FW23.
Once the prom makeup is sorted, next is accessories. Found objects have been all the rage across runways the past season whether it be Puppets and Puppets egg yolks, Loewe’s Orchids, or Area’s Banana bags. With a quick nip to the craft store, even these can be recreated to accent the prom look and add a little bit of if you know you know coolness. Refinery29 took to reals with a plastic Orchid and matching fuschia ribbon to enter SS23 with full bloom. For other statement prom looks, plastic fruit and foods may be the hottest accessory this season and they’re double the points if they can serve as a high fashion bralette made with a crocheted halter and straps.
Both of these DIY high fashion prom trends are perfect ways to accentuate your look, but what about the look itself? Sometimes the actual garment itself is a bit more elusive than the accessories or styling, but through targeted thrifting and a little bit of sewing skills, even these coveted gowns are closer than one may think. It may be a bit more time consuming than some eyelash glue to cut and sew, but looks such as Zendaya’s Valentino Oscar dress, which at its base consists of a cropped silk button down and maxi sequin skirt, will definitely have you on your prom’s best dressed list.