Prom fashion from 1994 according to Seventeen

[jeaniebueller]

I am fairly certain I had this particular issue. I remember some of these ads. I loved the prom issues!

pictorial.jezebel.com/sequins-and-off-the-shoulder-sleeves-all-the-hottest-p-1768127607

Dig out your blue eyeshadow, your body glitter and your Aqua Net, because it’s time for PROM WEEK on Pictorial.


The March 1994 edition of Seventeen magazine might have featured the one and only Joey Lawrence as its cover boy, but make no mistake: This issue was about prom, prom, and more prom.

The staff of Seventeen clearly set out to answer any and all questions their readers might have about this most major of high-school milestones. There are spreads on prom hairstyles; prom makeup; “pre-prom pampering at a day spa”; “sporty,” “sophisticated,” “unique,” and “budget” prom makeovers; and, of course, dresses modeled alongside “TV’s hottest guys.” For the record that feature includes Joey Lawrence, Mario Lopez, and a bunch of dudes I don’t recognize.

There’s also a package headlined “Totally Prom,” which offers all manner of guidance, promising: “Absolutely everything you need to know about going. Not going. Date-getting. Cost-counting. Drinking. Driving. Sex. And having fun.” They even got two cents from a college sophomore who didn’t go and didn’t regret it:


My parents were like, “You’ll regret this,” but I don’t at all. My friends spent a ton of money to go and ended up kind of bored. Meanwhile, a friend and I watched a whole bunch of cheesy old prom movies and laughed our heads off. We also went out and ate a ton of pancakes.

There’s also a bit of advice for a young woman worried her date will expect sex: “If he pressures you again on prom night, stick to your decision and don’t make up excuses. ‘Saying you have your period or don’t feel well negates your right to ask your date to respect your feelings,’ says Dr. Eagle. ‘You always have a right to say no.’”

Naturally, there were plenty of marketers looking to make their prom-specific pitch to the teens of America.

L.A. Looks apparently pioneered the doge joke format.

But the real gems are the ads from various formalwear makers. Please, feast your eyes upon the hottest prom styles of 1994. Sequins, off-the-shoulder sleeves, slit skirts, keyhole necklines, more sequins—truly a wonderful time for teen formalwear.


This particular prom is apparently being held at some hall of faux Egyptian antiquities.

SMH at the only girl from the crew who actually brought a date instead of going as a group like we planned, Cindy

Jessica McClintock was betting on some bold looks this year. Please note that the most conservative looks are exclusive to Dillard’s.

There is no way this woman is a teenager.

In fact, this might be the only actual teenager in the magazine. Maybe.

More pictures at the link.....

[ttt]

omg I totally had that issue of Seventeen with Joey Lawrence on the cover.

[AJL]

Joey!

[Vespasia]

I think everyone should go home tonight and pull out their Homecoming and Prom photos for show and tell.

[spindle92]

LMAO. the last picture of the purple dress is very similar to the dress I wore except mine did not have a poufy skirt, and it was white.

[ttt]

Most of these dresses look downright matronly compared to what girls wear today. Man.

[jeaniebueller]

Mar 31, 2016 12:59:54 GMT -5 Vespasia said:

I think everyone should go home tonight and pull out their Homecoming and Prom photos for show and tell.

Around my freshman year of college, I ditched all of my stockpiled Seventeen issues. I would pay good money to still have them!

[AJL]

I went to prom in 1996. My mom made my prom outfit - long black fishtail skirt with a red dupioni silk fitted jacket. It had vintage rhinestone buttons up the front and I wore my hair like this except I'm brunette (I know this is Reese Witherspoon but her hair is a la Veronica Lake) -

[aurora]

I don't know how you managed to miss posting the rainbow sequin dresses!

[Alyssa]

Mar 31, 2016 13:14:11 GMT -5 AJL said:

I went to prom in 1996. My mom made my prom outfit - long black fishtail skirt with a red dupioni silk fitted jacket. It had vintage rhinestone buttons up the front and I wore my hair like this except I'm brunette (I know this is Reese Witherspoon but her hair is a la Veronica Lake) -

I went for that hair style too.  I think I was maybe a senior or junior at the time...so somewhere around '97-'98.


I also had a Jessica McClintock dress that looked like these....



Mine was black with white embroidery.  I also went with the black satin gloves.  That hairstyle on the woman on the left wearing the gold dress was also what I did with my hair.

[Velar Fricative]

I looooooooved my Seventeen Mag prom issue. I wish I kept it. I can't remember who was on the cover though, since I was too young for the Joey Lawrence cover.

I went to my senior prom in 2000 (we didn't have junior proms or whatever). My dress was a periwinkle monstrosity from David's Bridal. My hair was an even worse monstrosity, but in the year 2000 I thought I looked pretty cool.

