Tartan Prom dresses for young ladies

[Mike_Oettle]

Well, Lethearen, since you ask, how long should a skirt be?
It is because I am bored by short skirts that I find longer skirts attractive.
And when girls experiment with wearing their skirts shorter, sooner or later the exposure could be indecent.
You have probably seen pictures circulating on the internet of young female celebs who neglected to put on underwear, and were snapped bending down in micro-miniskirts.
Since I am a naturist, I have no problem with nudity per se. But accidental exposure of this kind (assuming it is accidental in the first place) is indecent, and there is no call for it.
Regards,
Mike

[lethearen]

Actually, Mike, I am probably more in your camp than my previous post made it sound. A long dress, done well, can be very alluring and still classy at the same time. And certain events... such as a prom probably should teeter more towards classy. It's a coming-of-age ceremony where all these children are announcing that they are truly adults. For me, this particular instance is less about decency and more about tradition.

I was just challenging whether our notions of propriety (my own as much as yours) are a completely relevant metric to gauge the youth on.

As for how long it should be? Well for a prom I'd be quite happy if they were elegant floor length gowns, but I grudgingly acknowledge those are probably of a bygone age. I probably wouldn't readily approve of my daughter, had I one, wearing a dress to prom that fell higher than a couple inches above her knee. Any son, however, had best be wearing his kilt no shorter than to the top of his knees

Outside of a prom in most settings, I think the "fingertip rule" instituted at some schools is conservative enough. Basically if the young lady holds her hands at her side and her fingertips touch the flesh of her legs, it's too short.

In other situations, such as clubs, shorter skirts may be appropriate. How short? Well, that probably depends on whether it's my 18 yo daughter or someone else's! But in any case, if there's a good chance that someone might inadvertanly discover the colour of her undies, it's probably too short!

[Cygnus]

Since this is a forum dedicated to Highland dress, I decided to see what an authority on the subject had to say on the matter:

"...no woman has legs which are improved by a skirt length above the knee."
C.R. MacKinnon, Scottish Tartans and Highland Dress, Pg. 104

While I don't necessarily agree with Mr. MacKinnon's assessment of women's legs, I do prefer my ladies clad in something a bit longer and classier.

[artificer]

"...no woman has legs which are improved by a skirt length above the knee."
C.R. MacKinnon, Scottish Tartans and Highland Dress, Pg. 104

clearly in the "ankle" camp

I'm assuming our Mr. MacKinnon didn't get out much.

I say it all depends on the woman, AND the skirt.

[Alan H]

Thi sis probably the guy who wrote that quote about "trollopy" kilts being too long. Does he have a clue what the word "trollop"means?

Guys, we can sit here all day long and debate skirt length. The truth of the matter is that we are old fogies, and that the 17-18-19 year old girls will wear what they bluidy well want, no matter what we think. There may be lively discussion in the house if that particular young lady is your daughter, but aside from that, you have no say in it. Your 40-year old wife, no matter how lovely she is, is not going to the high school prom. This thread is really not about our old fogie opinion regarding skirt length.

IN MY LIMITED EXPERIENCE ...meaning the sample size I outlined above, girls are going to wear very short dresses to Prom, nowadays. I'm sure that there are lots of proms where they don't do that as well. But if you want to make a contribution to the thread, then find some pictures of dresses that are appropriate (In your opinion) for a prom, and post them here.

And then, if you want an education, go ask your daughter and her high school girlfriends to critique what we put up in here. I bet any money that most of the girls will be horrified.

[Cygnus]

True enough, Alan, and I agree - It's always great to see a young woman sporting tartan. I may be splitting hairs, but a young woman wearing a tartan prom dress gets a round of applause from me, while a young woman wearing a long tartan gown gets a standing ovation.

Both are good, one is better.

Like this vintage number:

[string]

Like this vintage number:

I want that, not that I have any need of formal wear. I probably shouldn't mention this, but the only tartan I own is a skirt that would be considered by most to be above the line of decency.


Well correction I have some plaid flannel reenacting wear that is always too hot for the events I go to. You can see it here, at the very hem, under the gown, and the wool skirt made out of a blanket, and over yet another skirt if I remember properly. Yay camping in November.

[Mike_Oettle]

Hi, String – while your picture is a little dark and hard to read, what I think I see is a skirt worn with black stockings.
It is far from being indecent.
What is indecent is when a girl allows herself to be seen showing what is underneath the skirt (whether it is underwear or nothing at all).
I do like the look of your re-enacting garment.
Emmnemms, it is not clear to me why you dislike the idea of wearing a dress, but if you prefer to wear trousers that is your affair, for whatever reason.
Tartan is nonetheless an option for you – you could wear tartan pants, a tartan blouse, a tartan waistcoat (vest) or jacket, or an additional piece of tartan like a scarf, a sash, a plaid, a stole or a shawl.
The possibilities are endless!
Regards,
Mike

[Redhawk]

Here is my daughter (in green) and her friends going to prom 2 years ago. I thought they all dressed very well

[Mike_Oettle]

All of them very elegantly dressed, Redhawk, although the lack of tartan is a pity.
Cygnus’s picture of the lass in tartan is lovely, but for that tattoo on her arm. But today’s youngsters think nothing of it. My daughter and her fiancé both sport tattoos.
Regards,
Mike