I Went Prom Dress Shopping in 2026

My junior prom 2013!

For better or worse. In sickness and in health. No, just kidding! But, seriously for better or worse everyone remembers their prom dress. It’s both fun and funny to look back on bold colors, puffy sleeves, and dyeable shoes. But did you ever think: if I were to go to prom now, would I still wear the same dress? Styles change. Even the way we shop has evolved to revolve heavily around social media. Prom dresses are meant to reflect a moment in time. As a 2010s prom-goer, this is my first time being a part of an older generation looking back. This article is jam-packed with 2013/14 prom nostalgia, what the girls are wearing today, and if I went to an adult 2026 prom - which dress trends would I hop on?

The photoshoots weren't as planned. It was just in a bedroom and a backyard.

2013 Prom: You knew Spring was in the air when every conversation you heard in the hall was about who got asked to prom by whom and how did they do it? I got asked on a calculator, a Post-It with the lyrics to Call Me Maybe, a brownie, and while doing a straddle split at track practice. You can guess which one I said yes to. But I didn’t care about having a date. I put all my energy into finding my dream dress for my “dream night” of doing the Gas Pedal in free Wayfarer sunglasses. Our prom theme was “After Dark” which I am pretty sure was just a clever way to dim the lights to make the grind trains and the drugs less obvious but, I digress. 

I was ahead of the butter yellow trend!

For those of us allowed to wear strapless - we all wore sweetheart dresses with the chest coated in thick silver rhinestone crystals and a chiffon skirt. And the choice was more of what color were you going to do because we were basically only offered one silhouette, but that’s ok because it was the style. I was obsessed with this one brand from Seventeen that only used tall, tan, brown haired models that looked exactly like me. Sounds kind of cancelable by today’s standards. It’s a good thing I can’t remember the name but sure enough, they were the designer of my junior prom dress. For senior prom, I ordered a custom dress directly from China.

Always a lover of a fun back! That will never change.

Some of my track and xc teammates!

2026 Prom: Flashforward 13 years later and my baby sister, Gretchan has her junior prom at my alma mater and I couldn’t wait for the dress hunt! Like myself, she did a lot of pre-dress appointment research to get an idea of what she wanted. Her research was mainly on the boutique's social media and stalking looks of older girls she knows as well as randos. My research was ripping out the prom ad pages from my copious magazine subscriptions. The methods are different, but the strategy and level of preparedness are the same. 

Wow and wow!

Even though we have the same mom, and are actually quite similar, we look like opposites. So it doesn’t surprise me that I wanted a warm colored dress and she wanted a cool colored dress.  Gretchan took it a step further than simply predetermining a color range, and painted her nails in the exact periwinkle shade she was hoping to carry home in her garment bag. I sniffed that out right away and have never been more proud!

2026 Prom Dress Rankings: Gretchan tried on 7 dresses. I was ready to be out all day and toss on everything they had, but when it's right you know! I am sad to report that neither of us actually picked her prom dress and it was the stylist’s choosing! Shoutout, Heaven! Here’s all 7 and my commentary as the wise, old, fashion sister. 

1. This is the exact color on her nails and in a snatched silhouette! I love the corset inspired bodice that is very of today coupled with the smooth skirt that is more timeless. The floral applique has the exact lighter amount of sparkle she was looking for with intricate tonal beading. The slit allows for comfortable dancing while highlighting, one of her best assets. Strapless dresses have come a long way since my 2013 sweetheart one. Gretchan’s strapless dress points all the way to mid-armpit in the front so she won’t be yanking it up all night. 

2. Though not mermaid shaped, this gown 100% gives mermaid (in a good way). Horizontal stripes are widening and hard to wear so I love that this designer gave the striping a reverse v point for both uniqueness and flattering points. I love the seafoam shade for all skin tones and the lace up the back for adjustability. 

3. This was the first one she tried on and I was like wow, we already have a contender! It’s a very similar color and style to the one she got but didn't fit as well. I liked that this one had rhinestones because, when else is a more fitting time to wear rhinestones than prom? I wish the back wasn’t as open.

4. Frosted pastels will be in for the next few years so we fell in love with the color. It stands out from the inevitable high volume of blue dresses going to prom. I also loved the deep v in the back rather than the front, and ruched Y2K butt. For me, the front didn’t feel fancy enough. I don’t like a slip dress or anything that remotely resembles a night gown for prom. This dress was clearly 3 sizes too big and I was surprised to find they no longer clip you into dresses! They’re just like yeah, it doesn’t fit, and no we can’t order anymore sizes. In my day we even had to wear gloves to not get our hand oils on the gowns! Can we talk about how crazy that was?

5. I actually love this dress so much! I’ve had a cobalt cotton maxi dress in a pretty simple shape since covid and I am surprised by how many compliments I still get everytime I wear it and it is 100% because of the color! I’m giving it a lower ranking because I see this more as a wedding guest dress for ages 25+ - not 17! Love the ruched hip detailing on her though! Most people can’t pull that off. 

6. According to Gretchan, this is the classic junior prom look. For junior, private school girls go for a sleek solid color slip dress in a tie back, halter, or maybe with a cutout like this one. She tried it on to get a kelly green option in the mix - which this store had sold through most of their green options already. Go birds!

7. Gretchan was horrified to find that the bottom of this was mesh because we couldn’t tell from when it was in the garment bag. I actually love the way the periwinkle and silver beading swirls for a mother of the bride dress which is the exact opposite look you want for prom. Thank you, next! 

If I went to Prom Today - I’d without a doubt wear a fully beaded floral slip dress with a tie back. I’ve considered this for a few bridesmaid dresses of mine but have never gone for it because it can feel a little young. I would go for my signature color pink (just like I picked for my wedding) for junior year and my other signature color - gold glitter for senior prom. I love the idea of having the florals on your dress made from sequins instead of lace!

What I would pick if I was going to junior prom in 2026.

Rose gold didn’t become popular until 2015, when I was already in college, but ever since then I’ve become obsessed with it. For an old holiday glam look, that contrasts the girly girl dress above, I’d wear this to my senior prom. I’d also change my hair for sure - leaving it up for the tie back dress and down in loose waves for this dress. 

And I found my senior 2027 dress options too! This..

This last dress would also be a strong contender for me but definitely depends how it looks on. For my 2013 and 2014 proms I wore coral and butter yellow because I was terrified of someone having the same dress as me and I knew at least almost no one else could pull those colors off like me. (It’s ironic because now everyone and their mother is wearing butter yellow!)The same goes for this naked color dress with the triple threat of sequined beading - pink, gold, and rose gold.

...or this!

#prom #promdress #shopping