Prom is the one time of the year when upperclassmen can dress up and experience a runway Met Gala moment.  But where does prom come from? The word prom originates from the French word “ Promenade,” which describes a parade. Then, in the 19th century, this word was changed to prom, a formal event hosted in colleges and universities inspired by debutante balls mainly for young women to be introduced to society. This year’s Terra Linda High School prom was held at the Academy of Science in San Francisco. Beyond the aquarium and the chocolate fountain, some of the outfits chosen by students became our favorite attractions. 

  Inspired by the glowing fish tanks, a few individuals showed up on prom night and turned heads with their sparkly, cool-toned, sea themed outfits. One of these individuals was senior Emberly Lopez, who arrived with a deep periwinkle glitter dress that shimmered with every step she took, like a mermaid’s tail gliding through a moonlit sea. While picking the perfect dress, Lopez mentioned how she came across it: “I stumbled upon this dress, which is a bluish purple, and I really liked it. I loved the sparkles, and in the end, it tied in well with the aquarium.” The senior also mentioned how the dress reflected her younger self, “Ever since I was little, I always loved puffy dresses, so this dress kinda connected to my inner child. I honestly just picked what I liked and felt most comfortable with.” 

Another student, senior Hunter Fraser, walked in with a striped button-up with different shades of blue, just like the variety of blues in ocean waves. Fraser briefly speaks on his process while picking the right attire: “I went into the store, and I tried on a few different colors, but blue fits the best.” The reason he went with a more casual outfit was because he thought about it in the long term: “I didn’t want to wear a suit because everyone else would wear a suit, so I wanted to wear something a little different, something I could wear in the future.” 

Another unforgettable look was from senior Emma Onstott, who wore a minty-blue dress with layers that fluttered like fins on a fish. Onstott created her dress from scratch, from designing her vision to sewing it all together. When asked about the inspiration for the dress, she mentioned, “I was inspired by the sequins and layers of color in the Christian Dior Junon dress! It’s my favorite piece of fashion.” She also touched on the process while making this dress, which was quite intense: “Each small piece had to be made separately before being put together all at once at the end, which was a little frightening because I didn’t know if everything would combine well.” This outfit represented her perfectly because she mentioned how the dress was her favorite color, and “I love sparkly things.” 

 Besides individual looks, prom couples seemed to have their own twist, arriving like ocean royalty with their coordinated outfits. One of these couples was senior Rupert Atkins and his partner, who strutted the floor in a bright red dress and a black suit with a red tie, standing out like bright coral in the reefs. Atkins explained how their outfits were all coordinated around her dress, “She chose her dress based on what looked best, and I matched my tie to it. We picked the color because she liked the dress, “ he said. When asked about compromises made during the outfit selection, he needed to make an adjustment: “She did want me to wear a long tie instead of a bowtie, and I chose not to wear the vest.” 

Lastly, one of the cutest couples was senior Megan Buckley and her partner, who nailed their outfits down to the smallest details. They walked in with a light purple long layered dress, a black suit with a matching tie like the jellyfish in the sea. What made their look even more memorable were the DIY aspects added to it. Buckley’s partner had a little touch to his collar that helped pull the look together, and Buckley said: “I found a lipstick that matched his tie to put kiss marks on his collar!” Buckley also added a few special touches throughout her outfit as well: “I made the finger-less gloves and painted my shoes and made my own accessories a few days before prom.” To finish it off, Buckley said, “Our outfits reflected our relationship by showing we were the best couple at prom, duh!” Overall, these outfits represented the creativity and fashion sense of their owners. One thing is for sure: this year’s outfits will be hard to beat!