No Frills: 9 Non-Princess-y Prom Dresses

It’s prom season, which means weekends spent at the department store sifting through mountains of tulle and lace, desperately searching for the best prom dress. The sales girl is pushing poufy creations into your arm despite your protests, and everyone is elbowing for the best prom dresses in the racks.

Finally you unearth something that doesn’t resemble a giant wedding cake dyed pink. You walk out of the dressing room to show it off to your BFF. And then? Your frenemy Stephanie struts out wearing the…Same. Exact. Dress. Back to the drawing board.

Skip ahead to see all of the best prom dresses for 2013.

Luckily, we’ve rounded up our favorite prom dresses for 2013 that’ll relieve you of your post-traumatic shopping stress. It’s not too late to find your unique prom dress — something less voluminous and more refined, elegant and sleek than what everyone else will be wearing. It’s not that over-the-top princess-style gowns are bad, per se, but many of the best prom dresses offer a modern and refreshing alternative.

We’ve got strapless styles, short hemlines, maxi dresses, neutrals, ultra bright colors, sequins, and prints. Basically, we’ve got all types of awesome prom dresses that fall under the “anti-princess” category.

The best part? They’re all prom dresses under $200. One of the best prom dresses is a mere $36! Total steal.

So keep clicking to see the chicest and cheapest prom dresses for 2013. You’ll be the belle of the ball…minus all that tulle and taffeta.