100 Years of Prom Dresses | Glamour

Take a look back with us at the last century of prom dresses, from the drop-waist velvet dresses of the 1930s to the ultra-poofy dresses with over-the-top bows and ruffles from the '80s, inspired by teen movies like 'Sixteen Candles' and 'Pretty in Pink.' We also take a look at the minimalistic pieces from the '90s inspired by the iconic slip dress look by Calvin Klein that were modeled by stars like Julia Stiles and and Rachel Leigh Cook in '10 Things I Hate About You' and 'She's All That.'
Still haven’t subscribed to Glamour on KZbin? ►► bit.ly/2gYlQqe

[@jenniferfreese6816]

love how most of the "reference photos" for the later decades are either celebrities/red carpet events or movies, because that screams "typical teen" so well lmao

[@irenevalbuena6417]

So like, what happened to all the undergarments that make these dresses actually look nice and have the actual silhouette of the era???

[@niseplank4527]

Yeah, they weren't trying very hard.

[@rainbowpuppet77]

THANK YOU

[@confusedpotato5535]

The models, while beautiful, we're too tall for a lot of the styles, and I promise, off the shoulders was NOT a thing outside Hollywood in the 30's! Simply put, the models were too tall, so most of the dresses didn't fit properly.

[@cmarie1209]

And why did they make the models walk out in shapewear instead of in the dress?

[@niseplank4527]

@@confusedpotato5535 that looked like a leftover 80s dress.

[@dl4172]

The 50’s definitely should have had a few petticoats to fill the skirt. Looks totally different without

[@xxxxcubbyxxxx]

I actually collect 1950s prom dresses.......they were excessively fussy and full.......tons of ruffles........flowers.......bows........tons of tulle and chiffon......flocked organdy.....either worn with a few crinolines or a hoop......

[@pmclaughlin4111]

Too short too

[@VanniSharma]

Who else is just waiting for the fashion history girlies to ROAST this?

[@yesdnillll]

Say more, please. This sounds like something I would be very into

[@khloeknievel3874]

I run a vintage clothing boutique and this video made my eyes bleed. It would be cool if they hired someone who is at least remotely interested in fashion to consult on these videos.

[@VanniSharma]

@@yesdnillll if you search "karolina zebrowska everything wrong with" you'll get the sort of video I was thinking about. She's made a few and then the algorithm will probably recommend similar ones by other creators too

[@Groganee]

Haha me too, just a few seconds in and the 1930's dress is hurting my eyes, it's a 1980s dress they didn't even bother 😂

[@yesdnillll]

@@VanniSharma ohhh!! Thanks!

[@Msdizzylizzie]

I graduated in '03 and at my prom we practically all had ball gowns. Big, puffy, sparkly, ball gowns 🤣

[@mastersnet18]

I know right? I graduated in 07 and it was the same. Many girls got quinceanera dresses for prom to get that poofy skirt. They should have kept the consistency at least and showed 2 options for the 2000s and 2010s.

[@bethanyhutchinson6714]

05 graduate here and I wore a ball gown, as did most of my friends. It was a sea of multi colored tulle on the dance floor! 😂

[@milatequila1657]

Unfortunately they’re terrible at being historically accurate, lots of people into historical fashion have the same problem with them, the looks are too generalized and inaccurate for the decade

[@myladycasagrande863]

I also graduated in '03; wondering how they missed the one-strap look - it was sooooooo popular in the early '00's!

[@ellastreets4579]

Yes! I was in ‘07 and a lot of my friends had ballgowns with pickups! Remember the pickups skirt look?!

[@brandyloutherback9288]

A for Effort? All the undergarments were super modern! In the 30s Bras were indended to lift and support together with tap pants and girdles. In the 40s Cone bras emerged, as well as all in one corsets, important for the hour glass figure of the time. The 1950s was a continuation of the 40s with more exaggerated Bullet bras. In the 1960s: Less exaggerated cone bras and hip hugger panties with slips! Rigid foundation garments ended in the 70s. In the late 70s and 80s, Corsets were worn as outer garments! Appropriate Undergarments are needed to achieve the silhouette of a particular decade or Era!

