Dressing up for the big dances in high school is what every girl anticipates. But there is work to finding the perfect homecoming dresses and prom 2011 dresses to wear. It is important to be open minded when choosing a style and look for the event. You want to shine and this year the designs will give you that option.

Every school has a different theme, location, and ticket price. But what is always the same is the girls attending want to look their best that night. The money does not always seem to be a stumbling block as buying a dress can go from as low as borrowing a friend's dress to spending thousands of dollars.

The question really is what is in style for 2011? The biggest trend is color. Every color is bright, bold, and some a bit wild. Patterns are a big trend bringing the animal prints to a whole new level. The colors of bright yellow, pink, green, and pink are a blinding flash of glitz and glamour. Most of the dresses have a long skirt but there are the exceptions.

The length of a gown makes an immediate impact as it swirls around your feet. But you can further add intrigue in the gown with beading, one shoulder dresses, and low cut backs. All these can be flattering and eye catching. However, the schools are cracking down on too sexy dresses so make sure your look is classy and not trashy.

If you do not want to do the long dresses then choose another alternative in a short to mid-leg look. Both these length dresses have glam factor but give a more fun and flirtatious feel to them. The color is still bold but they use lace, sequins, and beads to create beautiful looks. They are just as fancy and beautiful as a full length gown and if everyone is long then your short look will be eye catching and unique.

Of course you can choose to keep traditional and classic and wear the basic black dress. The looks this year bring silky fabric and dramatic one shoulder looks to you. The addition of rhinestones and beading add more glamour and make you feel like a Hollywood screen star. Adding to the simplicity you can dress it up with accessories like a gardenia in your hair or stunning shoes.

The fairy princess look is always fun. Every girl dreams of being Cinderella at the ball and there are those gowns with full skirts and sweetheart necklines to make a girl think a pumpkin carriage will be arriving any minute. Whether you choose to be more fairy-like with lighter colors or be more princess with bold colors and patterns depends on your style. No matter what these dresses will have you feeling like the belle of the ball.

So have fun with the boldness of color and add in some beautiful accessories to make your night unforgettable. Remember always be smart when picking your dress, you don't want it to be wearing you instead of you wearing the dress. That means you need to be sure when choosing homecoming dresses and prom 2011 dresses for your event.