Fearless Fashion: My Plus Size Prom Do-Over

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Memories are the key, not to the past, but to the future. ~ Corrie Ten Boom

Oh, the prom. It wasn't a total bad experience for me. But finding a dress was a major mission and that is something I will never forget.

I didn't know it back then but my prom experience was a prologue to who I was becoming... confident, secure and driven. When I look back, I smile because I had such a fearless attitude back then and didn't let anything hold me back from doing what I wanted to do.

I couldn't afford a designer/custom prom dress and couldn't find one in stores that fit me like my thinner friends could. The year was 1988 and my options at the time were Lane Bryant, Avenue (called "Sizes Unlimited" back then), May's and Alexander's.

After having no luck, I decided to wear my white confirmation dress that had been sitting in a garment bag for a year -- my mom found my dress at a bridal shop and it worked perfectly for me. It was the prettiest dress I owned and I felt beautiful in it... it was lace and satin and had a mermaid silhouette. I also wore my satin white pumps from my confirmation. Borrowed a clutch from my mom and I was ready, with my Salt N' Pepa asymmetrical haircut, cat eye and red lipstick.

I had no date and my dad drove me in his white Nova that had the front bumper falling off. But I went to my prom, held my head up high and walked in like I owned the place. I had so much fun, danced with some friends and then went home, feeling great that I decided to go. It felt empowering. I mean, who wears a wedding dress to a prom? Me, LOL.

Fast forward almost 30 years later and I got the opportunity to relive my prom again when Full Figured Fashion Week added a plus size prom event to their schedule.

This time, I wanted to get the dress that I wanted and that would certainly not be a wedding dress. I wanted something different and unique. And that's when the amazing Hannah Olsen of Hannah Caroline Couture stepped in.

Hannah is an up-and-coming fashion designer that passionately believes in inclusive fashion. She wants to offer clothing to every woman. She offers standardized sizing up to a 5X but will also do custom work as well. What I loved about working with her on my dress was that she made sure I was part of the process at every step. I chose my fabric, told her what silhouette I wanted and etc.

I love prints so I wanted to incorporate that in with a bold color.



We did everything virtually since I am based in New York and Hannah in Nebraska. I loved her attention to detail and honest opinions/answers to all my questions.

When I received my dress, I was in love. It was a dress I envisioned in my head that came to life. The prom event had a masquerade theme so I loved how the dress paired with my mask looked amazing.

I also connected with the wonderful Cameo Mccottrell-Phillips through Hannah, who is also a fashion designer and makes the most wonderful custom clutches under her Cameo de Bore brand. When she heard I was getting a dress made by Hannah, she offered to create a matching custom clutch for me.


I LOVED my look and had an amazing time at the prom event. I didn't have a date like last time but that's okay. I saw friends and had fun regardless. I never let me lacking a date, stop me from going anywhere.



I wore my blinged out sandals from Avenue (Indie Glass v-Strap Wedge Sandal) and opted for some subtle accessories. The dress makes a statement on its own.





You can never go wrong with getting custom made clothing. You may think it's not affordable but I assure you, it's well worth it AND some designers will work with you according to your budget. All you have to do is ask.

A special thank you to Hannah and Cameo for making my plus size prom do-over an amazing time and a night to remember.

You can check out Hannah Caroline Couture at http://www.hccdesign.co/

You can check out Cameo de Bore at http://cameodebore.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CameoDeBore. Sometimes Cameo will show new products and sales on her Facebook page so it's well worth it to follow her on FB.

I love my prom dress so much and it's so cozy that I want to wear it every day. So If you see me in the supermarket wearing this dress, that's why. :-)

1 comment

  1. Hi Marcy, you looks gorgeous. thank you for sharing you lovely fashion post.
    Rachel Gregory

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