Prom night is an extremely important event in many teenagers’ lives, so deciding what to wear should be well thought out. Odds are, both you and your friends will be looking at pictures taken on the night for many years to come. Deciding on what type of dress you want to wear for the night is a logical first step. Will it be elegant and classic or do you want a more mature look? Do you want to be flirty and fun or over the top sexy and alluring? Do you want something dark and unusual, gothic perhaps, or sporty and understated? There are so many great prom gowns and styles to choose from. Make sure the prom gown you choose is one you will feel comfortable in and will be excited to show off to your friends and your date.

Let your Personality shine through

Choosing your prom dress is about more than just pointing at a picture in a magazine. Remember that your dress must suit not only your personality; it must also suit your body shape and figure. Your prom gown should be age appropriate as well. Your prom dress should be unique, you don’t want to arrive and find three other girls wearing the same dress! However, the most important choice is the color as it has to suit your skin tone as best it can if you want to enhance your natural beauty.

Trend Setting

Color is timeless, but certain colors come and go with trends. What is in vogue this year will not be the same as last year, and a good way to decide what is this years color choices is to see what the stars are wearing on the red carpet, they have their finger on pulse when it comes to the latest trends. The classic black dress is a safe bet, but black may make you look washed out or plain, so be careful when choosing the "old stand-by".

Why not set a trend of your own and pick a color that while not be in vogue will make you stand out in a crowd? Choose a color that will make you look as beautiful as possible. If you choose your prom gown in a color that is flattering to your skin tone you will ‘pop’ on the night. Forget about what the fashion trends are saying, if the fashionable colors do not suit you; don’t be afraid to go against the grain. What you want is to look your best.

Doing your homework

Start by asking yourself what color appeals to you, do you want something bright and fun or do you want something subdued? Do you want dark evening colors or pastels? Do you want to shimmer in gold and jewel colors or do you want to combine two or more colors?

Once you have decided on this think about how these colors will affect the tone of your skin, will they enhance it or undermine it? One way you could tell is by looking at pictures of other people who have a similar skin tone, eye and hair color. See what they are wearing and how certain colors affect their look.

What will certainly help you in your decision is if you understand your skin tone. A very simple rule of thumb is that dark and medium skin tones should steer clear of browns, blacks and oranges and fair people should avoid whites and pastels.

If you are not sure what your skin tone is, try holding something white against your face in natural light, then see if you can find either yellowish or brown tinges to your skin or perhaps blue and pink tinges. Skin tones are known to be either cool or warm, so if your skin has yellowish or brown tinges then your skin tone is known to be warm. If your skin has undertones of blue or pink then your skin tone is known to be cool. Cool skin tones look best in earth colors like reds, browns and yellows while warm skin tones look fantastic in blues, pinks, purples and greens.

This may be a difficult way for you to ascertain your skin tone, so there is another way that can help decide your prom dress; look carefully at your eyes. Traditionally eyes are blue, green or brown, but if you look carefully, you will see flecks and variations of other colors. If you have brown eyes you may see flecks of green and of you try matching your prom dress to this color variation it can be extremely flattering.

If this doesn’t work for you try looking at the clothes you have hanging in your wardrobe. Think about the colors that have earned you the most compliments, look for a common color trend, for instance, that red dress everyone raves about when you wear it. If this is the color that is most complimentary, then you can safely assume that it will be a good choice on the night. After all, your prom night is something you will look back on forever, and you want to make sure that your pictures reflect and capture your beauty.