Gotta Love those Baby Blue Tuxedos
Written: May 04 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Vintage photographs that will bring back a lot of memories.
Cons: May make some of us feel our age. Also short on more explanatory text.
The Bottom Line: This is a fun book. It's good to make one laugh at the memories.
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| abhaille's Full Review: Prom Night: The Best Night of Your Life |
Prom season is upon us and what's in style will be revealed next Saturday night. I know the girls are going for jewel tones for their dresses. That is so different from the lime sherbet colored halter dress I wore in 1976.
I saw this little book and just had to pick it up. There is not a lot of text, but the photos are hilarious.
The author gives a brief discussion of the evolution of what we now call prom--"The Best Night of Your Life."
One fact that I was unaware of was that in 1886 short dinner jackets for formal parties became all the rage after their appearance at the Tuxedo Club in New York. The term "prom" evolved from promenade which is a formal dance or ball. The practice in the 1890's became a way for eligible young college men to "interview" society girls in a highly social setting. The prize at the end of the week could be a marriage proposal.
Into the 20th century, the prom became an ultimate social event. What follows in this book is a collection of photographs of young people dressed to the hilt, posing for those pictures destined to decorate the mantle of the parents' fireplaces for years to come.
The photos are dated from 1946 to 1987 and include what I believe are the author's sister and also her parents.
Some of the photos are the more formal type taken at the dance, but many are ones taken out by the car or the garage, or in front of the ever present fireplace or in front of a themed painted prop. I must say that I enjoyed the ones from my own era the most. I can't believe that the boys really wore their hair like that--so fluffy and bushy.
The tuxedos run the gamut from very elegant and traditional cuts to "western" style polyester suits in pastel colors. The hair goes from buzz cuts to mullets for the boys.
The girls' dresses also range from formal length gingham and ribbons to zebra-stripes mini dresses to Gunne Sax (so popular in my day) to strapless and sleek to Jackie O chic.
Ever present are the corsages and boutonnières. Following the dates on the photos (which are presented in no particular order) the choice of boutonnière seems to evolve from carnation to rose. The corsages and bouquets vary greatly from daisies to orchids to baby rose buds.
For the most part, the couples look very happy and confident. There are only a couple of apprehensive faces to be found.
I really didn't have a great time at my prom. My boyfriend didn't want to dance, and holy cow, what is a dance for if not to dance? What is so funny that visiting his mother in the last five years, I saw that our prom picture was still prominently featured on the bookshelf.
My own children seemed to enjoy this rite of passage, in varying degrees of traditional or non-traditional. My favorite was the "Scarlett and Rhett" getup donned by my daughter and her date as they waltzed around the dance floor in 2002. You should have seen her trying to get the hoop skirt into the jag convertible.
What is not discussed here are the variety of "alternative" proms that serve young people who pursue alternative lifestyles that would make them unwelcome at traditional proms.
Overall, this is a fun little book. The photos will amuse and entertain almost any reader that ever attended Prom Night.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
abhaille
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Location: Republic of Texas
Reviews written: 223
Trusted by: 101 members
About Me:
I've learned that the hardest to love are likely those that need love the most.
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