Virtually Vintage Prom

During the first season of Gilmore Girls, there was an episode that takes place almost entirely in Loralei’s living room. In that show there are brief snippets of footage, a particular household item that changed the course of my decorating taste - forever! It’s a mannequin wearing a prom dress. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted a mannequin wearing a vintage prom dress smack in the middle of the room – any room. I didn’t care where, but I wanted it!! Every time the re-run comes on I dash for the camera in the hopes to catch that little corner of Loralei’s living room but alas, I’m always too late. It’s been a source of frustration for years.

Imagine my squealing thrill when I realized that very episode was going to be on at 4:00 yesterday afternoon!!! And today being Natasha’s virtual prom! And the cherry on top of it all? It’s actually the show where Loralei makes Rory’s dress for her school dance. Oh sweet joy! Of course, I recorded the whole show so that I have it for future reference =)

Here she is… Miss Loralei’s dress...

And here is my precious pink, rosette endowed, beloved, vintage gown. It was my mom’s dress for junior/senior prom. I posted about it here before.

This is another of her prom dresses. She says it used to be an iridescent pink but age has turned it a rather shimmery gold. In the 1960’s, according to mom, dances and proms were the big event of the school year. I think they probably still are. I sure got all weak in the knees when my son attended his first homecoming last year =)

I never had a prom but we did have a homecoming banquet. No dancing though – not allowed in the private school back then, which is especially ironic considering that I took dance for several years and my mom had done ballet for – well, forever. So this is me in 1987…

I did a little research. (I can’t help it, it’s the legal training – I can never quite shake it.) Did you know…The formal dance we now call prom was first christened “the prom” in the 1890s. The word prom is a shortened form of promenade, meaning a march of the guests at the beginning of a ball or other formal event. Check out some cool Prom History here. They even have hair and makeup tips.

Here are a few more prom dresses that you might like to drool over.

First you really must visit the Junk Gypsy Prom!

This corset dress is at the Cat’s Meow and I’d meow, or crawl or just about anything else to get my hands on that baby!

Of course the gowns in Little Women are stunning!

Be sure to stop over to Natasha’s as she has a full list of everyone participating in her Virtual Prom so you won’t miss any of the posts.

Today’s Blessing: You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy