What To Wear... Kids Blowing Daddy’s Budget For One Night Of Fun

28 Sep 2011: Do you remember your school formal, or for my American friends, your prom?

I missed out on my formal, because I left high school early, and completed my studies at TAFE, so I unfortunately didn't have one, but I would love to go back to high school for one night, to be able to attend...

Some of my friends did go to theirs though, and from what I can remember, the average cost that they (or their parents) were forking out for a formal gown, was around $200 - $300.

Pretty pricey for just one night, not to mention, on top of that was the hotted up cars, hair-do's, nails ect. But these days, the average cost of a formal dress is around $500! That's more than what I paid for my wedding dress, although, I was fortunate enough to find a flower girl dress and have it altered...

The amount girls are wishing to spend these days is unbelievable, but according to media articles, like one that appeared in ‘The Punch' on Sunday, this is occurring much more frequently than anyone would have known.

And you can't just turn up in any old car nowadays, no, no, no, it has to be the fanciest car around, or if you're lucky enough, a stretch hummer, which I know from pricing them for my wedding, can cost around $3000 for an hour.

It's all about competition too, girls trying to outdo each other. Who's got the best dress, the best shoes, the prettiest hair and make-up, the hottest date. Which is sad, considering a formal or prom is supposed to be a celebration of the end of an era, not the beginning of a catfight.

There's even an I-phone app that can be downloaded called ‘iFrockup', which allows girlfriends to ‘rate' each other's dresses, shoes and hairstyles, and also prevents other girls from purchasing the same outfit.

There's so much pressure these days for teens to compete against each other, and it's really sad for individuals who come from poorer families that can't afford to keep up with the Jones'.

What about people with a disability as well? I know sometimes I can experience real difficulty, when trying to find a perfect dress that fits and flatters my odd body shape, and still looks good in a seated position. I think most girls with a disability would opt for getting a gown made to suit their exact individual needs, but this can bring the price of a dress up even higher.

Unfortunately, there isn't any clothing stores around that cater to people with disabilities. Let me rephrase that, there isn't many ‘stylish, young, fun' clothing stores around that cater to people with disabilities.

Some tips I can offer, from my own personal shopping experiences are, when choosing a formal gown, go for something that has an elastic back. I am always attracted to dresses with a corset style bustier, but with my larger chest shape, they just don't do up on me, so now I try to stay away from that style all together, unless the back is elastic. Not to mention the boning in corset style dresses... It just digs in to my thighs, or makes the dress sit funny.

I tend to also go for longer dresses, as I'm not a fan of my legs, so I prefer to cover them up, but some fabrics, like satin, don't look as nice when sitting, so it's better to go for something that will flow and fall nicely.

If you like wearing shorter dresses, go for it, but remember to keep your legs together, because you never know who you might be flashing!

There are also plenty of shoe stores dedicated to trendy ‘tweens' these days, which is perfect for me, considering I have feet the size of a 6 year old.

If you'd like to read the article I found in ‘The Punch', please click here: http

What To Wear... Kids Blowing Daddy’s Budget For One Night Of Fun


What To Wear... Kids Blowing Daddy’s Budget For One Night Of Fun