Month: September 2015

The Question of “Plus Sizes”

| VirtuousProm

One of the questions we often get asked is if we charge more for plus sizes. The short answer is no, absolutely not; but we get asked this question often enough that we wanted to write about why we choose not to.

We at Virtuous Prom choose not to charge more for plus sizes because we firmly believe that the message Fashion as an industry sends is wrong and in some cases dangerous and fatal. The Fashion Industry tells women (and girls) that they are not enough – not thin enough, not tan enough, not beautiful enough. They do this for one reason – greed. The worse you feel about you goes hand in hand with their ability to convince you that if you buy their product you too will be happy, thin and good enough.

We believe the exact opposite. We believe you’re beautiful as you are and perfect in your imperfections. Not everyone is a size 2, 0 or a 00 and that’s just fine! We’re all uniquely made and we believe there is beauty in diversity. That’s part of the reason we love working with models of all shapes and sizes.

Ella6
Bailey

Rose

The message the Fashion Industry sends isn’t just wrong – it’s dangerous. We’ve all heard stories of women who have died or been seriously harmed by anorexia, laxative abuse or bulimia. There have even been documented cases of anorexia in girls as young as eight.

We can’t drown out the message the Fashion Industry sends overnight, but we’re doing our best to send out a more positive message – that each girl is beautiful just as she is and that we celebrate the beauty of diversity. Part of how we affirm that is by not charging more for “plus sizes.” In all honestly, that’s not even a term we use.

So do we charge more for “plus sizes”? Absolutely not!

Virtuous Prom Color Guide

| VirtuousProm

Sequins2

Please note that colors may appear slightly differently on different monitors and on different textiles. For example, Mermaid Green in sequins (as seen in our dress Bailey) is slightly darker than in the organza used in our dress Avril. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at virtuousprom@gmail.com

Avoiding Dress Stress

| VirtuousProm

It’s that time of year where around the country, down every school hall, girls nervously await being asked to homecoming.

Ella2

Rumors fly, expectations are set and then the waiting begins… and goes on… and on… and on….

For most teenage boys, asking out their crush is a daunting task. It takes a lot of courage to ask a girl you consider amazing and beautiful to spend time with you – especially a whole evening when expectations are unavoidably high.

I was never a teenage boy, so I can’t fully attest to their struggle, but I do remember asking out my crush to my school’s dance. Nate was home schooled, sweet and incredibly good looking. We knew each other casually from church, but as I picked up the phone to call to ask him to the dance, I felt my stomach drop out and my heart beat like a jackhammer. Nate fortunately said yes, but ladies, let me tell you – the experience was traumatic nonetheless!

As you’re waiting to be asked, just remember how hard it is for all of us to put ourselves out on the line and risk rejection. Be patient. And in the meantime, set yourself up for success by avoiding what I’ve lovingly termed “dress stress.”

Dress Stress/ [dres] [stres]/noun

Definition:

  1. Waiting until the last moment for your crush to ask you to the dance, only to discover finding an appropriate dress is nearly impossible due to shortness of time.

Around this time of year, I get quite a few clients experiencing “dress stress.” They’ve just been asked to the dance (hooray!) but the lack of time to find a dress in addition to the struggle of finding modest formals in general leads to severe “dress stress.”

How does one avoid this? Get your dress early of course! I know traditionally most girls want to go with a date, but most of my high school dance experiences were with a group of my girlfriends and we had a blast! In fact, I think in some ways we had more fun – we could fully be ourselves, didn’t have to stress about the question of a good night kiss and we just had a good time.

6 - Crystal, Joli, Knox, Le Fleur

Going with a date, especially your crush can be amazing. But going with a group of friends can be just as fun. So get your dress early and if Mr. Perfect plucks up his courage, hooray! You’re already ready. If not, you have a gorgeous dress hanging in your closet and a great night already planned with your besties, which, in my book beats staying at home dejected the night of the dance any day of the week!