Birthday Girl is 15 today. She’s in third year high school and, sometime during the schoolyear, there’s going to be a Junior-Senior Prom and all juniors and seniors are required to attend. When I first heard about it, the stage mother in me took over. I started planning an entire wardrobe and I even suggested contacting the make-up artist who fixed my face for the Marie Claire magazine story last February. I had this vision of my firstborn in a lavender dress (her favorite color) and matching satin pumps with her hair casually swept up and her face with the slightest trace of powder and blush.
And Sam screamed. She said she won’t go.
That was months ago and the topic has come up a couple of times after that. She has a different line these days, aware that it’s a school requirement she can’t escape from. She’s going in her blue jeans.
This obsession over blue jeans is both understandable and maddening. I wasn’t a blue jeans girl. While over 90% of the student population of U.P. wore blue jeans, I wore dresses. Or blouses and skirts. I had a couple of blue jeans, sure, but I didn’t wear them like a uniform.
And when I gave birth to two daughters, I dressed them up as girls. In dresses. With all the matching accessories. And my mother and mother-in-law were very much into it too. In fact, it was my mother-in-law who started it with those soft headbands for infants and frilly dresses with matching panties. I didn’t really get into the act until Sam was about four months old. Sometimes, I bought such expensive dresses that Speedy and I had long discussions about them afterwards (nabili na eh, ano pa magagawa n’ya?).
Then, when they were about five and six years old, Sam and Alex became very active little girls and we switched to Osh Kosh Bgosh and stuff from Beagle House. That started it with the full encouragement of a father who wears blue jeans like a uniform to this day. From there, they took the road to the world of blue jeans with the determination of those suffering from tunnel visioning. What could I do? A child is the result of the genes of both mother and father and it just reached a point where the Speedy genes became dominant. And they still are.
I don’t know what the school’s rules are about JS Prom attires. I haven’t asked. Perhaps, Sam can go in a blue denim gown or something. I don’t think she’ll agree to an off-the-shoulder design though.
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
andrea 08.20.07 at 11:04 am
Happy Birthday to Samantha!!!
Haha! Nakakatawa naman si Sam. Yuck talaga ang reaction nya sa dress ano? As far as I know, the dress code for the JS Prom is formal. I guess she could have a dress made out of denim if she’s so bent on wearing one. Medyo stylish pa nga ang dating. I know somebody whose wedding theme was denim and some parts of her gown were denim.
Yay, excited na ko makita ang year 3 mag-prom. Hehe!
Angela 08.20.07 at 11:22 am
Tita, this entry reminds me of a book I read written by Rene Villanueva (title’s Seniors’ Ball), and one of the protagonist’s girl friend wore jeans under her formal dress, haha.
I hope she attends her prom though!
missyosigirl 08.20.07 at 12:28 pm
eek i love denim
my wedding dress had a denim bodice, while my entourage had denim belts with their lavendar dresses
astig yon, if she goes to her prom in a denim cocktail dress!!!
amicus curiae 08.20.07 at 2:44 pm
Happy Birthday!!! & best wishes…….
arny 08.20.07 at 3:27 pm
dear connie,
my daughters are 11 and 8 and they are into wearing jeans. if i try to tell them to wear a skirt or a dress it is world war3 inside the house. but they sometimes compromise like in wedding parties were a dress code is a rule and they know they would be a fly in the soup when they wear their maongs.
hay naku wala pa sila sa high school but my stage mother instincts work overdrive when it comes to dressing up esp prom nights. it is a make or break experience for them bec that is the high school momment that they will remember. and remember it with a gown and make up to boot. TO SAM PLEASE WEAR A GOWN AND PUT MAKEUP ON…dont dissapoint mommy please. for one night only lang…naman eh…
arny
The Mentat 08.20.07 at 8:37 pm
HAHAHA!
At least she’d be going to the prom. I missed my first prom when I was 15. And I had 2 very disappointed partners then.
Let us know what happens. Prom in denims… hehehe… that’d be a sight to see, I bet.
Jane 08.20.07 at 10:17 pm
Connie, I attended a debut with my daughter where the debutante’s theme was “chic denims”. And guess what. She wore what I initially thought was a dazzling blue, off-the-shoulder beaded gown with a ballooning skirt.
Guess what. Her designer had creatively ripped apart 7 Levi’s jeans and pieced them together for this blue jeans masterpiece. Say mo?
Kongkong622 08.20.07 at 10:45 pm
Hehehe..laki ng problema mo. I’m no fashion expert as I would rather live in my tees, cut-offs, and flip-flops so I won’t be giving any advice any time soon. Baka lalo pang mapurnada ang prom outfit ni Sam
Calling FeistyMomma!!!
