Inside the 10th and last-ever ROM Prom with Douglas Coupland and hundreds of stylish partygoers

Date April 2, 2015

rom prom douglas coupland party — Photography by Jenna Marie Wakani

Last weekend, the Royal Ontario Museum threw a prom for the ages. Hosted by the Young Patrons Circle, the 10th annual Prom (aka Prom X) at the ROM also happens to mark its last. Going out with a bang, this year the event celebrated the work of Canadian contemporary artist, Douglas Coupland in honour of the museum’s latest exhibition Douglas Coupland: everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything.

A VIP-exclusive cocktail party up at the c5 restaurant lounge kicked off the swanky event. Stylish guests got the opportunity to not only meet Coupland himself, but also get a Polaroid picture taken and signed by the artist. How’s that for the ultimate souvenir?

After the intimate party, guests made their way down to the lobby where the main event took place. With food stations set up shop in every corner (there was everything from pizza pockets to QR code-inspired sushi to throwback candy ring pop table) creating the ultimate gourmet fare and interactive art stations including a selfie stick booth, it was one unforgettable night.

We probably all regret our prom outfit choices back in the day, so the ROM giving us a second chance to do it right prompted wardrobe A-game from all those in attendance. In keeping with prom tradition, there were many couples (besties included) that complemented each other’s outfits without going full on matchy-matchy (think a yellow clutch for her and yellow lapel pin for him). And amongst the sea of bold-coloured and prom-appropriate looks, there was also a bevy of sleek jumpsuits, crop tops and print-tastic dresses. Many also took a cue from the pages of our Spring 2015 trends guide and showed some skin in sultry, sheer ensembles that naturally caught our eyes. In the words of Douglas Coupland, there was “not one bad photo toSaturday night.”