[@friendoffrancis]

My thoughts exactly! None of the early dresses fit right because they couldn't be bothered to change the undergarments. The 50s one was the worst. It was shaped in the front for a cone bra. Without it, there were just two flat bags in the front.

[@brandyloutherback9288]

@@friendoffrancis Is it their job to make the early dresses as unappealing as possible, to sell the more modern dresses as desirable?!

[@pmclaughlin4111]

No petticoat or even slips...sort of required at least through the early 70s

[@myladycasagrande863]

​@@brandyloutherback9288 hard to tell, especially considering that the allegedly 1930's dress could have passed for '80's.

[@lygophilia4127]

D for effort.

[@musicisinspration]

The pictures of the dresses were much nicer than anything the models actually put on

[@latinaforever4892]

Agree 100% 👏🏼

[@nadyarek]

because the models didn’t have proper undergarments and people on pictures had. 1950s dress looked really empty in the chest area because it needs a bullet bra.

[@SpongeB00b_is_a_savage]

I remember in 2013 and 2014 all the girls had to dresses that were long and sparkly or by choice, each girl had a flower on their wrist with different colors. They were all so beautiful with makeup and dresses

[@dundee6402]

A lot of it isn't even period accurate. Like that 30s hairstyle was horrific and WAAYY too long for that decade. It's as if they accidentally mixed up the 30s and 40s models and didn't even bother to correct it 🤔🤔

[@justanobodyonyoutube3580]

The fabrics and construction aren’t taht good

[@crazyd0glady295]

In the 2010’s another really popular type of prom dress was the high low skirt. Those where the two you’d see the most at my prom the overly embellished cut out dresses and high lows with big skirts.

[@kyrafoster12]

My senior year prom dress was a high low dress, ending out the trend in 2019

[@Emily-nf9kf]

two piece prom dresses were super popular too!

[@sunshinek8334]

1998-2001 had the Cinderella style dresses, also sometimes called ballroom dresses. I can literally pull out a yearbook with that in it. What was big at the beginning of the 90s was so much different than the end. They left out the late 70s early 80s too. 🤨

[@mvelez5002]

Thank you! Graduated in 2000 and non of those dresses were in style for us. In fact not only were they more ballroom but ours were two piece. That’s what everyone had.

[@SirAgravaine]

A direct response to the Brandy Cinderella imo!

[@jj-if6it]

@@mvelez5002 Yes! A two piece with a fitted metallic bodice and a big poofy skirt haha

[@shelleywoodard9074]

​@@jj-if6it I wore exactly that. I didn't think the 90s were very accurate at all.

[@dmeyer7425]

Yup I went to prom in 1999 and I had a cinderella style dress. Thin strap, corset type top and went into a big poufy ball gown on the bottom.

[@JettyTex]

How is this so bad the first few dresses look nothing like the reference photos and the dress the model wore while the talked about the style in Carrier was literally the opposite fit of what they were saying

[@cqssidyyapss]

well do you really expect them to time travel back to the early 1900s and get a prom dress ?

[@boredangel5788]

​@@cqssidyyapss They are a big channel with tons of money. They could have bought actual historical pieces, which actually exist, or get a seamstress to made them new ones, with the patrons that you can find in online museums or magazines of the era. But no. You know what? Cause the main objective of this kind of videos is to sell the dresses they show in the video. All this dresses are contemporary.

[@SarahB1863]

The early 1970s might have had the "Carrie" style prom dress, but in the late 1970s everything was Southern belle style, very big skirts and lots of ruffles.

[@mollyschmidt5773]

If you are doing 100 years of prom dresses you should have started in the 1920’s Glamour. The 30’s dress is clearly an 80’s prom dress. The 40’s dress looked 30’s. Sloppy research and production

[@eleonore59830]

they always so sloppy tbh, everything looked quite of ill fitting as well

[@bighairedmom]

The 30s dress was polyester! Ridiculous.

