Short prom dresses and short ball dresses in velvet

Short prom dresses make sense if you plan to be on the dance floor from the first song to the last. Ours are minis and knee-length styles, mostly velvet, lurex and satin, and long sleeves come up a lot. Prom’s a spring thing, so give yourself a few weeks for fittings and for finding shoes.

Four hours of dancing in a mini

A short hem shows every fitting problem fast. So at the try-on, raise your arms like it’s the last song, sit on a chair and do a twirl. If nothing rides up, you’ve got your size. We make each of these from XS to XL, and a US 10 is close to our L.

Want more swing? Our emerald velvet has a half-circle skirt that ends at the knee and flies out on every turn. Long sleeves, round neck. If your school calls the night a ball, a short ball dress at knee length like that one is the safer bet.

Shoes matter more than the dress here. Block heels or ankle boots with a steady heel. Flats in your bag for the last hour.

Lurex, velvet or red satin

Lurex is knit with a metallic thread, so the shine is in the fabric itself. On our black-and-silver mini with a triangle neckline, keep everything else plain, matte tights and black or silver shoes. That’s all it needs.

Velvet looks softer under the lights. The one-shoulder velvet minis need a strapless bra or one with clear straps, and you’ll want to lift your arm at the fitting to check the bare shoulder stays put. Our black velvet on thin straps doesn’t crease, which makes it easy to fold into a bag for the after-party.

And then the red satin slip. Thin straps, a deep V-neck, no sleeves. It’s the barest of these short prom dresses, and on a cool night we’d throw a black oversized blazer on top for the photos outside.

Cold April nights, warm gyms

Most short prom dresses on this page cover your arms, and that helps more than you’d think on a chilly walk from the parking lot. A red angora-blend mini keeps you warm without a wrap, and its ruffled hem moves with each step. Sheer tights, short boots. Done.

Outdoor prom on a hot evening is different. Everything short here, the red satin slip included, comes from our cold-season line. For that night, wait for our short-sleeve summer wraps to come back to the page in spring.