Jon Limjap 08.20.07 at 11:12 pm
Well, maybe she can go in slacks instead?
If she would go in denim, I think the black ones with a metallic gold sheen would look most ‘astig’. I just don’t want to imagine how heavy that would get!
auee 08.20.07 at 11:23 pm
I only had skirts and dresses growing up. I had to beg my mother to buy me a pair of denims when I turned 13! She won’t buy me any more so I made do with my older sisters’ very used pairs until I got my own “clothing” allowance in our budget.
I am trying to wear skirts these days though. Kaya lang sobrang weird ang pakiramdam.
Wouldn’t it be cool if Sam can get away with jeans for her Prom attire? It must be horrific for you but I like it ha! hehe
dexie 08.21.07 at 1:26 am
If she insists on wearing blue jeans(God I hope not), tell her to wear kitten heels(or pumps) for shoes at least. Jeans and heels are chic and sophisticated. You know my heart is palpating from here ’till Sundays right about now, right?… LOL. But it’s her style and her comfort so I will take a deep breath with you and hopefully she’ll compromise
*cross my fingers*
Connie 08.21.07 at 10:40 am
Andrea, I told her maybe I will be there too kasi teacher na ‘ko, ‘di ba? Bawal daw ako dun sabi ni Sam… eh,… eh… how will I take pics?
Angela, I’ll get her a copy of Villanueva’s book hehehehe
missyosigirl, that is one heck of a wedding dress! ang ganda!!! yung skirt, prints or embroidery?
i’ll relay the greeting, amicus curiae. thanks!
arny, i think a “compromise” is possible hehehe during the school Christmas program last year, they had to wear these flowing white skirts (I spent SO MUCH because they wouldn’t wear just any skirt — they had to choose expensive ones) and they did, performed in the program too, except that they misled speedy and me about the sked so we couldn’t take photos. inis.
The Mentat, ah, I am sure it will be quite a story to tell hahahaha sana lang may pics
jane, between your comment and missyosigirl’s, i think i have a good idea about how to convince her hehehehe thank you!
Kongkong, she’s a flip-flop girl too. I was wondering… beaded flip-flops…??
jon, i don’t think slacks… well, actually, there are formal tailored suits for women. maybe…
auee, when Sam reads this thread, she will QUOTE YOU forever hahahahaha
dexie, i’ll be asking you for links to clothing sites soon, if you have them. i really think there’s a middle ground somewhere. am pretty sure she’ll wear a dress but NOT the usual prom frock in taffeta and silk.
rolly 08.21.07 at 10:50 am
Blue jeans to the prom? Why not? Who sets the rules, though? Even if it is not allowed, what could they do if one arrives wearing one? Won’t they allow her to come in? If that happens, e di sila ang dahilan kung bakit hindi naka attend yung bata.
Yang pagka gusto sa blue jeans will certainly come to pass. Pag meron nang umaaligid aligid kay Sam na poging binata na kursunada rin nya. hehehe
Connie 08.21.07 at 11:50 am
Tito Rolly, that is inspiring coming from you ha!
Lorena C. Marzan 08.26.07 at 3:14 pm
ooohh oooh transition period, my daughter attended St. Mary’as Academy in Pasay and Virgo Fidels Montessori when we moved to Imus. At Virgo, the teachers even check if they are wearing camisoles, everything is pressed, my daughter gets upset when she’s not properly dressed, she always wants to be clean and neat, her ribbons should match but,… when we moved here to San Franciso, it was all jeans, jeans, t-shirts big bulky coats to hide the u know what, no demand to iron clothes and if she noticed that her Grandma ironed her shirts, there is blah blah blah blah. Prom here in the US are very much awaited events, she planned very well for these event starting on her first year high school, I probably spent at least $500.00 for each party, she gets transformed 3 days before these events, manicure, pedicure, trying on the gown, practicing to wear high heels, ordering fresh flowers for her hair, trying on the make-up Sam, this is once in a lifetime, enjoy these memorable occassions. nowadays u can even be the one to pick up your prom date so it wont be too awkward
Lorena C. Marzan 08.26.07 at 3:37 pm
if Sam wants to see my daughter’s pix, she can e-mail me at lorenamarzansf@yahoo.com as I don’t have a blog, Ms Ca T was suggesting that I put up one.
PS, my daughter is now a US Marine, and they were trained how to put on make-up, how to carry purses, and must wear belts in all the pants they wear even the denim ones. all pins and insignias they put on their uniforms must be measured, nothing should be lopsided
yes evrything will pass , these love for denims, then it will be baby doll clothes, afterwards they will develop their individual fashion and there will be peace in the world or in your household.