[@princesssparkle529]

The """30s"" dress was so 80s man it was ugly. I'm kinda glad they didn't do 20s dresses they always make them short my gosh

[@dundee6402]

Glamour always suck with the earlier decades unfortunately. The 30s hairstyle looks more like a 40s one, and the 40s hairstyle is far more appropriate for the 30s. 🤨🤨

[@toykeyper8914]

The 1980s dresses shown were like an understated version of the real prom dresses worn in the 80s, close but not enough. Needed more and bigger ruffles, more sparkles, shine and puffiness. Maybe some sewn on roses. Super gaudy (yet iconic). And my prom was in 1997 and most of the girls in my school were wearing dresses that looked more like the 2000s.

[@aimee-made]

AND WAY BIGGER HAIR! 😀

[@peachesandcream22]

And also, freaking JEANS JACKET with prom dress!

[@kellyhopson5773]

As someone who went to prom in 2000s , it was being "risque" and "edgy" to wear a two piece "prom dress". My cousin did it, and they bought threw her out of prom and told her she couldn't walk the promenade... So of course the following year, I had to follow suit.

[@keltzy]

My friend managed to get away with a bellydancer outfit for prom in 2005. She brought a nice shawl, just in case she got dress coded, but nobody cared.

[@quantumleap1491]

80s fashion will always be my favorite, the colors, and patterns and styles were so cool.

[@asian6oy]

I LOVE THESE 100 YEAR SERIES SO VERY MUCH 😍

[@thestickman7781]

Same

[@erinboateng5961]

Ikr? Teaches me even more about how culture changes around the world each decade

[@Barbie123624]

I do too

[@insulaarachnid]

I was surprised by the 1930's one, it wasn't the silhouette I was expecting.

[@ingridpear1882]

Me either.

[@maatnofret1234]

It looked like a cheap 80’s dress.

[@AndrewMacLaine]

The whole video was a travesty, but the 1930s one they especially didn't try. The model has 1940s hair and wrong undergarments, not to mention it's made of polyester and doesn't fit. Seeing as the model didn't even turn around, they could have wrapped her in satin lining and pinned it in the back and it would have looked more 1930s than this.

[@williamkazak469]

The 50's and 70's styles looked very good to my eyes.

[@mariahirsi4753]

Carrie dress, 90s and 2010's are timeless beautiful styles

[@Latindama]

Love to see how much fashion has evolved over the decades 😊

[@gongoozleriam9783]

The model who screamed for the Carrie reference understood the assignment 😂👍🏻

[@T.Koetsch]

5:14 Her makeup is perfect! She looks amazing!❤

[@Mykasan]

gosh i love the 70s one. it fits her so well.

[@ingridpear1882]

Back in 2011 the dresses in the bridal boutique windows were moonlight/mother of Pearl colors,sorta a more subdued, irradeceant version of metallic colors that were more turquoise and strong metallic green in the late 2000's . There was a long shimmery, darkish silvery purple v-tank straps,body con dress in the window I remember. And some medium silver shade that weren't my size.

[@nataliemoreland6785]

They left out the early 80's Jessica McClintock "Gunne Sax" dresses!

[@skor14god]

They put it in the wrong decade, the 1930s.

[@kanoko_]

90’s one is soooooo elegant!! I love it❤️❤️🫶🫶

[@MamiTT237]

That’s pretty accurate. I went to prom in 2009, the back was entirely out, the front neckline came down to the belly button and the front had a high slit… it was shiny and Gold! That dress was beautiful!

[@kjk8941]

I love the two 1970s dresses! So elegant, effortless and pretty ❤ definitely my favorites

[@terrysilva6430]

Mine was the ruffles of the 80s that was still popular in 1993 for me and my dress was made of the shiny copper taffeta. Was awesome

[@rebeccab1996]

I went to prom in 2014 and yet the 2000s dress was very similar to the one I wore.

