While you generally wear shorter dresses to Homecoming, you can wear so many different styles and hemlines to Prom, it’s unimaginable.

Image by SnapperCR29 via Flickr

The length of your prom dress is determined by the distance from the bottom of the hemline to the ground. Typically, for more formal occasions like Prom, you want a longer gown.  Common prom dress lengths include floor length gowns, ankle length gowns, tea length dresses, cocktail or mini dresses, or the newly popular hi-low hemline dresses.

The Different Prom Dress Lengths for Your Body Type

Preparing for prom seems overwhelming which is why now is the perfect time to start. While trends may change each year, it’s most important to find a prom dress that flatters your body type and that often begins with the length of the dress, as certain styles flatter petite girls while others were made for taller teens. Now is the time to look through your fashion magazines or shop online or in store to see our latest collection at the Prom Dress Shop. We carry every kind of style and dress length imaginable.

• Floor length-This style is ideal for ultra formal gowns, and the key here is that the dress must touch the floor or even include a small train. These kinds of hemlines were made for taller teen girls, but shorter, petite girls can pull this look off too with some platform shoes.

• Tea length-Tea Length dresses fall right near your calf, around four to six inches past your knee. While they’re becoming a trendier choice for formal wear, shorter girls should avoid them. This is because it makes you look even shorter and stockier because of where the hemline hits. However, with the right neckline, especially a plunging one, they look flattering on nearly everyone else.

• Cocktail Dresses- This versatile dress length hits a few inches above the knee and works with flared or straight skirts. Teen girls with an apple or pear body type look flattering in a flared shorter prom dress. This type show off their curves nicely while hiding and skirting their rounder areas appropriately. Teen girls with hour-glass figures can wear bandage type prom dresses as they’ll fill out the dress in just the right places.

• Minis- If you have lean legs, these are the hemlines for you. Just remember to do the fingertip test, which is to stand up tall, and if the dress hemline is longer than your fingertips, it’s a safe bet.We carry a fabulous collection of white prom dresses, including a fitted shortsilhouette by Blush, complete with stunning beadwork and a sexy keyhole cut-out in the back.

• Hi-low hemline- This newer dress style has heightened in its popularity because it allows you to wear two different kinds of hemlines, one almost floor-length in the back, and one closer to a mini or cocktail length in the front. This prom dress length looks flattering on most body types, especially petite teen girls as these asymmetrical hemlines allow you to show off some leg while still donning a long skirt. Taller teens appreciate this hemline too as it flows with them beautifully and doesn’t just leave their ankles sticking out.

Now you have learned everything you need to know about prom dress hemlines. So which ones have you found work the best for you and your body type?