Teen Contestants- Pageant Dresses under $250

The evening gown competition is an extremely important part of a pageant, especially considering this is the garment you will most likely be wearing for the longest period on stage. You wear it for evening gown, top-5 announcement, on-stage question, and crowning. So its important that you love the dress and that it also looks amazing. Now I know there are so many beautiful pageant dresses out there, and you can find great deals on these dresses through different sellers on sites like eBay and Pageant Resale. If you are like me though when I was competing as a teen, my budget for a dress was usually $250 or less. It is definitely possible to find a great stage dress for $250 or less, you just have to do the research, try things on, and know when to shop and what to avoid. The following are 15 dresses I think could work on stage for a teen contestant.

Some quick tips
Evening gown means floor length dress. These are NOT floor length dresses:

If the dress doesn’t actually sweep the floor, then you should avoid it. Especially now when the trend is long swooping dresses, you will stand out, in a bad way.

Next, avoid shiny fabrics. Typically, polyester fabrics that are shiny look cheap. If a dress is going to cost $250 or less, avoid super shiny satin-like fabrics like these:

Dress Examples

Prints: For teen contestants, print dresses can be flirty, attention grabbers on stage. Prints should be worn carefully, however, choosing patterns and colors that are subtle and work together. 

Zebra Print- $149.99 @ Camille La Vie
Pink Floral Print- $158 @ unique-vintage.com
Night Moves 6045- $238 @onlineformals.com 

Avoid patterns and colors like these: 

Waist Details: A fitted dress with waist accents can help show off shape. Having a bow or different color band at the waist are popular styles. 

Studio 17 12161- $218
Royal Blue Dress- $216 @ unique-vintage.com 

Ball Gowns: Ball gowns are great dresses for younger contestants, especially in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition, where girls as young as 14 can compete. It’s important to embrace youthfulness. Look for styles that are still fitted throughout the bodice so your shape doesn’t get loss in fabric. 

Sequined Gown- $218 @promgirl.com
Flirt 4372- $229 @promgirl.com 

Tulle Dress- $198 @unique-vintage.com 

Grecian: This has definitely been a popular style for the past year in pageants, especially with the ability to “Fly” dresses on stage. To freshen up the trend, many of these styles are coming in bright, jewel tone colors. Look for styles that cinch in at the waist. 

Bari Jay Shimmer 59114- $210 @promgirl.com
La Femme 15188- $259 @promgirl.com (a little over $250, but only by 9 bucks!)
Bari Jay Shimmer 59914- $210 @promgirl.com 

Flirty Dresses: Dresses that are more fitted with flirty cut-outs are more appropriate for older teens. When choosing dresses that are a bit-more body hugging, go for jewel tones and pastel colors, and avoid dark colors like black or gray. Also, if going with a more revealing dress, keep that detail just to one part. For example, if doing a completely open back dress, make sure the front stays classy with no low cut top or really high slit.

Blue Dress- $169 @ Macy's
Blush Prom S010 $238 @ promdressshop.com
Red Dress- $179.99 @ Camille La Vie
Flirt P4403S- $238 @promgirl.com

Lastly: The most important thing to remember is to be confident on stage. I have seen pageants where the winner was wearing a not-so-great dress compared to other girls, but because she was confident and having fun on stage, she won. There will be girls with dresses that cost $2,000+, do not let this discourage you! Stay focus on your goal, have fun and remember the judges do not know how much you spent on your dress.

Winning Miss Colorado Teen USA 2006 
Dress: Jessica McClintock- on sale for $215

Favorite Pageant Dresses

These are my top 15 favorite dresses over the past few years from the Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America pageants. Hope you enjoy:

1. Miss Russia 2002- Oxana Fedorova

 I actually remember watching this pageant and loving how free flowing and princess like her dress was. Maybe it does just look like fabric wrapped around her body, but it just added to her beauty and it wasn’t trying too hard. Absolutely my favorite dress worn in a national pageant, ever.

2. Miss Universe 2008- Dayana Mendoza

 I was a huge fan of Dayana Mendoza, and she was my favorite to win Miss Universe. I loved everything about her styling during evening gown, and loved her performance even more. My favorite part about her dress was actually the accessories. I loved how her shoes matched, and I loved the pop of another color with the blue earrings.

3. Miss Universe 2005- Natalie Glebova

 I absolutely adore the silhouette of this dress. It was hugging all the right parts and showed off her great legs. I appreciate how simple the dress is; yet the detailing makes it so interesting and it definitely fit Natalie’s natural beauty. She just looked like a Miss Universe in this dress.

4. Miss Kosovo 2009- Gona Dragusha 

I love Gona! Sign me up to be president of her fan club. Her beauty captivated me, and when she stepped out on stage with the huge poof bun on top of her head, I wanted her to win so badly, just so I could see how they would crown her. She definitely had this Hollywood actress, Audrey Hepburn look, which is why I loved it so much. There was a specific style, each detail handcrafted out, creating the perfect Miss Universe look.

5. Miss Universe 2006- Zuleyka Rivera 

This dress to me is what sealed the deal for Zuleyka, if there were any doubts she would win. It was a fascinating dress, and I loved the chain details and drop crystals. Though I did not like her hair, this dress is definitely unforgettable.

6. Miss Teen USA 2005- Shelly Henning 

This was the perfect Miss Teen USA look. From the hair to the dress, everything about the look was a winner.

7. Miss Utah USA 2007- Heather Anderson 

I was in LA for the Miss USA telecast, and you can probably hear my mom and I gasping if you play back the tapes after Heather walked out on stage. I know many probably hate the over-the-topness of this dress, but I personally love taking fun, innovative risks, and I loved this dress.

8. Miss America 2008- Kirsten Haglund 

Again, I love taking risks, and I definitely think this dress was a huge one, especially for Miss America. But for Kirsten, it worked. It captured attention in a sea of basic gowns.

9. Miss Virginia 2007- Hannah Kiefer 

If you can’t tell, I am a fan of the dramatic, red carpet-like dresses, and this one does not disappoint.

10. Miss Universe 2009- Stefania Fernandez 

Haha, I think this dress has been referred to a lot as the big bird dress, but I loved it. I actually just loved Stefania’s whole wardrobe throughout the Miss Universe pageant, and I loved the red lipstick, old Hollywood look. She rocked it!

11. Miss Ohio USA 2006- Stacy Offenberger

I loved how classic and natural Stacy looked. And the best part was she could pull it off.  I was an instant fan after seeing her compete in the top 10.

12. Miss Australia 2008- Laura Dundovic

This silhouette is extremely similar to Natalie Glebova’s dress, but I love the color and added beaded detailing.

13. Miss Kosovo 2008- Zana Krasniqi

I was rooting so much for Zana. I loved loved loved her face, and she was absolutely stunning in this classic pink dress.

14. Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2006- Melissa Lingafelt

Yes, I loved Melissa’s dress, especially since I got to see it in person. I had never seen anything like it before, and it just reminded me of cupcakes, my favorite food!

15. Miss Hawaii USA 2009- Aureana Tseu

Loved the color, cut, beading, and sheer awesomeness of Aureana’s dress. It was just stunning and a new twist on the see-through gown.