Prom Update : The Shoes

We finally got started on the hunt for the ultimate prom shoes! I didn't want to do this until Anissa got to fit her dress, which she did last Saturday morning. 

So Monday evening, after school and training, we all trooped to SM Megamall, the most practical choice considering the options available. 

Anissa and I agreed on one thing : the priority was FLATS but she was willing to consider a heeled pair if they were not too high. Not a bad deal. We checked every single brand inside the SM Department Store and even a couple of stores in the mall itself. About an hour and extremely tired Mommy feet later, she finally decided on this pair

They're from local brand, Janilyn. I sincerely hope these shoes don't fail her on Prom Night. As a precaution, I'll be rubbing certain areas with candle wax so the shoes don't "kill" her on Saturday. 

I'm so happy we were able to reach a compromise. I've always believed that only kids, pregnant women and senior citizens can wear flats to formal events. But my 16-year old isn't a fan of heels unlike her friends and other girls her age. 

My Cinderelly has found her glass slippers so we can rest the entire week yay!

What I Wore To My Own Prom

A writer friend recently asked me some questions pertaining to Anissa's first prom experience and it got me thinking about my very own Junior Prom more than 25 years ago (cough!).

I always tell people what a challenging time that was because everyone knows how strict and over-protective Daddy was with me. Let's not dwell on that this time. I'm really trying to recall all the other fun details. Like my dress! 

I'm not exactly sure if FUN is the word. If Anissa were to see a photo of me that night, I'm sure I'd be the butt of her jokes. 

I don't remember having a hand in choosing my prom dress. It was all my Mom's decision back then. The dress was flown in by a family member from the US and it was of the RTW kind. I can't recall the brand but it was either Jessica McClintock or Laura Ashley. Those of you in my generation must be getting a feel of what the dress might look like.

I can't find an old photo of me wearing it (and even if I did, I would never share it here hahaha!) but this is the closest I can get

Is anyone laughing now? I can't blame you hahaha! But to me back then, this was the prettiest dress ever. You see, I was a wall flower, a late bloomer. Unlike most girls in my high school batch, I didn't have a steady group of boy friends, I didn't always go to weekend parties (in Manila Polo Club, the Corinthians or Valle Verde clubhouses). So I wanted something simple and conservative. My Mom chose a dress that looked almost like the one in this photo. Except of course it wasn't white.  My dress was in a sky blue shade and the accents were in beige. If I had long hair, I would've looked like Jane Seymour in Somewhere In Time!  

My shoes were from Via Venetto. Yes, they were already a famous shoe store back then! They were super simple pointed beige pumps that looked like this

My purse? Sorry ... that I really have no recollection of. 

My hair and make up were by Budjiwara. Mommies my age, tell me you don't know who Budjiwara is! Hahaha! It was THE salon back then. Much like Emphasis or Henri Calayag today. 

My date was from Lasalle Greenhills (my cousin's group mate), whose name I won't mention because I'm pretty sure he's married with kids by now and we really didn't become friends after the prom. 

The prom was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Makati Avenue, the very same one that's still around today. 

It's always so nice to recall all those fun high school milestones. As my Anissa prepares to go into full prom mode, I can only step back and watch my once little girl blossom into a young lady on Prom Night. I'm so lucky that she has asked me to be this involved in all the preparations. 

Bringing out the tissue soon!

Prom Update : The Dress

A little over a month to go before my big girl's big day (aka the Junior Prom) and we've ticked off one major task : come up with a dress design and choose a designer to execute it. 

She's had all these ideas in her head and in her iPhone for quite sometime now so we had a basic design in mind. All we had to do was bring it to the designer and ask for his inputs. Last Saturday, my SIL and I, along with both our girls who are classmates this year, drove to Quezon City to meet with the person we chose to do their dresses for this much-awaited occasion. The guy (sorry, I won't disclose his name just yet because I'm selfish hehe!) has been doing my SIL's in-laws' formal dresses for years now. I've seen some of his work in photos and one particular dress my SIL wore to a cousin in-law's wedding last year. I wasn't disappointed, so I went with the idea. 

After making us choose from 3 different sketches, here's what we agreed on. It's pretty simple and maybe, there are other girls who chose the same cut and design. I can't be extremely petty about this because there are about 300 of them in the batch. The important thing is, she gets the dress she wants. I'm sure she'll be able to wear it uniquely, regardless of how many others will have one shoulder bared that night. The material swatch for the upper portion of the dress is attached to the sketch. She really is no longer a little girl. I would've chosen a shade of pink for her hee hee. But I was careful not to stick my nose in too much, only sharing my opinion when I was asked. This is HER dress, HER event. I'm lucky enough she wanted me in the Prom Committee because that means I'll be there on the night itself. Otherwise, I'd sit at home like the many other Moms who can only wonder about what's going on. 

I'm both excited and nervous for her, mostly the former. I can't wait to take her to the salon for hair and make up but wait, we need to buy shoes first! We've argued about this before because I told her she would have to wear heels this time (she absolutely hates high-heeled shoes unlike most of her friends who walk so well in 4-inch stilettos and platforms). But the designer took her side and said he thinks glittery ballerina flats will go really well with the dress design and the fact that he intends to use 15 yards of tulle for the outer skirt. I was overruled! :p

I'm so glad we got this part out of the way and the designer is now happily shopping for fabric and embellishments. We'll have our first fitting on the last week of January.

More on this soon!