Tracy Van De Pol will emcee the upcoming Prom Fashion Show at J.C. Penney – something close to her heart – because she never got to attend a prom in her junior or senior years at Manteca High School.
The fashion show with girls in prom dresses and the guys in suits and tuxes is set for noon with red carpeted runway and all at the Manteca store at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley at Union Road and Highway 120 Bypass.
Styling manager Bonnie Milford said there will be 12 female models and three males walking down the runway near the store’s entrance. The latest in formal up-dos will be a product of Penney’s beauty salon to showcase what styles are available.
“It’s one of the rites of passage to go to the prom in high school,” the Manteca grad said. “I think everyone should get the opportunity to dress up one day and kinda be like a princess. For the guys it’s just another formal day for them, but for the girls it makes them feel a little better about themselves.”
Tracy’s prom dates had backed out for one reason or another and she graduated without the memories of having a dream night of bliss at her school’s graduation formal.
She couldn’t go to her junior prom because her date could not get a visitor’s pass. The time came and went and Tracy remembers being a very sad junior. In her senior year her friend backed out at the last minute claiming he had prior events – maybe he just didn’t want to dance, she mused.
Tracy said his decision came very late and she didn’t have time to find another date to have them fill out the forms and pay the prices when she graduated in 2005 – just six years ago.
She’s 23 now and thinking about her prom as an “older woman” and an accomplished hair stylist at JC Penney’s, she noted, adding that she had her special prom when she was 21 and living in North Hollywood.
The Manteca grad orchestrated her own prom and had a group of friends come over to her Southern California home with about 12 to 13 couples and they were all dressed in formal wear.
It was several of those newly made friends who encouraged her to stage her own high school formal dance.
“We got everybody together and made it happen and we just went to the prom,” she giggled.
“We nominated a prom king and queen and we even had a little set up for pictures with balloons, hors d’oeuvres and everything – it was quite the event,” she said. Tracy had moved to the Southland after graduating from California Beauty College in Modesto.
Her friends who helped plan and attend the dance were both boys and girls and everybody brought a date. A limousine would have been the frosting on the cake but she didn’t think about that, she added.
“We had a designated dance floor and even had a little mingling area in the kitchen – so it was really nice. It was a fun time. For music, we had to put on iPods. Put Pandora on because that created a mix with a really good song and that just created the mood from there. My friend Amanda was in charge of the music – she’s an aspiring actress,” she said.
Amanda and Tracy co-emceed for the nominations of king and queen.
“We had a little box with papers and pens so when everyone got in they could write down who they wanted – ‘cause we all really knew each other,” she added.
The king and queen honors went to a couple who cross dressed, one in a dress and the other in a tuxedo – just a lot of fun.
“One had a wig – it was pretty cute,” she said laughing. “He made a good woman.” As for ages they were 26 and 24. It was three years after Tracy graduated; she was 21 at the time.
Her advice to others is that everyone should go to their prom, even if they don’t have a date – go with your friends – seniors go with their friends anyway, she added.
“So, if you don’t have a date, tag along, don’t miss the opportunity. You only go through high school once and once it’s over you can’t go back – unless you create your own prom,” she insisted.
Following the nearly hour-long show JC Penney’s staffers will host those in attendance with refreshments and offer consulting for potential clients for their special prom event.
The fashion show with girls in prom dresses and the guys in suits and tuxes is set for noon with red carpeted runway and all at the Manteca store at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley at Union Road and Highway 120 Bypass.
Styling manager Bonnie Milford said there will be 12 female models and three males walking down the runway near the store’s entrance. The latest in formal up-dos will be a product of Penney’s beauty salon to showcase what styles are available.
“It’s one of the rites of passage to go to the prom in high school,” the Manteca grad said. “I think everyone should get the opportunity to dress up one day and kinda be like a princess. For the guys it’s just another formal day for them, but for the girls it makes them feel a little better about themselves.”
Tracy’s prom dates had backed out for one reason or another and she graduated without the memories of having a dream night of bliss at her school’s graduation formal.
She couldn’t go to her junior prom because her date could not get a visitor’s pass. The time came and went and Tracy remembers being a very sad junior. In her senior year her friend backed out at the last minute claiming he had prior events – maybe he just didn’t want to dance, she mused.
Tracy said his decision came very late and she didn’t have time to find another date to have them fill out the forms and pay the prices when she graduated in 2005 – just six years ago.
She’s 23 now and thinking about her prom as an “older woman” and an accomplished hair stylist at JC Penney’s, she noted, adding that she had her special prom when she was 21 and living in North Hollywood.
The Manteca grad orchestrated her own prom and had a group of friends come over to her Southern California home with about 12 to 13 couples and they were all dressed in formal wear.
It was several of those newly made friends who encouraged her to stage her own high school formal dance.
“We got everybody together and made it happen and we just went to the prom,” she giggled.
“We nominated a prom king and queen and we even had a little set up for pictures with balloons, hors d’oeuvres and everything – it was quite the event,” she said. Tracy had moved to the Southland after graduating from California Beauty College in Modesto.
Her friends who helped plan and attend the dance were both boys and girls and everybody brought a date. A limousine would have been the frosting on the cake but she didn’t think about that, she added.
“We had a designated dance floor and even had a little mingling area in the kitchen – so it was really nice. It was a fun time. For music, we had to put on iPods. Put Pandora on because that created a mix with a really good song and that just created the mood from there. My friend Amanda was in charge of the music – she’s an aspiring actress,” she said.
Amanda and Tracy co-emceed for the nominations of king and queen.
“We had a little box with papers and pens so when everyone got in they could write down who they wanted – ‘cause we all really knew each other,” she added.
The king and queen honors went to a couple who cross dressed, one in a dress and the other in a tuxedo – just a lot of fun.
“One had a wig – it was pretty cute,” she said laughing. “He made a good woman.” As for ages they were 26 and 24. It was three years after Tracy graduated; she was 21 at the time.
Her advice to others is that everyone should go to their prom, even if they don’t have a date – go with your friends – seniors go with their friends anyway, she added.
“So, if you don’t have a date, tag along, don’t miss the opportunity. You only go through high school once and once it’s over you can’t go back – unless you create your own prom,” she insisted.
Following the nearly hour-long show JC Penney’s staffers will host those in attendance with refreshments and offer consulting for potential clients for their special prom event.
