Skip to content
6 Tips for Picking a Winning Pageant Dress
When picking a pageant dress, you want to pick a crown-worthy evening gown! Wondering how to pick a winning pageant dress? Maximize your chances by choosing a pageant gown that is current in fashion, flatters your figure, and expresses your personality. Check out the six tips below for more ideas on how to pick a winning pageant dress and get yourself one step closer to winning the crown.
1. Follow the pageant rules and know the pageant’s history. Because guidelines for choosing pageant dresses may differ from one pageant to another, it’s important to do your research. Study the history of the pageant you're entering and gather intel on past pageant winning dress trends, styles, and colors. Some pageants call for modest gowns, while others call for flashy colors or sultry details. Keep in mind the pageant evening gowns of winners before you, then choose a gown that makes a statement about you and follows that pageant’s guidelines.
2. Pick a flattering dress style. You want a pageant dress that draws attention to your favorite assets. If you love your legs, wear a dress with slits that will showcase your legs while you walk. A tiny waist can be emphasized with an a-line dress that fits closely at the bodice and flares out from the waist. Highlight your silhouette in a gown that looks great on stage, flows when you walk, and sparkles under the lights. While you aim to captivate the judges as you walk on stage, be sure to hold their gazes as you walk away too. Selecting a pageant gown with a captivating cape, a statement-making open back, or a sweeping train ensures you’ll have a dramatic detail that keeps the attention of the judges the entire time you are on stage.
3. Consider white or neutral hues. While colors such as blue, red, and pink have all been winning dress colors in past pageants, white and neutral shades are the top winning hues for beauty pageant evening gowns. Pageant gowns in white and neutrals draw attention to your face because the dress colors are light and pale. This gives you the opportunity to really let the judges see your personality, the way you walk out on stage and present yourself, and the confidence you portray while talking to the judges. The color, cut and adornaments of your pageant dress may be beautiful, but they shouldn’t outshine you as the contestant.
4. Stand out in the sea of contestants. Don a dress that is unique in design, so you won't look like anyone else. You want your pageant dress to say something about you. Are you sleek and refined with a bit of sass, or are you the girl next door with a love of fashion? Choose an evening gown that stands out from the masses and shows the judges who you are.
5. Make a confident impression. When deciding on a pageant gown, keep in mind that you should be able to walk and move with ease in your dress. You can master the pageant stage smoothly when you can move with confidence in your long evening gown. If you are comfortable in the pageant evening gown that you are wearing, your confidence will show through.
6. Love the dress! Make sure the pageant dress you choose is one that you love. When you step out on that stage, you need to feel confident and know that you look your pageant best, and that’s easiest when you love your evening gown.
By following the tips above, you’ll be well-prepared to find your winning pageant evening gown. At PromGirl, this collection of dresses for pageants features long evening gowns from renowned designers. If you're looking for a specific designer brand, check out our shop by designer section. Wear a pageant dress from PromGirl to highlight the beauty within you, then take home the crown!