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  • Wedding Dresses
    • All Wedding Dresses
    • Coloured Wedding Dresses
    • Off the rack wedding dresses, ready to wear today.
    • Plus Size Perfection Dresses
    • Sale Gowns
    • Short Bridal Styles
    • Wedding Dresses with Sleeves
  • By Style
    • A-line
    • Beach Bridal Styles.
    • Bohemian
    • Fitted
    • Full Skirt
    • Simple Bridal Styles
    • Strapless
    • Train-less
  • Shop Deb Dresses 2025
  • Bridal Accessories
  • CONTACT
    • Book An Appointment Online
    • Contact
    • Leah’s Blog
    • Meet the Team at Leah S Designs
    • Real Leah S Brides
Wedding dress with train for brides or debutantes

4 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Debutante Dress 

You only get one debutante dress, so now is not the time to head to the shops and start try on. This is your night to shine, not to mention make a lifetime of memories! Before you beg mum and dad for your dream dress, be sure to consider these four issues.

1. Choose a white dress you love.

whimsical deb dress

Forrest

You might be tempted to choose the trendiest craziest style you can. After all, a debutante ceremony is a bit of a competition with your friends. But you’ll look back on your photos in five years and cringe if you go too trendy. Aim for classic cuts in elegant styles instead. 

White glitter deb dresses. At Leah S Designs MelbourneCallista  white glitter debut gown

Deb styles to avoid.
  • Avoid thigh-high splits in the skirt of your gown. They might look great on the red carpet and in fashion photos but remember you have to dance and twirl and curtsy. This could become embarrassing, showing far more than is appropriate for the occasion.
  • Also, strapless debutante gowns with a low cut back. You will find that your low-back gown will not be secure enough around the bust and may fall down with vigorous dancing. If choosing a strapless debutante gown, we recommend you have straps attached if you are over a C-cup bra.

MayaWhite deb dress. worn by a debutante for her presentation ball

  • Check that the strapless gown you select has at least six pieces of sturdy boning if there are no straps. All strapless gowns have full corsetry sewn into them for support and fit. The ideal height to choose for the back of strapless debutante dresses is just above where the back of your bra sits.
  • Off-the-shoulder: Check you can lift your arms to dance. They look great, but sometimes they need to be adjusted so you can lift your arms high enough to make complex dance moves.
  • Avoid mermaid, trumpet, or fit and flare that is so tight you won’t be able to sit down or curtsy. So if you are looking at a tight deb style, test these two factors before buying.

Deb dress with straps from Leah S Designs 2025 debutante collectionPenelope white gown

2. Set a budget before you go shopping.

Phone ahead and ask deb dress shops what the price range is in their store. Also, a good question to ask before shopping is what sizes they have in stock. Make sure they have gowns in your size before you go. If you are on a budget, ask if they have a sale rack and what prices sale gowns range from. Plus, if you don’t have time to order a gown ( usually 4 to six months), do they sell off the rack?

White princess debut dressTara sparkling white debutante design.

Other things to remember before debutante shopping.
  • Try not to take too many people with you. Just the ones that matter and whose opinions you value most. I know you may want to invite lots of people and share the moment. But too many opinions while shopping will confuse you, and you will finish up with a gown that someone else has impressed upon you, not one that makes your heart beat faster.
  • One way to save money is to consider shopping for a simple, elegant style or sale deb gowns with minimal detail. That way, you can use your jewellery to add wow. But also remember, if you are happy to spend more, then feel free to go wild with creative design and decadent embellishments on your dress.
  • Consider additional costs like alterations. Most reputable deb shops will give you a quote for alterations. For example, your hemline may need taking up or strap added or adjusted.

Felicia deb dress lace backFelicia debutante with straps.

3. Check with your school if you can have ivory or if it must be a white dress. 

This is an important tip, as some schools do allow ivory gowns. However, deb gowns have traditionally always been white. Some schools only allow white dresses as ivory can look discolored in the photos against white. Put the two colours together while shopping and you will see the difference.

Ruffled skirt deb gown HarrietHarriet

4. Don’t Forget About Your Comfort 

Sure, you want to look gorgeous on the big day. But grimaces of pain are definitely not pretty! After all, no look is worth suffering through endless agony for! More Things to Consider When Choosing Your Deb Dress is whether you can wear your gown into the wee hours of the evening. And be sure to raise your arms, jump up and down, and bend over to ensure you can move in your frock of choice.
  • Don’t choose a debutante dress that is too tight. A zip back and a full corset leave you no room to grow. Sometimes it may not be easy to alter. A lace-up back is not only a pretty feature but will fit and look great even if you do grow a little bit.
  • Try your gown on at least one week before the event to ensure it fits. This will leave you time to address the fit.

Abby

We hope you have found these Things to Consider When Choosing Your Deb Dress helpful. Book an hour appointment. This will allow you to try on styles to see what suits your style. If you would like to visit Leah S designs in Melbourne a view our collection, you are most welcome.
Posted in: Deb dress Style guide Author: Leah

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