Going to your first high school dance is exciting. Wearing Proenza Schouler to your first high school dance is the stuff dreams are made of. Which is why model Emma Waldo (The Society) may be the luckiest girl in the whole world. She sent us an email detailing her night, so if you're in the mood for a little nostalgia, turn on the One Direction Pandora station and read on:

Last spring, I went to my first (and last) high school dance. Everyone seemed to think that it wouldn’t mean much to me because I’ve worked with fashion designers and walked in runway shows around the world, but I was so excited that I couldn’t even sleep the night before!

When I woke up that morning, I laid out my entire outfit on my bed—dress, shoes, bag, and jewelry—just to make sure that everything was perfect. Proenza let me borrow the dress—I first saw it in their Spring/Summer 2014 show and have loved it ever since. I never expected to be able to wear so I was shocked it all worked out! I'm still very grateful to have worn something so beautiful during such an important personal moment.

The jewelry I wore was a handmade gift from my godmother and went perfectly with my look—it was such a special part of my night.

Daniel Martin (a brilliant makeup artist) was kind enough to offer to do my makeup for the dance. I worked with Daniel previously through Proenza Schouler, so he already had an idea of what would look good on me and what I’d feel comfortable with. He ended up creating a Saint Laurent-inspired cat eye with a layer of Velour fake lashes, Urban Decay Ink Liquid Liner, and Lancôme Definicils Mascara. We kept the rest of my look quite natural, just with Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer for spots, Shu Uemura Matte Loose Powder, some Nars Blush in Douceur, and the YSL Touche Éclat. My lips were sheer, just brushed with YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain in Reckless Pink. I’m so lucky to have had his help—I would have been completely lost without him!

After finishing my makeup, I ran across town to Kropps and Bobbers to have my hair done. The salon is really close to my house in the Lower East Side, and Joni, the owner, has been cutting my hair for as long as I can remember. I wanted to do something different than the typical updo, so Joni gave me a chic beachy look that echoed the silhouette of my dress. She only used two products to give it shape— Pravana Super Shape Hair Spray and Kevin.Murphy Session.Spray.

By the time my hair was finished, my best friend Kira’s parents were 30 minutes away from picking me up. I ran home, threw on my outfit, and sat in front of the air conditioner to cool off. I thought that getting ready would be similar to prepping for shows, but it was way more stressful.

Before the dance, everyone’s parents have the chance to photograph their kids and ogle at how beautiful everyone looks. We all went to Riverside Plaza, and some of the parents seemed to be more excited than us. After posing for photos, and then posing for more photos, we crammed into a few stretch limos and headed to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens for the event. It was about a 45 minute drive, and we blasted music the entire way to keep up the energy.

The dance itself was pretty amazing. When we arrived and unfolded from the limo, we sat outside the greenhouse and drank (virgin) strawberry daiquiris and piña coladas while we waited for the doors to open. I thought it was pretty funny that even though the night had just started, some of the girls already had their dates holding their heels—weak! Once inside, we ate dinner, danced, and took ridiculous photos at a photo booth. The music was exactly what you would expect from a school dance party, but we danced to every song in the spirit of the occasion.

At midnight, I left prom with a group of friends to get ready for the afterparty. I’d like to think that I could have handled a full night in heels, but at that moment, my Converse had never felt better.

The afterparty was held in a shady club with better music and a lot more dancing. We left said shady club at around 4am to watch the sunrise from the Brooklyn Bridge. We didn’t arrive until around 5 in the morning, but there we were, about fifty kids celebrating their last moments in high school together as the sun rose in a blaze of pinks and purples over New York City.

I couldn’t have dreamed a better ending to the dance.

x Emma