Long A-Line Styles, V-Necklines, and Statement Backs Lead Prom Dress Sales in 2019

NEW YORK, April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With the 2019 prom dress buying season in full swing, Occasion Brands, LLC, releases the second 2019 issue of Pulse of Prom to highlight current prom season online sales trends. The top 20 prom dress styles (representing 14% of total junior and senior prom sales) that consumers have purchased show a preference for long sleeveless a-line dresses with v-necklines. Of these top-selling styles, 100% had statement backs. Top-selling colors this season are varying shades of red and blue. Additional trends seen across the top-selling styles include embellished bodices, side slits, sequins, satin, and metallic glitter fabric. For the prom 2019 season, senior prom sales represent 56% of total prom sales, while junior prom dress purchases account for 44% of prom sales.

Sleeveless Long Styles with V-Necklines Prevail
Long dress styles account for 93% of all prom sales so far this season, so it is no surprise that the top 20 styles sold online for junior and senior prom were long dresses. Another trend that is prevalent across all top 20 junior and senior prom dresses is that most of the dresses were sleeveless with either spaghetti straps or thin shoulder straps. Among the top 20 junior prom dress styles (which represent 13% of all junior prom dress sales), 95% of the dresses had spaghetti or thin shoulder straps, and one dress was off-the-shoulder. Prom goers continue to favor v-necklines, since 85% out of the top 20 prom styles for junior and senior prom had slight or plunging v-necks. It is clear that a sleeveless v-neck bodice is one of the top style features for junior and senior prom dresses this season.

A-Line Silhouettes Are In-Line for Prom
Another strong trend among the top-selling prom styles is an a-line silhouette. Of the top senior prom dresses sold (which represents 15% of all senior prom sales), 65% styles had a-line silhouettes, while the remaining seven were form-fitting mermaid or sheath designs. With 75% of the top 20 junior prom dresses cut in a-line styles, this trend is even more dominant for junior prom than senior prom.

Shades of Red and Blue Hold Sway
The top-selling junior and senior prom dress styles were sold in a range of solid colors. Looking at the top-selling colors for the top styles sold online this season, shades of red represent 35% of the top junior and senior styles, and 15% of those styles were specifically burgundy. Closely following, shades of blue account for 30% of those top styles, and 15% of those were specifically navy. These rankings are closely matched in the top 20 junior prom dresses, with 40% red and 25% blue, and top 20 senior prom dresses, with 35% red and 25% blue. Mauve pink, champagne gold, green, and black prom dresses were also represented within the top 20 styles, but not as strongly as red and blue dresses.

2019 Predicted Style Trends Beginning to Show
Statement backs, a predicted 2019 style trend, dominated the top 20 styles sold for junior and senior prom. From the classic open-back or lace-up corset designs to trendy criss-crossing or strappy caged-back details, 100% of the top 20 prom dress styles featured a statement back design. Although not predicted, side slits and embellished bodices with lace, embroidery, and illusion details are represented as well. Half of the top-selling junior and senior dress styles had either side slits or double side slits. Metallic glitter fabric, satin, and sequins, were predicted fabric trends for the prom 2019 season. Twenty-five percent of the top styles featured sequins, 20% were made with satin, and 5% featured metallic crepe.

About Pulse of Prom
Pulse of Prom is an industry-focused hot-sheet report that highlights what is selling online across each region of the country during prom season. The early season issue focused on price. This issue focuses on styles and trends. Future issues will cover regional sales trends. 

The Data
The data for these early season prom trends represents sales between January 1 and March 22, 2019. All data is across the United States by Occasion Brands, a leading national online prom retailer.

For more information about Pulse of Prom, please contact: Megan Reeves at [email protected].

About Occasion Brands, LLC
PromGirl, founded in 1998, has sold over 2 million dresses online and is the largest online retailer of prom, homecoming, and other special-occasion dresses. It offers an unparalleled selection of high-quality, in-stock dresses at all price points. Through the website, mobile and social platforms, PromGirl's reach is global, delivering "dream dresses" to more than 140 international destinations. As part of the Occasion Brands portfolio, PromGirl supports the Occasion Brands mission to be the premier retailer in the special-occasion dress market by providing a world-class shopping experience and maintaining customer trust through an understanding of their needs as they experience some of the most important moments in their lives. Occasion Brands' staff is based in New York City and Middletown, Delaware, and its state-of-the-art facility in New Jersey houses hundreds of thousands of dresses for PromGirl and its sister brands, Simply Dresses and Kleinfeld Bridal Party. In 2018, Occasion Brands expanded its reach by opening a PromGirl pop-up store in New Jersey, a Simply Dresses pop-up store in New York City, and a Kleinfeld Bridal Party Showroom located on the upper level of the Kleinfeld Bridal store.

SOURCE Occasion Brands, LLC