See related items: Little Black Dresses; Best Selling Prom Dresses

The Style Insider is thinking about prom night. Wondrous, magical prom night. We love thinking about prom because we don’t have to actually go to one. We have no angst about who might or might not ask us. We have no curfew. And we don’t have to worry about rain, or bad hair, or a pimple on The Day.

No. All we have to do is shop for adorable dresses that you might want to wear. It is the best of all possible worlds.

And today, we’re just looking for short dresses. We adore short dresses for prom, because they avoid that whole princess thing, they are flirty and danceable, and you can wear them again. (Trust us, you will not wear a long dress again. Ever. You won’t. We don’t care what your mom says.) A short dress shows off your legs, and looks great at the after-party. And it gives you a particularly good reason to shop for shoes.

Let’s start with Nicole Miller. (A good guideline for most events in life.) Her yellow metallic floral dress is strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a babydoll silhouette; twisted fabric at the bodice and a delicate bubble hem finish the look. We love the way the metallic embellishments shimmer on the yellow silk./Lurex fabric. At Nordstrom ($365, pictured at top).

It’s all ruffles and flourishes for this David’s Bridal strapless printed charmeuse dress. A generous splash of red and orange flowers blooms on a white background. Horizontal ruching makes it chic; the side and hem ruffles take it current. It’s only available online ($83, above left).

The word ethereal must have been coined for this ABS by Allen Schwartz ombre dress. Layers of shaded silk that run the gamut from white to black fall from a cluster of rhinestones at the center of the sweetheart neckline, and boning inside the bodice helps it hold its shape. We are imagining it floating on the dance floor, and it looks gorgeous. At Nordstrom ($415, above right).

Seventeen magazine made this fuchsia dress from David’s Bridal one of their Picks of the Week because of its empire waist, sweetheart neckline and burnout polka dot pattern. They said the dress “is vintage with a twist — the perfect stand-out look for prom.” We’re on it ($104, above left).

We have a friend who would die for this dress, with its creamy white silk and tiny black rosettes (though we’re not sure we could convince her to go to a prom, either). The Alice + Olivia tank dress is both simple and eye-catching, a pretty irresistible combination. At Bluefly ($196, above right).

Why should you wear this soft and pale Sue Wong silk chiffon dress, with its exquisite bodice beading and its suggestion of a blush? Because you can. Because you’re young and gorgeous and you want something that stands out from the crowd — in only the good ways. At Saks ($368, above left).

Let us be old for a moment while we pay attention to this ABS floral pleated chiffon strapless dress. This is the kind of dress we want to see on a prom dance floor, because it’s sexy and pretty, revealing and concealing. It’s sheer, and they’ll look, but they’ll only see you. At Bluefly ($213. above right).

However, if you want a little more drama, we’re smitten with this BCBG Max Azria laser-cut strapless dress. The white and black layers cascade down the bodice and skirt, hugging your curves in the smoothest way possible. At Macy’s ($298, above).

And for just plain fun, our vote goes to this David’s Bridal ombre chiffon dress, with its cute color-tiered skirt and beaded trim. It’s young and fresh, and the spaghetti straps will keep it in place when the dancing gets wild. Online only ($55, below).

Advertisement