Has anyone successfully bought a Prom dress for a very small 16 year old?

[Bramshott]

DD2 will turn 16 in the spring and of course Year 11 is all about preparing for Prom choosing the dress etc etc (whether this is a good thing or not is not the topic of this thread, we are where we are). A lot of her friends have been Prom dress shopping already and had lovely days out with their mums in Prom dress boutiques etc.

The problem is that DD2 is very small - the typical size and build of a 10 year old. She is seeing a paediatrician about this, and is on oestrogen tablets but they don't seem to be making a radical difference so far, I guess she will just grow in her own time.

I had made a few suggestions about how I thought we could approach the Prom dress question, partly because I don't think most Prom dresses will fit her, and partly because I am not about to lay out hundreds of pounds on something she will (hopefully!) quickly outgrow. I suggested looking in charity shops, or me making her a dress (I have reasonable dressmaking skills). However, of course she wants the whole Prom dress shopping experience, and got rather tearful about not being able to do the sort of thing her friends are doing.

SO - has anyone had experience of shopping for a Prom dress with a 16 year old who is way smaller than average?! I worry that anything that will fit her will essentially be a child's party dress or bridesmaids dress which is of course not what she wants. Any advice gratefully received.

My DD is just under 5ft, but otherwise a size 8. We knew we wouldn't get what she needed off the shelf so we bought second hand from ebay which saved money for alterations.

One option would be to buy from China? They do made to fit relatively cheaply and are used to doing smaller people anyway? So she could pick the design she wanted and then give the small measurements?

Instead of the 'prom dress shopping experience' (which loads won't actually do) you could do the 'accessory shopping experience' and choose earrings, bag & shoes?

I second @TeenDivided on buying from China- you can generally pick up a made to measure dress for £60-80

Thanks both! Any idea of a reputable site to buy from in China - I've heard stories of stuff not arriving...

Prom is such a big thing these days! I can completely understand why’s she got upset, have you looked at JJs house website, they have girls prom dress section high Insuppose are aimed at younger girls but some of harm are the type of dress some of the girls wore at my daughters prom, I don’t know what your daughter is after but you might see something there. You obviously can’t do the whole trying on but as some of the previous comments have said maybe you could do the whole accessories shop and lunch etc

Have you looked at monsoon, my DD is the same and we brought prom dress from there, just some examples but they have more teenager styles like these

www.monsoon.co.uk/sequin-scuba-prom-dress-blue-41905606.html

www.monsoon.co.uk/eloise-velvet-satin-pleated-prom-dress-blue-41904006.html

www.monsoon.co.uk/glitter-wrap-mariposa-dress-purple-41545933.html

www.monsoon.co.uk/truth-disco-sequin-dress-pink-41519312.html

www.monsoon.co.uk/ombre-sequin-one-shoulder-dress-blue-41524506.html

Also apparently JJhosue know
lets you get 3 dresses and try them on, although they do charge for that!!

Indian clothing shops will do something if there’s one nearby? They often have really nice ball gowns in small sizes (a L can be a size 10 if they get it from India & they can often adjust in-house for height).

I've always been small and couldn't really buy off the peg dresses until
I was in my 20s when some ships started doing petite ranges.

If your DD really is upset about the shopping experience, could you placate her with booking a really good MUA for the Prom?

We bought a dress online for my very petite 16 year old and then I did A LOT of taking in. It was bias cut and so hung well, and my limited sewing skills were adequate.

This one for example looks weird in the pic but it’s amazing on. Several local girls have bought it for prom and none of them are over a size 4 if I’m being generous. Mongas custom tailored it too so they can let it out as they grow larger.

mongas.co.uk/products/gazal52

Another recommendation for JJs House. My DD has had 2 dresses from there. The off the peg match the exact measurements that they give on the website, so you know what you are getting. She is quite small - just over 5' so we did have to get them shortened once they arrived, but expected that.
They do made-to-measure but we didn't risk that. But having had 2 perfectly good treasures I would be tempted.
They are not ridiculously expensive, we didn't have any problems with customs or shipping. Both arrived within 2-3 of ordering.

Omsara also do great prom dresses. www.omsara.co.uk/product-tag/prom-dress/

Oh wow loads more ideas, thank you! I'll check these out.

A friend of DD's had a similar problem - we went prom dress shopping with a couple of friends and their mothers - one of whom knew all the shops.

Can you invite a couple of friends along and go and see what there is with them, and have lunch out together? DD's friend did a lot of ballroom dancing so she was more used to this - they got a dressmaker to make one up that she liked.

There are a lot of dressmakers around who make wedding, ballroom, prom stuff. Another approach is to find some amazing material and see what can be made from there. There are craft type fairs and textile fairs where you can find fabrics.

@Bramshott

Take a look on Th&th they have beautiful dresses and you could always get the hem taken up and buy an XS

www.thandth.com/gowns/isla-blush

My elder DD was much the same. She went with a beaded 1920s flapper style dress as they’re very flattering and shaped for a late bloomer as the beauty standard then was to be petite, slim and small chested. She found hers on Etsy and got long elbow length gloves, 1920s kick heels and looked fabulous. Very grown up. She was a size 4 at the time which no retailer carries.

*size 4 dress, size 3 shoes to clarify.

Our DD is Size 4 as well. Makes it hard doesn't it?

Just go and have fun shopping.
Most dresses have very small sizes these days, and at the very least she can get an idea of colours and styles which may suit her.
Going shopping doesn’t mean you have to buy anything. You can also get dresses altered, so you may actually find something

My daughter is 5ft 2 and s size 4

The shop I went to charged a small amount to alter in length for £20

Yes, our DD who was a size 4 at 16, is now 20 and a size 6. It makes it very hard for her. Her feet are still size 3. You cannot “just go shopping” as 90% of shops do not carry any sizes below 8, and the other 9% do not carry any sizes below a 10 for women. And who has time to find the 1% that might have a dress small enough? At 16, can’t realistically put them in little girls dresses as that is social suicide for a teen. And no shoe shop I have ever been in carries women’s heels in size 3 either. They have to be ordered well in advance online.

Where are you based OP? There is a shop called Elsa in Muswell Hill, North London that will definitely have something.

DD's came from a bridesmaid department, she was 4ft 11 at 16, (carried on growing to 5ft 2, didn't start periods until 16 1/2)

Also nearly everyone buys online, so much cheaper try jj's house, ever pretty, even Amazon for ideas.

I should add I've been buying evening wear for mine since they were 10 as they are musicians, there's plenty out there