A prom is an important event in the life of any young girl and one of the first times she gets the opportunity to dress up in the fanciest clothes and dance the night away. In fact dressing up for prom is almost as much of a ritual as the prom itself as a great deal of importance is attached to the prom dress. Every girl would love to look perfectly regal and elegant but stylish at the same time. Prom fashions are constantly evolving to reflect the latest trends in women’s fashions. One of the most beautiful outfits a girl can wear for her prom would be a prom saree, the most graceful and sophisticated Indian garment for women. With the immense influence of Indian fashion world over, such garments are no longer only loved by Indian customers.
Of course the prom sari is widely worn by Indian girls for their own proms and social events and is the most popular prom outfit of choice in India. In this context, the saree gains a special significance as it becomes a symbol for the girl’s coming of age. However, it is not just Indian girls who don this stunningly elegant ethnic outfit. Indians girls settled abroad may choose to wear a saree dress for prom to express their cultural heritage. Wearing sarees for prom is a clever way to stand apart from the crowd while still looking absolutely beautiful; moreover, with a saree young girls from any cultural background can flaunt their love of ethnic fashions.
Prom sarees come in a variety of colors, fabrics, patterns and designs. In fact, one of the advantages of choosing Indian fashion is the tremendous number of choices one can find. Girls tend to pick prom sarees which match with their own fashion sensibility. Thus someone who wishes to stick to the traditional color palette for proms might go in for soft, pastel colors like lilac, peach, mint green, light yellow etc. Those who want to make a splash can go for a more ‘Indian’ range, with colors like magenta, emerald, saffron, spring green, marigold, violet and indigo. Sarees are even available in dramatic shades of black, grey and brown and such designs may come with a lot of multi-colored embroidery or sparkling embellishments to add the glamour factor. White, beige, cream, off-white and pearl shaded sarees are also popular for proms since they have a certain ethereal beauty and frequently come with subtle metallic designs which add to the over-all elegance of the look.
In terms of fabrics, silk is a highly popular fabric in India and can be used to create the most luxurious looking prom saree. Silk has a lustrous, heavy beauty that sets it apart. While this effect might be suited for classical fashion sensibilities, those looking for more understated, feminine fabrics would prefer chiffon, georgette and crepe. These have a distinctive appearance which sets them apart, though still being relatively comfortable. Chiffon is a flowing, body-hugging fabric that makes for the most ‘sensuous’ sarees, while georgette has a fun and feminine vibe that cannot be matched. Sarees made of these fabrics will have the ‘prom dress’ effect of flowing silhouettes and silky soft fabrics. Nowadays materials like net, velvet, tissue and brocade are also used to create stunning prom sarees.
When it comes to the lehenga style saree, prom fashions include a lot of different embellishments and embroideries to choose from as well. One can find various Indian techniques like cutdana, zari, zardosi, aari, booti and dori work as well as sparkling stones, sequins, beads and appliqué work. Combined with Resham embroidery and colorful patch borders, these are used to make elaborate designs and patterns all over the fabric as well as to create more subtle Indian designs along the border and pallu.
Styling Prom Sarees
One of the most interesting innovations in ethnic fashion is the sari prom dress. Halfway between a saree and a gown, this elegant, cutting-edge garment combines the best of both worlds. It is very easy to wear and styled with modern American diamond jewelry, the effect can be simply stunning. Apart from the saree prom dress, even other modern saree styles like the lehenga saree, half-saree and pre-stitched saree would be suitable for young girls to wear.
Depending on the style of the prom sari, different accessories can be chosen to complete the prom look. Modern style sarees will pair well with colorful stone studded necklaces and/or dangle earrings while traditional gold sarees will pair well with gold jewelry, embroidered potlis and heels slippers. With a prom saree in softer pastel shades, pearl necklace sets would be a good choice. To maintain an elegant appearance, one should select only one or two jewelry pieces that match perfectly.
