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When I think of prom, I first think of four things: overly fancy (and expensive) dresses, horrible music, disappointment, and the California Academy of Sciences. I never understood why girls went through so much trouble (and spend so much time and money) to get "gussied up" when the same people attending the prom are the ones who see them in tank tops and jean shorts. I do like to look at dresses (and criticize them cynically) because they're pretty, but I would rather spend the time with someone hanging out and learning about them than worrying about getting sweat or food on a $200+ piece of clothing they'll wear once. The music at almost every fancy school dance I've ever been to was nothing befitting the elegance of the clothes, and most of it sounded like the same "song" with (barely) different voices, even if I did end up liking some of the songs years later. Of the four nice dances I remember going to, the first, Winter Ball in my sophomore year, was fun, even though I was nervous around so many upperclassmen, the second, Winter Ball in my junior year, was somewhat disappointing because the friend I went with was apparently dating someone already but didn't tell me and went with me anyway. (I was pretty oblivious, so it's partly my fault, but some honesty would've been nice. One of our mutual friends told me days later, which stung, but I didn't hold it against anyone but myself for long.) For my Junior Prom, the person I had asked to go with me, one of my best friends, said "sure", but then waffled so long and decided it wasn't their thing, so I went with one of my other best friends and her date, but the best part was seeing someone I hadn't seen in four years (who had grown at least a foot) and my other friends who were there. The same friend I had asked out for Junior Prom did the same thing my senior year, which was not entirely unexpected, but it still hurt a lot because, by then, I had figured out I'd fallen for them. Anyway, I was hoping the Senior Ball (not called prom, oddly) would be held at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, because it had been three years earlier and I hadn't been there since elementary school, but they chose the California Academy of Sciences instead, which had reopened after renovations a year or two before. The only thing I was excited about there was the planetarium shows, because my grandma had already taken me there three or four times after the reopening and we'd seen almost everything, except for the planetarium show. I got inside and made straight for the dome, but then I found out it was closed for the night. I spent almost half of the time that I was there at the chocolate fountain talking to the caterers (who were very nice) and most of the rest of the time with my friends by the karaoke tables that had been set up. I think the best thing from the entire experience was learning I loved to do karaoke, even if it would take seven years to gain the confidence to do it in public.

The California Academy of Sciences has two large spheres on the entry floor: the planetarium and the rainforest habitat. I am afraid of bugs - yes, all insects - myself, so when my grandma, who had a membership, brought my cousins and me to the Cal Academy, and they wanted to see the rainforest exhibit, I was skittish the whole way in, freaked out within five to ten minutes, and left the sphere to wait for them. Sure, the plants were cool, and the butterflies were pretty from afar, but when they breached the five foot radius of my comfort bubble, I was out of there. My grandma chided me about my fear of insects and spiders every time it came up, and that time was no exception. I didn't make a big deal about her complaints, but plenty of people have made fun of me about that, so I learned to ignore it most of the time. Bullies have been a common occurrence in my life, and I can't honestly say I've forgiven and forgotten all of them, nor can I brush it off with "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", because yes, it made me stronger in some ways, but it has also damaged me in ways I can't even imagine how to fix. Despite my extreme dislike of them, I am kind of like a butterfly myself, albeit more like a chrysalis at this point. (Not that I'm calling myself beautiful, nor ugly; it's just an analogy for a transitional stage of life.)

The challenge is prom, so I took that idea and created a look inspired by butterflies with a personal twist. They start out as caterpillars, slow and not the prettiest, but with a desire and drive to be something more. They inch along, satisfying their hunger under the watchful eyes of predators, and when they're ready, make a tough shell to protect them while they change. Time passes, and when they emerge from behind the walls they've put up between them and the world, they show all who see them that they've become something stronger and more beautiful than what they once were.

Ella has a sort of childish pout on her face, but, when paired with some eyeshadow and mascara, gains an older, more seductive look. I was tempted to put Ella in a suit, because she does look good in more traditionally masculine clothes, but her hair looks like it was made for prom, so I crossed that option off the list. Shorter dresses were the "in" thing when I was in high school, and, when I first started the design process, thought "What style would work best with a butterfly theme?" My very first choice ended up being the final: a kimono. It has long, elegant sleeves which look almost akin to wings unfurling, it's a shorter one, perfect for late Spring to early Summer weather in California, and the geisha who wear them are said to be graceful in every move they make. I chose it primarily because of the butterfly theme, but the colors also work well with Ella's skin, hair, and eyes. It was hard to find something for her head, as it seemed pretty bare, even with the pin and sticks, but then I came across the headband entirely by chance and its colors match so well with the kimono, I knew I had to use it. The beaded necklace almost looked like a mesh to me, so I used it to offset the amount of purple in the outfit, and I added the hanging jewels as well because they seem like some kind of ballroom decorations, as well as representative of the jewel tones of butterfly wings and looking like hanging chrysalises. Instead of using the bulky chandelier from one of the Vault items, I chose the dappled lighting effect, since having a chandelier in the background made the whole thing top-heavy. The only problem I felt truly conflicted about was if the necklace right over the lining of the folds of her kimono should be a bolder orange or a lighter, more creamsicle shade. I tried both, and they were both very pretty, but the lighter one was just a bit too big and made it look like the neckline was lower. I also decided to use a legmod that didn't have shoes, because, at every single dance, we weren't allowed to have our shoes on inside, unless we went to the bathroom, and I felt as though this particular one creates a sense of Ella floating, like a butterfly hovering over a flower it likes.

Overall, I'm pleased with the result, even if it doesn't fit the typical idea of prom, because it means more to me than a frilly dress and and a plastic crown.
Was my school the only one who didn't have prom queens and/or kings? I remember they had them for homecoming, but that was it.
And yay for getting the resizing thing to work almost perfectly!
My love of Japanese culture has nothing to do with the choice of dress, pshh what you talkin' 'bout.