Lorena C. Marzan 08.27.07 at 12:04 am
we got a similar style from Bebe, only knee length of this pink number worn by Gwyneth, Oscar 1999
Lorena C. Marzan 08.27.07 at 12:35 am
http://fashion.about.com/od/celebawardsshows/ig/Celebration-of-Oscar-Fashion/Gwyneth-Paltrow-in-Pink- ssorry unable to cut n paste, n my pc is acting up
i found a georgette pink shawl at Macy’s with butterflies to accessorize this dress. my daughter wore this on her first year high school dance
Lorena C. Marzan 08.27.07 at 12:58 am
Link
this one is really cute, maybe ur Mom can have it specially sewn for u
Clair Ching 09.03.07 at 4:42 pm
Hi, Sassy! Late birthday greetings to your daughter Sam
Anyhow, I have a confession to make about going to the prom: I dreaded it! I only went there to get bonus points and hang out with my friends who weren’t really with their crushes. I wasn’t cool enough to think of going there in some kind of dress made of denim and it was my mom who picked the style of the dress. I’ve never been really thin so I was very conscious that I might look too dowdy. In any case, the prom almost looked like a disaster: my prom date (who was a good friend by the way) and I were seated in a table full of randomly mixed couples and singles. Guess what? Things turned out pretty well! My friend who was then a college freshman gave me a pep talk, fixed my hair and my face so that the make up was just enough to give me color and it didn’t feel like it was melting, the people my date and I were seated with were so amusing and fun to chat with, my guy friends danced with me even though they were with their oh-so-pretty dates (I think I had more than 10 dances hehe), my crush danced with me and kept me company after my prom date left early, and the post-prom tambay at a friend’s house was totally fun!
I hope your daughter would enjoy it the way I did. I still remember the prom very well hehe. Oh and I did get lots of bonus points 
Connie 09.04.07 at 1:31 am
Lorena, love that pink dress of Gwyneth Paltrow.
Clair, wow, now that’s first-hand experience. If the company’s good, it’ll be fun, right? And Sam has no problem socializing — she has friends from different high schools and they go out and party a lot. It’s just the dress thing that she’s icky about so I hope we can find something acceptable to her. Hay, naku, she has to read about your experience.
Lorena C. Marzan 09.04.07 at 3:07 am
The simplier, the better like Gwyneth’s pink number basta huwag lang lalabas yong mga bra strap, it ruins the whole outfit. I’m really hoping that Sam will have fun going to the prom, minsan yong iba kung walang date, nag grogrouping sila ng all-girls then they will just dance with other boy acquaintances since sometimes it is too awkward to have a date.
cute din yong mga teen-agers clothes nila sa Anthropologie, medyo mahal nga lang kasi panay dry cleaned, pero magagaling ang mga modista natin dyan sa Phils, kayang kaya nilang gayahin ang mga style
link
Connie 09.04.07 at 12:35 pm
This one looks great. And this one too.
Kung ayaw n’ya, ako na lang papatahi ng bagong dresses hehehehe
Clair Ching 09.04.07 at 4:38 pm
Hehe. Maybe I’ll blog about it one of these days
I am glad to hear she has friends that she’s comfortable with. That’s what mattered a whole lot more during the prom, rather than the dress. I think I forgot all about the dress when I was dancing with my friends! (And my crush too!) So, yeah, yun nga. I hope she’d reconsider and give it a try — wearing a dress to the prom and having fun too
Clair Ching 09.04.07 at 4:40 pm
And I think that you two coming up with a design for a denim gown could be absolutely terrific
Ang cool nun. Especially if it’s a gown. Pasok sa dress code di ba? 
Di naman required kung ano yung cloth eh!
Connie 09.04.07 at 5:46 pm
Ah, she’ll go, Clair. It’s required. hahaha Non-trad naman yung school, dapat open sila sa non-trad ideas on evening wear hehehe
Lorena C. Marzan 09.04.07 at 9:09 pm
mas cute yung mga spring and summer fashion nila, kasi pa winter na kami kaya dark colors na. magandang bonding ya, design it together, my daughter still calls me to ask some fashion advice, my heart jumps with joy whenever she does
Clair Ching 09.06.07 at 12:46 pm
Haha! Glad to know she’d be going
Just make sure she’s healthy and all that during the week of the prom. My friend was sick during our fourth year prom. Anyhow, I can’t wait to read about Sam’s prom 
Connie 09.07.07 at 12:34 am
Oo nga Lorena, yung pang fall and winter fabrics dyan di bagay dito. Pero ok lang na dark colors.
Clair, should I gate crash to take photos? BWAHAHAHAHA