CAST YOUR VOTE!

Prom night, 1979

OK, so the oldest girl is going to the Homecoming Dance with a big group of pals. Is this a thing where you live? The girls all say, "Let's meet at the Homecoming dance!" instead of waiting around for some guy to get up the nerve to ask . So the guys don't bother asking, because the girls all have plans to go with their girl friends. Sometimes the boys actually go to the dance and meet up with the girls, but sometimes they don't. This doesn't seem to bother the girls at all.

Well -- we went dress shopping this weekend, and it was fun, if traumatic. I'll tell you what -- gone are the days of the Gunne Sax and ballet slippers of our (or at least my) youth. My mom made the prom dress of my dreams from a Gunne Sax pattern; this one was for my sister's beautiful prom dress. They don't sell pinafores and smocked jumpers in my girl's size, unfortunately. If they did, she would eat glass rather than wear one . . . . It makes me sad but in a good way.

We narrowed the choices down from eleventy-two to six, and now we have some serious decisions to make. And here is where my girl and I need your help! Check out the finalists that my girl with the sophisticated taste chose and cast your vote for the perfect Homecoming dress. Here are the choices (in the order she tried them on at the mall -- along with several hundred other teen-aged beauty queens):

Number 1: the simplicity of black and white (this year's theme) plus it's strapless which will make her father berserk -- so that's good.

Number 2: She looked great in this color, but it had a tulle underskirt = itchy. Is the beauty worth the pain? I think we all know the answer.

Number 3: Very subtle shimmer in the fabric of this stunning dress made it catch the eye of everyone in the dressing room. Again with the strapless -- and is it a little short for a fifteen-year-old? A dilemma.

Number 4: Lovely, sophisticated dress -- with the vague worry that the flowy white scarfy thing will get dunked into the dip.

Number 5: A non-starter. She came out of the dressing room and said, "Michelle Obama would look great in this dress." She decreed that it's too old for her -- in a mom way, which is bad (sorry moms, including Mrs. Obama!).

Number 6: You can't see because of the sketchy photograph (sorry!) but this dress had very pretty vertical sequin stripes.

Number 7: Very sassy and fun, but uh-oh! Tulle netting: again with the itchy!

OK! Cast your votes and we'll see what we come up with! Thanks for the help -- we really need some decision-making mojo!