Here's a way to tell: Your body is straight and

Prom Dresses Guide Find The Prom Dress That Flatters Your Silhouette

Prom time is almost here and choosing from so many styles and shapes of prom dresses isn't easy. It takes time and patience to try on all those prom dresses, hoping to find just the right dress for your special evening. You should first find a prom dress that flatters your body type, or silhouette. Use the guide below to find out what type of body shape you have and which prom dress will best complement your shape.

Determining Your Body Shape

It's important indian evening dresses to determine your body shape before you start shopping for prom gowns. Once you know which types of prom dresses will best suit you, you won't waist time trying on those that won't.

Are you Thin and Tall? short ivory dresses

Here's a way to tell: Your body is straight and slender, has few or no curves, and your bust is average in size. Your height is 5' 6" or taller. If you meet these criteria, you'll want to buy a prom dress style that adds curves, shows off your long legs, flows gracefully to reveal your slim silhouette, and adds fullness to your chest.

Try on dresses with several different neckline styles including v-neck or an open neckline to see which looks best. Also, dare to try a dress with a cutout back. Some prom dress styles to consider are empire, sheath, ball gown, and a-line.

Are you Petite?

If you are 5' 3" or shorter with a small build and an average sized bust, you'll want a dress to complement the petite such as an empire, sheath or a-line prom gown. With a slit, you can make your legs appear longer. Or, you can look much taller by wearing a dress with a short hemline. The hemline might be ruffled, handkerchief, hi/low, or asymmetrical - whichever best suits you. There are also a-line and empire styles to take emphasis off your waistline if you are short-waisted. Your neckline could be sweetheart, halter, or v-shape.

Do you have an Hourglass, Pear, or Apple Shape?

With an hourglass shape, you are curvy with a medium-to-large sized bust. Your bottom is rounded and you have curvy hips. You can show off the curves with a sheath dress or de-emphasize them somewhat with a ball gown or a-line dress. To place more emphasis on the upper portion of your body, choose a dress with an embellished neckline.

With a pear shape, you are probably bottom-heavy, meaning your hips, thighs, and bottom are larger than the upper portion of your body. Choose prom dresses that flatter the upper half of your body such as a-line, empire, or ball gown dresses with a circular halter neckline. Or, a strapless dress might do the trick.

If your body is apple-shaped, your mid-section is probably heavier or thicker than other parts of your body. Maybe your tummy is larger than you would like. Choose dresses that take the emphasis away from your mid-section. An empire gown might work best with this type of figure. An a-line dress can work well too if you have a bodice with boning to give it a slimming effect.

Are you Athletic? Do you have a Large Build?

If you are muscular, have broad shoulders, or a large bust, choose a prom dress that will give you a feminine shape such as a ball gown or empire style dress. The full skirt will immediately add shape at your waistline. With broad shoulders, you might find that trying to cover them with wide straps or sleeves will make them look even wider. Try on a few strapless prom gowns first. You might be pleasantly surprised!

If you have a large bust, be sure your prom dress offers proper support. Choose v-necks or halters and either an a-line or ball gown. To draw attention away from your chest, wear a prom dress that has eye-catching details at its hemline.

With a full figure, there are more styles today than ever in plus size prom dresses. Don't feel uncomfortable on your prom night by trying to squeeze into a smaller gown. Find a dress that fits your body size and flatters your figure.

More "Accentuating" Prom Dress Ideas

There are even more ways you can accentuate certain areas of your body. Prom dresses can also come with stylish features such as beaded panels, a fully beaded bodice, accordion pleating, a jeweled beltline, embroidery designs, sheer overlays, trains, and removable skirts.

Use these tips to get an idea of what style will work best for your body type before you start shopping. Check online to look at various styles and colors. Most online stores carry a variety of dresses including prom dresses, evening dresses, and bridesmaid dresses, so you'll have no problem finding just the right dress.

Homecoming Dress Prices girls long dresses Skyrocket

Each year, high school girls spend more and more on gowns for homecoming. This year especially, prices are rising exponentially. The increase can be seen across the board, not only with designer and name brand . Finding high-quality dresses for less than a few hundred dollars has become virtually impossible. Prom and homecoming consultant Ashley Baldauf explained several reasons for the upped prices, saying, n the current economy, many dress designers have closed down some of their factories in China. As a result, there are less workers trying to produce the same amount of dresses, so it takes longer to make each dress. Each one takes hours to make.? here more beading on the dresses, as well as feathers, both of which have to be sewn on individually by hand,?added Nicole Jelinek, a sales representative for popular local homecoming and prom store One Enchanted Evening. he beads themselves are also getting more and more expensive. The heavier the beads, the more they cost,?Baldauf stated. Last year, One Enchanted Evening most expensive gown was a Jovani design for $750. The rest of the dresses ranged from $200 and up. This year, the store carries several dresses for $850, and many more in the $600 and $700 range than the previous year. The dresses come from designers like Jovani, Sherri Hill, and La Femme who focus specifically on prom and homecoming gowns. Another contributing factor is the ever-increasing price of gas. The shipping costs for dresses are growing more and more expensive, and as a result, stores have to charge more for them to make up the difference. And the big brand name dresses aren the only ones costing more each year. Nordstrom dresses are anywhere from $50 to $2,250, although the dresses at the highest prices are Herve Leger. For lesser known designers, Nordstrom dresses cap at about $800. BCBG, another common source for homecoming, sells dresses that can cost anywhere from $200 to $1000. Popular websites like ModCloth sell cocktail dresses toward the lower end of the spectrum, from $60 to $200, but many are more casual and not necessarily intended for homecoming. Cache dresses fall between $60 and $200. Comparatively, dresses from department stores like Macy and JCPenny are much more affordable, falling between $50 - $160 and $30 to $60 respectively. Department store dresses, however, are widely recognized as lower quality and often include no beading, feathers, or any special detailing that would cause the price to go up. Prices show no sign of coming down anytime soon, and prom prices are likely to be even higher. If youe planning on buying a prom dress this year, or if you haven bought your homecoming dress yet, make sure you save up.

Resources: cheap prom dresses 2012