[@Emilia923]

Same for 2013

[@milkhomie4582]

5:39 this ate

[@Myckelin]

1:46 This one even brings back memories of watching Grease. Fantastic!

[@heididepotter8136]

I loved the 1940 s dress and the yellow empire waist dress. My favorites I had "prom" in the 90 s had a simple spaghetti strap dress

[@ColleenJoudrey]

Mine was in '03 but my dress didn't fit the trend of the decade. My class was wearing a sea of embellished bodice and tulle skirted ballgowns in pastels and pinks while I was wearing a bright red Old Hollywood-inspired one shoulder mermaid.

[@Msdizzylizzie]

'03 here, as well. We all had puffy, tulle ball gowns at my prom, too. I wish I would have done a more vintage look. I'm sure you looked stunning. 😃

[@OmgitsNeens]

This is done so poorly. Thank god for the YT historic fashion vloggers.

[@elizabethlevesque6978]

Meme Mom needs to see this ✋😩

[@erinoconnell168]

I love the Jackie O inspired 1960s dress!!

[@mackenzier5094]

They put these very tall models in dresses that fit someone 5 foot tall 🙃🙃

[@aa.r.ya_]

2000’s really was something

[@monsterlapin8412]

The 2010, OMG, I loved it!❤

[@tnetinycreations]

My dress for my Spring 2010 Prom was elegant. I didn't have cutouts in mine at all. It was bright yellow. Almost gold yellow.

[@isabellehansen4807]

I’d have loved to also see matching accessories and shoes with the outfits

[@eleonore59830]

that 40s dress is so ill fitting lmaooo

[@cheesyllama]

Definitely nostalgic for the 2000s (my prom)...and the 80s because I grew up with Pretty in Pink and others!

[@Crafty1006]

1940s hair should have been for the 1930s and 1930s hair should have been for 1940s

[@mari_agzz]

I’m used to these videos ending with the 2010s…now there’s the 2020s

[@michellesantos5571]

80 and 00 were the best,i love it

[@mariposama5950]

Love the 30s & 70s! ❤

[@xoxo_dd886]

Honestly, the 1960s was actually really cute and gorgeous

[@elaineshiffer6929]

there is no way anyone respectable in 1930 showed their shoulders! also no one wore wrist corsages til the 80s or 90s

[@princesssparkle529]

Shoulders were not scandalous in the 1930s... more like early 1830s. nonetheless the dress was horribly inaccurate...

[@willowpate7076]

where's karolina because this is baaaaad

[@Natulle_1998]

Please keep presenting the 20s!!! I love that era!!

[@mastersnet18]

Should do 100 years of shorts!

[@princesssparkle529]

I bet they'd even mess that up

[@divinemrsq]

Where I lived in the early nineties, everyone had a dress that looked like they were going to perform as a trapeze artist😂 rural NE Kentucky.

[@cristinayenw]

2020s should have been a sweater and shorts cause of covid 😭

[@lee3171]

In the 80's it was more of a big full length skirt look. What they showed was more of a tacky bridesmaid dress than a prom dress. The girls wanted to be over the top! There was one girl who showed up in a short cocktail dress and I remeber thinking she was crazy because her dress just wasn't big enough.

[@AveryAli-bl6vf]

I absolutely LOVE the Pretty in Pink dress.

[@chuuu4610]

I did not attend prom in secondary school lol, but I definitely know we weren’t allowed high slight/cut-out dresses.

[@kuntarapukthuanthong3629]

Love the first one!

[@Rein213]

They all looked like a child’s princess dress that we all used to have atleast one of

[@lalalalala334]

2009 we had both the 2000s and 2010s dresses. Yes, people were allowed to wear the 2010s dress

[@amystreasuresdesign]

Um my prom dress in 1991 wasn't like the ones shown for 1990s. It was off the shoulder, similar to the first dress, but that's it. It was fitted to my waist then high low. I got so many compliments on it and my hair and makeup. All of which were done by my sister (who was the one that made my dress).

