Despite the long and complicated history of prom (dating all the way back to the 1850s!), one thing has remained true: The event is not just a dance; it's a moment to remember. Especially for seniors, it's a special night to commemorate all the hard work you've put in.
Throughout nearly two centuries of prom iterations, trends and cultural norms have shifted drastically, particularly in fashion and technology. But for the classes of 2026 and 2027, the idea of prom as a marker of accomplishment, a time to celebrate friendship, and, of course, show off your style, still rings true.
To celebrate the end of prom season, we invited 20 of the most fashionable teenagers from schools throughout the Northeast to wear their looks and tell us more about what prom is like this year. And the result? Proof that prom is a celebration and a closure, filled with style, connection, and, obviously, dancing.
“I think it's nice to see how everybody, all the kids in the senior class that are going to prom, are planning to really just hang out before and after [rather] than just go to prom and be at prom. I feel like it's what happens before and after [that’s] probably going to make the prom.” - Jonah
“Prom symbolic of like, ‘We did it!’ You know what I mean? I think it’s that celebration [where] finally we can have fun and look back and be like, ‘We did this, that, and the third for so long. Let's just relax and let ourselves go and have a good night.’” - Rosa
“I think ‘EoO’ by Bad Bunny is one of my favorite dance songs, and anything by Beyoncé, frankly.”
- Nyla
“Personally, I love the getting-ready part with friends. Just being with all of my people and taking pictures and, obviously, dancing at prom. But the pre-stuff is my favorite.” - Olivia
“[Prom is] just a very fun school event because all my friends are going to be there. It's the last thing we're going to do together in school, so it's just a fun time with everybody that you want to be around.” - Reese
“I feel like high school is more about connections now instead of education. I feel like education goes a long way, but if you have the right connections, no matter what, it will always help you. If you're absent and you have the right connections, somebody could help you and give you the work. Saying ‘Good morning’ sometimes, just being nice to people, it'll go a long way.” - Anthony
“Remy and I, we were stuck between green and red, and we kept interchanging the colors and being like, ‘What do we do? What do we do?’ So she ordered two dresses and then sent me videos in both, and I was like, ‘Red.’” - Finn
“Since sophomore year, we've been saying, ‘We're going to go to prom together. We've made this promise.’ I'm so excited that it's here.” - Remy
“This dress—I'm actually not sure where it's from. I thrifted it in England. I was in Nottingham because my stepdad works there, and I was walking past the thrift shop and saw it in the window, and it was so perfect. I was 14 then, so I've been saving it all these years. I think it just really spoke to me. I saw it and was like, ‘Wow! I love purple!’ My [younger] sister and I have always been like the pink-and-purple sisters. So yeah, I was very excited when I saw it, and then I put it on and it fit perfectly. I knew it was going to be the one.” - Eowyn
“I just loved the dress. I thought it was kind of a play on, like, a traditional prom dress because it had kind of fun colors and the open back. Then I also just thought it looked great with Maggie's, since she got hers first.” - Henrietta
“I'm most excited about, in all honesty, the dress and the dancing. I will be on the dance floor the entire night, especially with this girl. We are nonstop dancing. That's also the reason I didn't want to bring a guy to prom. I just want to dance with my best friend.” - Maggie
“I chose the outfit after a lot of searching, trying to find a good balance between a long dress and a short dress since I'm going to my sister's prom, not my own. I ended up choosing this because I loved the glitter and the little rhinestone embellishments on it.” - Alisha
“I actually picked out this dress for a different gala that was more science related. It was for a science-competition thing, and I wanted something that had elements of nature and science, so I chose something with a leaf print on it. It was also, like, glittering and kind of stood out, and just showed neutral science-y vibes.” - Kaya
“At prom, you really get to see that the kids do want to dance. If there's nice music and a nice place to dance, everybody gets up—everybody's going crazy. There's mosh pits and all that stuff. I feel like people think kids have changed, but kids really haven't changed much…. I feel like at my prom, one [song] that really got people going was ‘Gasolina.’” - Jai
“I chose this dress because I really love dark red, especially on my skin tone and hair. I think it goes really well with my friends’ dresses as well.” - Audrey
“I think everyone should understand that you should just have fun because [high school is] a limited time and it's never going to be the same. So you just have to make sure to put your best foot out there and have fun.” - Isabella
“I chose this dress because I liked the shape of it and the neckline and it reminded me of Cinderella.” - Shea
“I love hanging out with my friends and getting to take pictures and dancing.” - Madison
“I just love to see everyone express themselves with their own unique styles and these dresses.”
- Jemima
“I wish people would understand that it's okay to not have a million friends. It's okay to not be that popular girl you see in the movies. It's okay to just be yourself, and that's what's most important about high school.” - Maya
Credits
Photographer: Luna Alatorre
Lighting Tech: Reveka Pasternak
Creative Editorial Director: Mi-Anne Chan
Digital Director: Alyssa Hardy
Senior Talent Casting Manager: Gabrielle Seo
Global Fashion Director: Tchesmeni Leonard
Senior Editor: P. Claire Dodson
Beauty Editor: Donya Momenian
Senior Designer: Liz Coulbourn
Senior Manager, Social Media: Jillian Selzer
Copy Editor: Dawn Rebecky
Assistant Fashion Editor and Sittings Editor: Crystal Okonkwo
