As Girl Meets World star Sabrina Carpenter tries on some of this season’s best dresses, she fantasizes about the big night (she’s never been to prom!) and shares her party and style secrets. girl meets prom DRESS Alyce Paris, $2,999, alyceparis.com. EARRINGS Swarovski, $149, Swarovski boutiques. BY JEN ABIDOR PHOTOGRAPHS BY YU TSAI STYLING BY JAMES WORTHINGTON DE MOLET 150 151 DRESS Ruby Vogue Couture, $718, dressgalaxy.com. While growing up in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, the singer- Sabrina actress says she spent a lot of time putting on at-home fashion Carpenter shows with clothes from her mom’s closet, watching movies featuring high has been school dances, and wishing she’d get to have a magical night of her own. “I always dreaming thought of prom as a ball, and I saw myself as Cinderella,” Sabrina says. “It was of prom a fairy tale to me.” But the 17-year-old, who lives in L.A. now, has never been to a forever. regular school—and still hasn’t had the prom night of her dreams. (The closest she’s come to it: an on-screen semiformal in an episode of Girl Meets World and more red-carpet events than she can count.) Still, Sabrina loves what prom represents. “It’s the one night a year where you can be whoever you want.” At the moment, she can’t decide who that would be: “I’d look like a princess, or I’d wear a suit. It’s cool to see a girl in something different.” One thing she is sure of: Prepping for a glam night out involves pump-up tunes (“lots of Hamilton!”), DRESS Vivi Ta, a partner in crime, $348, and definitely some vivitadesigns.com glitter. Read on. SS152 153 her party LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE DRESS La Femme, $438, take cool “Prom only happens maybe a couple times pack light just relax lafemmefashion.com for you if you’re lucky, so you want to “Bring as little as “Before a big pics make sure you have the time of your life. Take in possible—your event, I’ll listen “Make them every moment that you can, step outside your phone, lip balm, to music and unique. Don’t comfort zone, loosen up, and have fun—find that one friend who can help you do it. For me, cash, and you’re drink water so I stand in front of that’s Joey King. She’ll always be like ‘Come on! good. Don’t bring know I’m going your pool, don’t We’re dancing right now!’ We’re all so neurotic your credit card, to stay hydrated. stand in front of that we think everyone is looking at us and because you don’t I also love when the doorway—it’s paying attention to us, when really, everyone is want to lose that. people come not as cute as worried about themselves. We’re all thinking the Cash is easier.” over beforehand you think. Keep same thing in our heads.” it natural: You and you help ASK FOR THE RIGHT MUSIC already look more each other treat “Any guy I’ve ever danced with can’t dance get ready and dressed up than yo’self and it gets awkward. But great music can usual, so if you can make everybody happy. The other night I was make sure that make the picture “After big at a party and Lemonade was playing. everybody more casual, that’s events, I’ll go out Everybody hit the dance floor and it was cool feels confident. a nice balance. for pizza or to to see how when it’s a song that everybody I usually do my At prom, photo In-N-Out Burger loves, they just want to sing and have a good makeup with my booths are great with my friends. time. I know if I’m dancing to a song and sister or friends. because you get to I’m always I don’t know the words, I don’t feel as into it. It’s about having So go to the DJ and request your fave song. control the shot. hungry, but Make the most of it.” fun—like when We all get freaked especially after I was a kid and out because a long night playing dress pictures stay of dancing. At live in the moment up just for online forever, but that point, I’m “Don’t Snapchat the entire time. myself—except think of them as just like, ‘Screw Chances are, everyone you’re Snapping now I’m going documentation it—I’ll have the it to is at the prom! I take photos when it somewhere of what you were milkshake!’ ” feels right, then put my phone down.” afterward!” like at a specific time. Accept it and DON’T STRESS ABOUT A DATE embrace it, and if “Prom is supposed to be a good experience and an amazing memory. It’s okay to not have a you don’t like it, date, especially if you’re going with a group of people. (For the record, my dream date would be change up your Lin-Manuel Miranda or Emilia Clarke.) When it comes to parties, I don’t think, I’m going to meet look next time. If boys, or I need to bring a boy. For me, it’s more like, This is going to be a really fun party and I’m you do like it, then going to get dressed up and feel special—and who knows what could happen? And it’s also okay good on you.” to switch things up and have the girl do the asking. I think that’s cool!” 154 155 DRESS Mac Duggal, $598, macduggal.com. NECKLACE Swarovski, $125, Swarovski boutiques. BRACELET her perfect prom Swarovski, $89, Swarovski boutiques. HEELS Isa Tapia, $395, isatapia.com. DRESS Jovani, $750, 1. “Cool Girl” edressme.com BY TOVE LO 2. “Telepathy” BY CHRISTINA AGUILERA 3. “Needed Me” BY RIHANNA 4. “Sorry” BY BEYONCÉ 5. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” BY SIMPLE MINDS 157 steal her DRESS Rachel Allan, $298, Geno’s Formal Affair boutiques. RINGS (right hand) ALDO, $22 for set of three, aldoshoes .com; (left hand) Kasané, $150, kasanejewellery eye spy PROM HAIR mani must GOWN .com. DON’T CARE GOALS HAIR: John D at “My favorite “Think about your hair “I do French manicures a lot—I feel “My dream prom Forward Artists makeup trend as a way to top off like they go with everything. I also dress would be using Tresemmé. your look. You could MAKEUP: Allan is experimenting really like metallic nails. There’s like Taylor Swift’s Avendaño using wear a super-classic gown from the Dior Dreamskin at with lots of dress and do space bound to be sparkles or something ‘Love Story’ music Starworks Artists. colors on the buns. Or you could interesting about your prom dress, MANICURE: eyes. I think wear something so that would be a fun combo.” video—something Christina Aviles at that is either very Opus Beauty that’s a cool simple and have using Dior Vernis. thing that’s glam flowing locks. lacy or has a lot of Something I’ve been A+ accessory texture to it and happening wanting to try for a looks like it’s from right now, and while is fake bangs “I would go for a statement choker— a fairy tale. I would different colors because I feel like it makes a look more modern. Plus, wear a corset for can bring out it’s such an easy, it’s something you can do in a lot of prom because I feel nonpermanent way to different ways, whether it’s by wearing like it’s the one night your eyes even change up your look. more and help Remember, this is your a piece of lace or ribbon and making it where you can do you step up night to try something elegant, or choosing something a little that. Or I would do your look. I new and different.” bit edgy and punking up your look.” something abstract, just tried hot like from Rodarte. pink the other BEST FOOT FORWARD In general, I like to “When I was 12, I got my first pair of heels at an H&M in Toronto. wear longer dresses night, and then They were strappy wedges and I wore them forever. The beauty of because I’m short, so I did purple and wedges and platforms is that they’re the most comfortable shoes, no I can put on a pair of glitter on my matter how high they are. I’m actually pretty good at walking in heels heels underneath and eyebrows—it (yes, I’ve fallen down at least a few times) but most of the time, I’ll just people are like, was really fun!” end up taking off my shoes and running around without them.” ‘Did you grow?’” 158 159.