There’s an online debate that surfaces around this time every year, namely, what qualifies as an acceptable homecoming dress. This year is no different, with writer Bethany Mandel kicking off the conversation with the following post on X:

I could weigh into this debate with my own thoughts, for I certainly have them, but we have enough knock-down, drag-out fights online and don’t need another to get our dander up. What we need instead are some good, solid fashion rules to help guide and direct not only the homecoming dress choices of our daughters, but our own fashion decisions. As such, I yield to legendary Hollywood fashion designer Edith Head for the following seven fashion tips, gleaned from her books, “How to Dress for Success” and “The Dress Doctor.”

1. Not Too Tight

If the outfit is extremely figure-hugging, then it might not be the wisest choice. “Don’t let your clothes be fitted too tightly,” Head writes. “Even a perfect figure looks better if it doesn’t resemble a sausage.”

2. Comfort Is King

Does the dress you’re considering buying for that special event seem like something you could wear all night long without dying to get home and rip it off? If not, you may want to choose something else, since an uncomfortable dress will negatively affect your attitude at the event. “Comfort and ease are essential to successful dressing,” Head writes. “The most beautiful dress in the world is a pain in the neck if you can’t be at ease when you wear it.”

3. Fidget-Free

One of the most common comments about today’s homecoming dresses is how often girls are seen pulling the front of the dress up one minute, only to yank it down over their rear ends the next. By Head’s standards, such a dress is not a wise fashion choice:

We have all seen women who seem inordinately self-conscious in their clothes. They pluck at the hem, yank at the sleeves, keep adjusting the neckline or are constantly checking themselves by looking in the mirror. Such women are not at home in their clothes because the clothes are not right for them.

4. Do the Movement Test

To avoid the scenario mentioned in the previous point, Head advises testing each item’s ease of movement in the dressing room before buying:

When you buy a dress don’t look just at the length to see if it fits. Look at the neckline, the waistline, the hips and the shoulders. Does everything hit you at the right places or does it sag, bag, pinch and strain at certain points? Sit down in it. Is the skirt so tight that you’re going to have a permanent ‘seat’ in it after the first wearing? Does the skirt ride up to embarrassing heights when you step into a car or a bus? Raise your arms to see if you will be able to dance or reach up to comb your hair without restraint. Move around in the dress before you buy it, and if you’re not completely comfortable walk away, unless it can be fixed without an astronomical alteration bill.

5. Consider the Length

Ultra short may be in style, but such a style doesn’t do much for the woman wearing it, for as Head observes, “Even the most beautiful legs … look better when the kneecap is covered.”

6. Shape-Soothing Selections

“Does this make me look fat?” is probably the most common question asked before a dressing room mirror. The answer to that question is more likely to be “no” if we take Head’s advice about fabric and color selection: “Stay away from shiny surfaces like satin, sequins or lamé—they only spotlight and highlight extra pounds. Wear solid colors, preferably dark ones.”

7. Be Yourself

We often select an outfit for a special occasion with a mind to “fit in,” hoping to play the part of Cinderella for a night and fool people as to our true natures. But giving little thought to who we really are and how a certain outfit adds or detracts to that personality doesn’t do ourselves any favors. “Clothes cannot hide or disguise your real personality,” Head says. “They should be chosen to highlight it, not fight it. What you wear can enhance your personality and romance it, but never change it.”

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This article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal.

Image credit: Unsplash