The following email showed up in one of my inboxes recently. How this happened, I’m not sure. I have no professional use for this information, but I will post it here. It came without introduction or other explanation from someone named Duane.

If pearls, full skirts and tiaras are your version of a perfect prom—you’re in luck.
According to new data from online shopping site Ebates, full skirts (25 percent), a tiara (24 percent), gloves (20 percent) and pearls (18 percent) are America’s favorite retro prom fashions.

These retro fashion statements are also what Americans say their teens are planning to wear this prom season:

Pearls—23 percent
Tiara—21 percent
Full skirt—20 percent
Gloves—14 percent

While it seems that the 50’s and early 60’s were the favored era for prom fashion, Americans admitted that the 80’s were the worst. Combat boots (7 percent), crimped hair (8 percent) and chokers (11 percent) were the least favorite fashion choices.

Dang, it’s disappointing to learn that combat boots are so low on the list of prom fashion choices. Fatigues might be higher, though. The release doesn’t say.

Glad to learn that ’80s was picked as the worst retro fashion decade. The ’70s usually catches that slander. That was a poor decade for clothing, I suppose, but what people actually wear, as opposed to what people who care about fashion think they should wear, isn’t any better now than 40 years ago. Go to any large public event in the summer and see.