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

All were very cute :)

[@stanleycoleman]

Fascinating video of our history

[@LuxuriousLenay]

1970s, 2000s and 2010s. My favorite era.

[@cloclowink]

wow tant de beautée ! Merci pour c'est belle découverte

[@amberalden4965]

I miss my elegant black and white prom dress ugh was gorgeous

[@xochiltbucio]

Love these, thank you💕✨👑

[@user-ed9ol1fl8h]

Wish we could go back to wearing ball gowns

[@valerieobehi7107]

I loved the 90’s the most

[@dinaboop]

6:52 This dress! So pretty!

[@mmoriartyy]

I'm pained by the large percentage of inaccuracy here.

[@atSummerDavis]

2010s also included the rise of high low and two piece dresses!!!!

[@johnlogan3908]

The right way to "enter" a dress or gown is OVER HEAD NOT UNDER FOOT!!!!

[@juliea2864]

Glamour magazine didn't used to suck like it does now.

[@MorganHorse]

I went to prom in 2019. Sparkly gold strapless dress.

[@KellyBrown-g6q]

So cute 🥰

[@aimee-made]

Why no Gunny Sax dress? Those were such a big deal in the 1980s!

[@alexandramulford7646]

I love the 60s , 70s, and 80s

[@monicamason3414]

My 1994 dress had shoulder pads and was cream colour. Knee length. Some gauzy material.

[@denisefreitas6727]

Very cool video! Love it! ❤️

[@KellyBrown-g6q]

Gorgeous 1:25

[@elizabethavalos2847]

That 2000s one was definitely more 2010s. And the 2nd 90s one was more 2000s

[@Unicornmazda]

I like the 30s and 50s and 70s ones

[@jillh7934]

Yes i had that slip dress thing in 1998!

[@Ilypookies]

2020 Is my fav

[@anaesanita]

1:45 that's literally Beatrice Horseman's dress lol

[@cherispitzer7115]

Would have loved the dresses to be matched with vintage shoes.

[@rosabellavitaalvarez-calde5836]

As pretty as some of the dresses were, this is one of the most sloppy 100 year specials. Shoes, hair and especially underwear were all ultramodern (19th century dresses in stilettos???) so the shapes looked wrong. The 1950s dress should have had crinolines and several were way shorter than in the historic photos

[@Missgalady]

I graduated in 2007 I had the sweetheart neckline tutu dress

[@lorez5336]

FINALLY THE 2020s ARE SHOWING ON HERE 😭

[@Pss109]

30 60 70 and 90 were the best ones

[@LucyWinterton]

I love this!!!

[@mastersnet18]

Idk why they did 2 dresses for the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2020s, but not the 00s and 10s. That bothers me.

[@danielbergonzi7319]

Why do they have the same bodysuit under?

[@andreathompson-bg4hl]

I always put on my shoes before my dress

[@rachaelcurran6632]

Glamour please remake this but with era-appropriate undergarments/support so the dresses look the way they are supposed to! Where are the petticoats?

[@irawilliams343]

The 1950s was the decade of elegance

[@Hi.011]

I was feeling 80’s 90’s 2010’s LMAOO

[@kirilvelinov7774]

100 years of Chinese hairstyles(probably) 1954:the "black Marilyn" 1964:Hippie style 1974:Long waves 1984:Crimped hair 1994:Pigtails 2004:Red hair(wild era) 2014:Ombre 2024:Messy bun

[@sissylopez4468]

The only dress I liked is the Blue 80s dress at 5:02 and the rainbow 2010s dress at 6:49 however the last ones are alright the rest not my cup of tea.

[@sissylopez4468]

However for the 6:49 dress is beautiful, but I wouldn’t wear it for prom, I will wear it for a photoshoot like for Miami or the Bahamas or Italy if ever go on vacation for those places.