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Planning for your prom can be pretty hectic, from hair andmakeup to shoes and accessories, but we can all agree that finding the perfect prom dress remains the most important aspect of planning towards the day!

Prom Day or Leavers Ball as some may call it, remains as one of the most anticipated moments for students ready to move on to their next academic phase or career, and for that reason, the prom dress could almost be looked at as one of the most iconic dresses of a female students’ academic life!

With prom season just around the corner, we take a look at how prom has manifested, from elite balls to wild parties!

Proms were first inspired by Debutante Balls, in America debutanteor cotillion balls were held for the children of the elite, rich and famous.Likewise in the UK, these prestigious events were originally seen as a young lady’s first introduction to the British aristocratic society, deemed as a debutante, she was eligible to marry and part of the purpose was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with hope that she would marry into a select upper class circle.

The debutante ball began to decline in the UK when the monarchy stopped attending these balls, with Queen Elizabeth II abolishing the ceremony altogether in 1958.

Debutante balls in The US were adopted by elite colleges and universities in the Northeast, who were the first to reportedly hold what we now know as a Prom, this was later adopted by high schools and educational institutes from different social classes.

But how did Proms become so popular?

In the 1950's The US experienced the rise of the ‘teenage youth culture’. With many adolescents eager to embrace their youth, prom day was seen as an important occasion in order to express this new found culture. Proms were also emerging to be more extravagant due to the rise of American prosperity in the 1950's meaning more money could be spent on the affair. With the locations changing from the realms of the school halls and gyms to more sophisticated venues such as hotels and city halls, it was n’t long until the dress code followed pursuit with young ladies hoping to find the most fashionable prom dresses.

The Prom’s of today is still a very lavish event with most Prom days including a pre-prom dinner, prom after party,limousine rentals etc. Proms have been highlighted majorly through TV and film think Twilight, American Pie, Mean Girls as well as popular TV shows Glee, 90210, The OC, to name a few, which have contributed to the popularity of prom. Proms are now recognized almost worldwide with the majority of educational institutes holding some type of prom as a farewell to their students in the UK and across the world.

• Prom is short for the French word Promenade; which is the introductory parading of guests at the beginning of a formal event, popular at upper-class galas and debutante balls.
• Although proms were first recognized in the in the US in the 1930's and 1940's, historians believe that traditional proms began as far back as the 1800's!
• Now relatively expensive, prom attendees in the early 1900's would come in their Sunday best outfits, but would not purchase new clothes for the then relatively simple event!
• One of the intentions for Proms in the early 1900's was to help develop social skills and etiquette in the students.
• In 1975, US President Ford's daughter Susan held her senior prom at one of the most prestigious venues ever... the White House!

Shop prom dresses at Goddiva here!