Dress to Impress

As Homecoming nears for Charlotte Catholic, the halls are alive with chatter regarding girls’ apparel, possible dates, and recent proposals. As dresses continue to be shipped each day, girls come to school eager to share with their friends pictures of their outfits. Several students wonder if these girls are sharing to validate their opinions or just out of excitement.

The Catholic Chronicle asked girls from each grade to share their dress ideas in order to analyze the overall trends in student preferences. 

Of the freshmen fashionistas surveyed, most plan on wearing strapless, form-fitting, satin dresses. The sophomores, however, reported a greater variety of answers. Numerous dresses did not fall into the category of “form-fitting” or “simple”. 

While the sophomore supermodels managed to escape the “basic” type of dress, their outfits shared similar aspects to those in the freshmen class. While many dresses were still strapless, a vast majority included different necklines, like off-the-shoulder and one-shoulder. Additionally, many of the dresses included unique features such as ruffles, open backs, slits, and tails. 

Polls show that dresses among juniors and seniors were not only more elaborate, but also reflected the wearers’ unique personalities. Their dresses included details like pearls, neck scarves, floral prints, bright colors, cutouts, halter necks, and puffy sleeves. Furthermore, their dresses strayed away from the “typical homecoming look” as many were not skin tight or form-fitting. 

The trends throughout the school suggest that the majority of freshmen strive to “fit in” and hope to achieve this goal through their clothes. It is clear that the pressure to conform is strongest in middle school. As ninth graders transition into high school, the majority carry these traits with them. 

As students continue to mature throughout highschool, they develop a sense of comfort. Somewhere between freshmen and senior year they become more confident to freely express themselves.. 

Every day, students are required to wear a uniform. While this is a strategy to promote unity, homecoming dresses are a way for students to express themselves. As students move into their junior and senior years of highschool, they develop a sense of their own identity. 

Homecoming is a dance, but it allows students to express themselves.  Throughout the years they become more confident in their own taste and judgment. As the freshmen grow, they too will come to the conclusion that self-confidence is more important than trends.