Also, are those two girls in the first pic celebrities (or, in 1994, future celebrities)? They look so familiar, especially the blonde. But I don't see any names on the page.

[saz]

I'm actually surprised how many of these styles are coming back - not the overall look but some of the details are really current looking.

[stephogirl]

I TOTALLY remember looking at these dresses in this magazine!! Specifically the midriff-baring dresses and chuckling to myself at my mom's likely reaction if I chose one of them to wear to prom.

[mdgirl]

I was a YM girl myself, but I think some of the ads were the same because they look familiar.

[jigsy]

I was still a kid in the 90's. but my older sister was this target age so I loved looking at these. I thought a dress with a slit in it was the height of sophistication.

[ESF]

Mar 31, 2016 12:57:25 GMT -5 ttt said:

omg I totally had that issue of Seventeen with Joey Lawrence on the cover.

I not only had that issue, but I had that prom dress.

[rootbeerfloat]

My prom dress in 1994 was like the short black one in the third picture, except dark blue.

Mar 31, 2016 12:53:00 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

And in 1993, I wore off-the-shoulder red velvet. LOL forever.

[taratru]

Those black and white Jessica McClintock's were to DIE for.

[marriedfilingjoint]

I was reading Teen in 1994, I didn't graduate to Seventeen until maybe 1996 or 1997. The prom issues were the best. I never loved the dresses, though. I turned my nose up at department store dresses. Teenage MFJ was kind of a snooty B. I got my dresses at the bridal boutique where you register your dress so that no one else at your prom can also buy it.

[sparkythelawyer]

My prom dress (hey there, time machine transport to 1996!) was a Black and white Jessica McClintock. So stylish. :-)

[regencygirl]

Mar 31, 2016 12:53:00 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

SMH at the only girl from the crew who actually brought a date instead of going as a group like we planned, Cindy

Jessica McClintock was betting on some bold looks this year. Please note that the most conservative looks are exclusive to Dillard’s.

I had that top dress in white for my junior prom in 1995.  One of my friends wore the long black with white top or something very similar to our senior prom in '96. 

[elleblue]

Ha, one of my prom dresses was similar to the second red dress from the left, though it wasn't sequined. I thought I was so sexy! And I even had dyed red shoes to match. 

[wawa]

Mar 31, 2016 13:22:48 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

I looooooooved my Seventeen Mag prom issue. I wish I kept it. I can't remember who was on the cover though, since I was too young for the Joey Lawrence cover.

I went to my senior prom in 2000 (we didn't have junior proms or whatever). My dress was a periwinkle monstrosity from David's Bridal. My hair was an even worse monstrosity, but in the year 2000 I thought I looked pretty cool.

Also, are those two girls in the first pic celebrities (or, in 1994, future celebrities)? They look so familiar, especially the blonde. But I don't see any names on the page.

I also went to prom in 2000. I was a junior but my boyfriend was a senior. My dress was awesome. I still love it. Slinky backless sparkly black number. Aww yeah.

And the blond looks like ali Larter to me. Wiki says she was a teen model, so could be.

[marriedfilingjoint]

This dress in the comments? Since western NC is 3-6 years behind everyone else in fashion, these spaghetti strap dresses were all the rage for prom and formal when I was in high school (1997-2001). I wore one to Juniorettes formal one year with chunky heels from dELiAs.

[pixy0stix]

One of the girls in my class wore that black/white star/moons sequins dress.

I had an older/thrifted sea green dress from the 80s for my prom dress in 1994.

[elleblue]

Mar 31, 2016 14:20:24 GMT -5 wawa said:

And the blond looks like ali Larter to me. Wiki says she was a teen model, so could be.

I thought the same thing. I think it is Ali Larter. 

[osulori]

Velar Fricative, the blonde is Ali Larter. Has to be. The other girl looks familiar too but I can't place her.

[claudiajean]

Mar 31, 2016 14:18:14 GMT -5 elleblue said:

Ha, one of my prom dresses was similar to the second red dress from the left, though it wasn't sequined. I thought I was so sexy! And I even had dyed red shoes to match. 

Well, of course you did. It would look ridiculous without dyed red shoes.

[bellejar]

I graduated from high school in 1994 and all I can say is "yep." I also had that issue.

[Skyesthelimit1212]

Mar 31, 2016 14:18:14 GMT -5 elleblue said:

Ha, one of my prom dresses was similar to the second red dress from the left, though it wasn't sequined. I thought I was so sexy! And I even had dyed red shoes to match. 

I'm wondeiing what girl wore the wedding dress to prom, lol.

My prom was 93, if I had to do all over again, I so wouldn't have gone.   We had local prom store, All That Glitters, they would put on a fashion show every year at the high school for the Sr. prom, so cheesy, lol.