Homecoming Trends in Formal Dresses

If you want to spice up your homecoming this fall, why not try one of the latest fashion trends in formal dresses for fall.

Floral Prints

Floral prints started appearing for prom dresses last spring, and we had just a few girls in Manhattan who were bold enough to put on a bold floral print for their prom. This fall the trend has carried over into short homecoming dresses. 

Typically the floral print is featured in the skirt, topped by a bejewelled top, but sometimes it's reversed with the floral accenting the top and a solid-colored skirt.

Two-piece Dresses

The two-piece dress made its debut for prom dresses a few years ago, but didn't really catch on with our Kansas girls until this past prom season. Then it caught on in a big way with nearly every other girl asking about two-piece prom dresses. We seldom kept a two-piece dress in our Manhattan store window for more than a day or two before some girl snatched it up for herself. 

We're expecting more of the same this homecoming season as our providers offer a huge variety of short dresses in two pieces. Girls can choose from a full skirt or a fitted style, depending upon her tastes. 

Intricate Beadwork

Intricately patterned beadwork is another feature that has carried over from prom dresses into homecoming dresses this year. Many companies are using this beading that looks like something that would appear on a royal outfit, but now it can be a detail on your homecoming dress. Carrying the beading from the bodice to the hem of the skirt adds even more appeal. 

At ETC boutique in Manhattan Town Center, we'd love to work with you to decide exactly which features you would like in your homecoming dress, or dress for any formal occasion. 

Fashion Thoughts on Homecoming

With the school year getting back into swing here in Kansas, our thoughts begin to turn to homecoming. While each school seems to handle homecoming a little differently, we try to think about the statement each young lady or young man wants to make during their homecoming.

Age Differential 

Younger ladies – freshmen and sophomores – see homecoming as their first chance to shine at an "adult" high school dance. They are more excited about the opportunity to shop for an adult dress and like the bling. On the other hand, mom and dad sometimes struggle with seeing their little girl growing up and like to influence them toward a more conservative look.
We did hear a few complaints from older high-schoolers last year that underclass ladies were opting for long dresses, in essense turning homecoming into their own little prom.
Juniors and seniors tend to be more focused on prom dresses and treat homecoming as more of an obligation. They will go to make an appearance with their boyfriend, but aren't too concerned with getting the perfect dress to make just the right look for homecoming.

Court of Honor

The exception to that would be the ladies and gentlemen selected to serve as queen and king candidates for their schools. Knowing they will be paraded onto the field in front of their parents and entire community, these candidates look for a little more elegance

What About the Guys?

Young men shoot for that in-between look for homecoming, for the most part. Not so casual as their everyday wear, but also not often do they choose the full tux option. Generally, bow ties and skinny ties are popular choices to pair with dress slacks and shirt. Adding a pair of suspenders or opting for a brightly colored shirt makes for a fun statement.
What look do you or your sons and daughters strive for at homecoming? Leave us a comment. Next blog we'll talk about some style trends we see this year.

New Option for Bridesmaids

One of those important decisions a bride must make early in the planning process is how she can ensure her bridesmaids enhance her appearance without stealing too much of the spotlight. ETC boutique enjoys working with brides to find just that right touch so the girls look and feel pretty and provide a nice complement to the beautiful bride.

This week we are excited to introduce a new line to our collection that can be great for bridesmaids or for our Hispanic customers, the damas who serve the same role in a Quinceañera. The Damas line from House of Wu is intended to serve that role, but with the classic looks they are adding in their fall line, we are sure you will be seeing them at weddings in the Salina are soon too.

The Damas line includes all the fabrics and colors featured in the Christina Wu Occasions, the more traditional bridesmaid line, but at a portion of the cost. The dresses also feature a long, corset back, so they are easy to fit and will require little to no alterations when the dresses arrive, so your bridesmaids can save money on two counts. Plus these are classic styles your bridesmaids can wear for other events, so they won't end up collecting dust in their closets.

Check them out this week in ETC boutique!

An Important Day for Mothers, Too!

Who are the most important people at a wedding, after the Bride and Groom? The Mothers, of course! They have played such a vital role in their children's lives up to this point, that the wedding is a major milestone for them as well. They need to be beautiful for the photos that will last forever. They need to be elegant as they glide across the dance floor. They need to be comfortable as they stand in those endless receiving lines. In other words, they need to find the perfect dress that doesn't outshine the bride, that doesn't make them look like a bridesmaid, that doesn't make them mistaken for the grandmother!

At ETC boutique ... we recognized this challenge for the Moms and are constantly looking for new and elegant styles that also can fit into what already may be an overblown budget for the wedding. We think we've hit on another winner with the addition of Serena London to our collection. The dresses from Serena London are elegant, modest or sexy (depending upon how Mom feels), classy and timeless and comfortable for your long day.

You will be able to see many of these dresses in our store in the coming weeks as the Fall 2015 line becomes available. In the meantime, you can see the the catalog in our store, view many of them on Pinterest or go directly to House of Wu website and select the Serena London collection. We are confident you will love them as much as we do!

Thanks for a Wonderful Prom Season!

With our move to Central Mall in December, we found ourselves busy in a hurry as girls started shopping early for their prom dresses and kept us hopping through the entire season. Dressing up the girls for this special time in their lives is such a joy for us. And we love it when the girls send us pictures or stop by the store to show us photos from their special day -- with the beautiful hair, makeup, jewelry and, sometimes, even the date!

Every girl deserves to be beautiful for her prom, and with right dress, she will feel like the queen of her school. Sometimes the girls come in determined to wear a certain color or style, but then take their place in the mirror with a completely different look, but ecstatic none the less, with how pretty they look and feel. One customer mentioned when she came in that she didn't want much "bling" on her dress and 30 minutes later she walked out with her sequin prom dress in which she looked just stunning.
So many special girls crossed our door this year, that it's impossible to share all the stories, but rest assured we are pleased to have played a role in their special night. 

We even had fun decking out the boys with their prom tuxedos, convincing some they needed the bling to go along with their dates' dresses.

Back by Popular Demand

One of the most popular items ETC boutique has featured over the past four years is the sweater dress by Radzoli. These dresses and tunics are perfect for layering, wearing with leggings and even pairing with your favorite boots. Each year we feature a variety of these dresses, and they typically sell out quickly.

This year we also are featuring a few other items from Radzoli, such as cardigans, coats and tops.
Don't be surprised if these items disappear quickly from our shelves as our repeat customers typically have their eye out for when these items arrive each fall.

Fall is Happening in ETC boutique!

Today's weather has us thinking about the upcoming change in season, but of course we've been thinking out fall and our customers' needs for several months and our fall/winter inventory has begun to arrive. Any change in seasons in Kansas means one thing: Layering! If you've lived in Kansas for long, you know cool morning can turn into scorching afternoons and warm, humid afternoons can turn into chilly evenings when a cold front comes rushing through.

At ETC boutique, we are aware our customers might need some new options for layering this fall, and the colors are going to be bold and beautiful for your wardrobe options.

We also couldn't resist the option to add to our ready-to-wear from a trend that's been growing in the formalwear field the past couple of years -- the hi-low. You can check out a couple of options with a lace double-slit skirt or a crocheted hi-low skirt, both of which provide a fun bit of elegance to your daily wardrobe.