NEW YORK CITY — Prom might seem like a nostalgic conceit in such a fashion-forward city, if it weren't for the hipness of vintage fashion and the growing trend among teenage girls to choose vintage for their big night. Girls in New York know how to rock the slightly punked-out prom queen look — think 1992 "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" in white tulle and Doc Martens. This spring, Topshop and other teen-centric retail giants have been buying up 1950s and '60s formal dresses from Paradox Designs, a New York City-based vintage archive business, to find inspiration for its prom dresses. "Right now it's all about teardrop beading, full skirts, and Jane Birkin-style mini dresses," said Paradox buyer Theo Banzon. "Girls want dreamy, romantic styles. Overtly sexy, Herve Leger-style dresses are on the wane." Paradox caters mostly to industry looking to copy the designs from its extensive collection of textiles and vintage pieces from the early 20th century through to the 1980s. But in recent years, so many girls have made appointments at its location on 37th Street to shop for vintage evening gowns that Paradox now has an entire section devoted to prom.

Prices at Paradox start at $500, but Banzon said mothers will pay up to $2,000 for couture pieces. "Prom has become wedding-like. Girls have few other occasions to wear fantasy dresses," he said. The experts at Paradox have done the hard work, which is factored into the price. But if you have the time and patience to shop the city's vintage stores, you can find a lovely vintage frock for $100 to $400.How To Clean Old Porcelain Bathtub Here are a few tips to make your search a cinch:Advanced Weight Loss Clinic St Robert If you have a few styles in mind, show the vintage dealer photos, and he or she will be able to help you pull pieces. Bathroom Vanity Sink ConsolePopular styles this year are long festival-style dresses (circa 1930s or '70s) worn with flower crowns or floral head wreaths. 

1920s fringe and beading inspired by the new "Great Gatsby" movie, and frothy white dresses. Etsy and 1stdibs are the best online sources for vintage. On Etsy, try the shops Mill Street Vintage, Vintage Vortex, Melsvanity or They Roared. On a 1stdibs search for evening dresses in the $125-$500 range, I found a number of beauties. Someone should snap up this 1950s baby pink Organza dress for $375. Or how about this amazing 1960s gold-beaded pineapple motif shift dress? The best bets for affordable vintage prom dresses in New York include: Le Grand Strip in Williamsburg for cool '80s looks; Narnia on the LES for '70s free-spirit styles; Resurrection in Nolita for designer '60s through to the glam '80s; Rue St. Denis in the East Village for mostly unworn '60s and '70s dresses; Stella Dallas in the West Village for '40s and '50s looks; and New York Vintage in the Flatiron District for all eras. My favorite vintage shop in the city is Rare Vintage on 57th Street. Owner Juliana Cairone sells mostly high-end vintage couture, but she carries a small collection of dresses at a lower price point.

It's helpful to know your measurements, especially when shopping online. (You'll naturally ignore the vintage label size.) But you'll never know how something will look until you try it on. Ninety-five percent of the time, you'll need to have alterations made to the dress, whether it's to raise the hem, shorten straps or take in the bust. Remember that beaded and lace fabrics are difficult in this regard. The Upper West Side's Silouhettes and Profiles is a good neighborhood option for those in Manhattan, as is Design & Alteration by Margaret (115 E. 57th St.). Take the granny out of the equation by keeping your hair young and edgy, and shoes elegant or on trend. Zara has a great selection of Spring shoes for less than $100 that will complement vintage styles.You guys, Domino Dollhouse has a new collection inspired by ’90s female musicians. This is literally the best thing ever. Red plaid, leopard, daisy print, and lyrics from Garbage and Hole? I’m also excited that most of the items are cotton, and they’re a bit cheaper than many of DD’s previous collections.

