Crazy, Kitschy Prom Dresses

Prom is the high school equivalent of the Grammys or the Academy Awards: the night is all about getting dolled up and making a statement with your style. While most girls opt for a classic fairytale ball gown or slinky evening gown, every once in a while, someone shows up to prom in a dress that is truly over-the-top. Let’s take a look at some of the craziest, most kitschy prom dress trends to ever hit the high school auditorium.

Duct Tape Mania

What started out as a creative money-saver—to make a prom dress entirely from duct tape—has become a huge fad, thanks to the inception of the Stuck at Prom scholarship programme in the States. Over the years, gals have fashioned everything from Renaissance to rodeo-inspired dresses entirely from duct tape. Definitely one of the most over-the-top submissions this year was a “Queen of Hearts” dress that used silver, red, gold, white, and black duct tape to re-envision the style of the famous Alice in Wonderland character.

Wrapper Flapper. 

Along with duct tape, candy wrappers are a hot commodity when it comes to DIY prom dresses. One girl showed up to her prom in a Starburst wrapper dress, while another showed up in a dress entirely made from bubblegum wrappers. But our favourite of these wackyCandyland-themed dresses is this frock made from Skittles wrappers. The ruffled knee-length skirt seems to pay homage to the 1920s flapper style.

Light Up the Night.

Want to make sure you’re constantly in the spotlight? Show up in a light-up dress to prom next year. Designers are beginning to incorporate technology into wearable prom dresses—think hundreds of colourfulLED lights that shimmer as you move across the dance floor. Not wacky enough? One look at this Tron-themed prom dress—complete with light-up straps and bodice—is sure to leave you dazzled.

The Cat's Meow. 

Why leave your favourite cartoons and animated characters in your past? Pokémon and Sock Monkey have both made big debuts at high school proms, but thanks to Etsy, Hello Kitty was the cat’s meow this prom season. As if the cartoon cat face and big red bow on the bodice weren’t enough, the full tulle skirt lined with fire engine red ribbon makes this frock one of the most over-the-top prom dresses of the year.