Edgemont Prom: Oh What a Night

On Friday, June 8, I had the opportunity to attend Edgemont High School’s 2012 Pre-Prom event. This was a particularly big deal for me, since I went to Edgemont and my last EHS Prom was 22 years ago. Yikes.

And, wouldn’t you know it. This year’s prom was at The Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club, where my prom was as well. Bizarre.

I thought it would be great fun to dig out my black strapless 1990 prom dress with the drop-waist and big bow in the back. I even entertained the idea of wearing it to Friday’s Pre-Prom. Then, some rational thinking kicked in, and I realized I would stick out like Cher at a PTA fundraiser. Well, you know what I mean.

It was way more fun for me to play Joan Rivers on the “Red Carpet” anyway. Let’s be clear though, a nice Joan Rivers. I came armed with questions, and I wasn’t leaving until I got my answers.

I wanted to know how different shopping for the prom was today from my experience 22 years ago. So, I had my standard question ready as I grabbed girl after girl for a quick interview, with “Tell me, how did you find your dress?”

I don’t know why, but this fact really shocked me; a lot of girls found their dresses online. And, many other girls went to one store, tried on their first dress, and went home with that one. No schlepping out to the Island or Jersey for these ladies.

Color, color everywhere, and nary a black dress in sight. Bright jewel tones ruled Edgemont’s 2012 Prom Night, particularly royal blue, purple, hot pink and canary yellow.

And, along with the visual vibrancy of the evening, the dresses were structurally interesting. No ruffles or gaudy embellishments. I’m talking about fashion-forward cut-outs, varying floor lengths and intricate ruching.

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The hair was down and mostly in a natural wave or curl, while the make-up was a mix of simply natural and evening glam. Of course, I’m not going to forget about the shoes. I am a shoe girl after-all. The nude platform sandal seemed to dominate this year’s EHS prom.

My friend, Kim Aslanian, and fellow EHS alumni, was there to enjoy the festivities with her two girls, Zaza (8 years) and Grace (12 years). Grace got to spend her 12th birthday at the Pre Prom, and couldn’t have been happier. Doesn’t every little girl dream about her prom and wedding? Or maybe we all just dream about the dress.

Well, we hung out a little and I received some invaluable information. For example, I learned that only the senior girls wore long dresses, while the underclassmen girls wore short. Who knew?

I also learned that there were a fair amount of Junior boys at this year’s prom. One Junior attendee, Adam Nussbaum, told me, with a smile, “We’re a very good looking group.” We had a little laugh, and then he added, “I’m very excited for tonight. It should be a nice night out on the town.”

After an hour and half of Pre Prom activities, the party buses were ready to roll, and the kids were ready to get on with their Prom. The girls all looked gorgeous, sophisticated and elegant. And, the boys all looked dashing.

Man, did I get stuck with a horrible decade for prom-wear (aforementioned pouf dress), hair (big and curly and sprayed with Aquanet) and make-up (bright blue eye-shadow or eyeliner, and Frosted Brownie lipstick). Not. Good.

Here’s another back in the day for you; we had one Pre Prom party and it was at a classmate’s house. But, I really like this practice of the Pre-Prom at the High School because it brings the whole community together. Little girls get to see the pretty girls in their pretty dresses, teachers get to see their students, underclassmen not going to this year’s Prom get to feel included in the festivities, and all the parents get to enjoy the night.

Okay, my job was done. So, I headed back home to Mark, the boys, the dog and what was sure to be cold pizza. Maybe I should have boarded one of those white Silver Star limo buses and “Prom-Crashed.” Nah. Who was I kidding? Instead, I opted for the cold pizza, my boys and a pay-per-view. I already had my prom, 22 years ago. Now, I have my family.

Contributor Sharon Lippmann, writes about her "so called suburban life," as a proud resident of Scarsdale, NY. She is a writer, blogger, mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and one sassy chick. She loves exploring the interesting, strange, perplexing, vexing, ridiculous and funny that life offers up frequently. Enjoying more of what she has to say about nothing, and, well, everything at mydailypill.com.

Photographs by Mariela Melamed: See more photos here: