winter formal: bow pumps

I love bows. In my hair, on my clothes, I'm never one to shy away from this girly embellishment. For a high school formal, a high pump with a bow is the perfect shoe to add to a festive dress.

As a petite lady, I don't believe I ever removed my shoes at a dance. Why would I? I love my shoes, and they're a part of my outfit... I just never got that whole thing. I guess it helps with the dancing, but the last thing I want when I'm dancing is to have my bare foot pierced by someone's stiletto! Therefore, the shoes should be comfortable. This doesn't mean a kitten heel. Please, never a kitten heel with a party dress. Ankle straps, platforms and high quality shoes can help with this.

Don't be afraid to let your shoes shine, either. Just because a dress has sparkle, or print, doesn't mean the shoes have to be dull. Just don't contrast with the dress (unless you're a master fashionista and want to do like, a polka dress with a leopard shoe or something, in which case... do it!).

winter formal: short sleeves

One of the main pieces of advice I give my sisters when helping them shop for events is to avoid the obvious, think about what other people would wear, and choose something different. It's not meant to be rebellious, I just feel like if you're going to put time and effort into shopping and getting ready, it's better to look unique and be a trendsetter than to blend in with all the other beautiful girls. Last week, I talked about color and material and showed a variety of metallic and sparkly dresses. Today, I'm focusing on sleeves as part of a silhouette.

These dresses all have short or cap sleeves and still look young and fun. A short sleeve is a cute option because it's kind of tongue in cheek. Most high schoolers' fashion sense is based around being hot. They're all "Ooh look! I have a grownup body now but haven't gone to college and drank 5 lbs. onto my thighs." It's all about pushing up the boobs and covering the legal minimum of leg. I hate it because telling a highschooler to wear actual sleeves to a formal is like telling them to put on a turtleneck. On the other hand, it gives the stylish highschooler an opportunity to stand out. It's always the fashion-forward dresses, not the slutty ones, that get the attention and compliments. I swear, nobody will even notice the extra two inches of covered skin.

P.S. Like all Doux Rousse posts, the photos are all linked to their original source. In many cases, that is the retail site where they can be purchased.

winter formal: part one

My baby sister is a junior in high school and has her winter formal in December. I love getting her, and my other sister when she was in high school, ready for their dances. It's quite the process, starting weeks before the event and involving lots of forwading e-mails, weekend shopping and closet raiding.

It's helpful to start from the beginning with some obvious dress choices. The formal comes right in the middle of the holiday season, so sparkle and shine is an easy jumping-off point. I try to avoid putting them in anything overly trendy, or something someone else might be wearing, since their age group is weirdly obsessed with pictures, Facebook, etc. and I don't want them to cringe when they look back at the photos.

I prefer a shorter dress and like experimenting with sleeves, necklines, backs and skirt silhouettes. A lot of the girls their age end up in straight tube tops with bell or bandage skirts, so I think it's fun to mix things up for them.

Check back soon to see different options for high school formal dresses.