Here are a few pictures of the collection, and then some music to get you in the angsty-girl-power mood:I’ve been pretty deep into wedding planning lately and haven’t felt much like blogging, but I wanted to pop back in and tell you all about the movie I saw last night, because it was just so good. Spy features Melissa McCarthy as a desk-bound CIA agent who goes undercover to infiltrate the world of an arms dealer and prevent a terrorist attack–and of course, all sorts of hijinks ensue. First off, the movie is just plain hilarious. It has the perfect combination of witty zingers, juvenile humor, and physical comedy–something for everyone. That alone would be enough to recommend it, but it’s also a film with a fat heroine whose size isn’t used as a joke, which was so refreshing to watch. McCarthy’s character, Susan Cooper, finds herself socially invisible as a not-so-young fat woman–so she uses that invisibility to her advantage and ends up subverting everyone’s expectations.

For what it’s worth, she spends much of the movie looking gorgeous. Although she is assigned to play a dowdy Midwestern tourist in a neon pink track suit and cat t-shirt, she quickly changes out of that disguise and into a more glamorous one. I especially loved the outfit she wears toward the end of the movie, which made me want to run out and immediately buy a black blazer with silver accents. I also loved that Spy is, at its heart, about a kickass female spy taking down a rather likeable female villain. The main female characters are smart and competent, whereas the main male characters are ridiculous spy-movie-trope-parodies who keep getting in the way: from Jude Law as a suave and assholey James Bond type, to Jason Stratham as a rogue agent who’s constantly bragging about his improbable exploits, to Peter Serafinowicz as a sleazeball whose main talent is sexual harassment. Spy also features appearances by two actors I love, Morena Baccarin (a.k.a. Inara from Firefly) and Allison Janney (C.J. Cregg from The West Wing), as well as an amusing cameo by 50 Cent.

And it introduced me to a new favorite: British comedian Miranda Hart, who plays Cooper’s bumbling but supportive best friend. She’s hilarious, and I definitely want to check out more of her work. Overall, I recommend Spy to anyone who wants to spend two hours laughing. It stands on its own as a funny movie with a good plot and pacing, and it’s also awesome to see a fat woman using both her wits and her physical abilities to kick ass. -Are googly-eyed accessories the next trend? –Tess Holliday is on the cover of People! It’s amazing to see someone my size on the cover of that magazine, and not as a “before” picture. Buzzfeed also has a great profile of her. -My fellow Bostonian Anna is going a year without buying clothing. –Big and Tall Men’s Clothing is a Facebook group for buying and selling plus-size men’s clothes. –How Native American fashion looks without cultural appropriation. –Blogging, ethics, and reselling. –11 plus size designers who are also bloggers.

-I’m excited for Rebel Wilson’s collaboration with Torrid. –Where to shop for size 28+ clothing. –7 sexy swimsuits in sizes 4x and up. –Fan BingBing’s floral tulle gown with a cherry blossom crown is epically gorgeous. -“It took me years to understand that the cycle of falling in and out of love with things—with a version of yourself, even—can be a lovely thing, and crucial in helping you figure out who you really are.” Hi everyone, sorry about the lack of Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations and Sunday Links posts last week! I’ve been in full-on wedding planning mode, and even though I’ve still been saving links and outfit posts, and taking outfit pictures, I just haven’t been in the brainspace to blog. So I’m going on a semi-hiatus, which is to say: I’ll post when I can, and I’ll try to get through my backlog of outfit pictures eventually, but I may not always keep up with my regular weekly posts. After the wedding, which will be about a year from now, I should be back to my regular posting schedule.

In the meantime, you can still find me on Facebook, Tumblr. I hope you are all doing well! -Fat Girl Posing’s spring pastel shoot is gorgeous. -My friend Femma’s Etsy shop Femme Fat Sew is live! -A plus size student was suspended for a supposedly revealing prom dress, while her straight size classmates got away with much skimpier dresses. –TheCURVYCon is coming to New York, and will have Amber Riley as a keynote speaker! –I said yes to the (gay wedding) dress. –Ten body-positive tips for plus size brides. -This leather corset is gorgeous, comes in sizes XXS – 12XL, and even comes in pink! –Bombsheller has extended their leggings’ size range to include 2XL, and is working their way up to 6XL. –1910, Paris: some of the world’s first street style photography. –At this fashion library, you check out clothes instead of buying them. –Has it occurred to you that fat people have taste? –ModCloth’s men show their support of their body-positive pool party.