End of year for school, a time to celebrate with your besties and one of the best ways to do that is at your formal. You get the chance to get all glam and hang with your crew and have a blast. Or, it could be the night from hell, depending on your attitude. So, here’s the Crew’s guide to a fabulous formal

Don’t leave your formal planning till the last minute or you will so seriously regret it. All the best dresses will have been taken and you absolutely do not want to turn up in the same dress as someone else! Take a leaf out of the celeb’s books – when they prepare for a red carpet event THEY PREPARE BIG TIME.

So, start a couple of months out from the big event. Flick through mags and pick out dress, hair and makeup styles that you like. Having a particular dress style in mind will save you heaps of time and frustration when out shopping. Instead of wandering aimlessly amongst racks of dresses having no clue, if you have a definite style in mind you will be clued up rather than clueless when searching for the perfect dress!

"My most memorable formal moment would have to be at a Barker Year 12 formal, where I was wearing a pair or very high and hard to walk in heels. I was busy dancing away and enjoying myself when I rolled my ankle and fell flat on my face in front of the entire dance floor. Pretty embarrassing stuff! It didn’t stop me from getting back up and dancing though." Lizzi

Go haute couture if you can. If mum or gran or auntie are super sewers, then design your own creation and have them whip it up. That way you have a creation all your own and no chance of anyone else turning up in the same frock.

Same principle applies to hair. Tear out hair looks from mags that you think are hot and have a play. If you are going to do your own hair most mags offer really great step by step guides to getting hot hair looks. Check out our Hair Flair story this month with some great style tips from some of Australia’s best hairdressers.

If you are not great with hair, then off to the hairdresser with mag clippings in hand and be very specific about what you want. A good hairdresser will easily translate what you show them into the look. That’s of course if you are realistic – so if you’ve got a short cut but want voluminous big hair on your night of nights, you have to accept that a hairdresser is not a magician!

"As I am the ancient of the Crew, I don’t really remember my Year 10 formal too well, but the best thing about my yr 12 formal was that we had ours on the pontoon (which was basically a floating tin can) and that I had to drag my gorgeous purple satin gown (that was custom made by my grandmother) along a shabby boat deck. THEN if I wasn’t depressed enough by that stage, I almost stacked it down the steep stairs, dragging half the staircase down with me. It was the bomb! Thank god I had a school-less life to look forward to after that!" Sarah

Experiment with your makeup beforehand to perfect the look. Or, head down to your local DJs or Myers, as most of the beauty counters have makeup services. They are usually free if you buy something so it’s a fairly cheap way of getting a professional makeover.

Plan the details – who are you going with? Are the rents taking you? Are you going to hire a limo? How are you getting home? Tedious we know but these little details can mean the difference between a great night and a not so fab one.

You should share out the organising among your crew to avoid any one person feeling like they have to organise it all and, understandably, being in a foul mood on the night.

"My fave formal moment was when we all got a big roofless double decker party bus to the social and there were around 50 people on the bus. We pumped the music the whole way... nothing like arriving in style! The cost didn’t end up being too bad because there were so many of us, definitely one of the highlights to the formal." Lucy

So, you have all the essentials. Frock – check. Fab hair – check. Star quality makeup – check. Sensational shoes – check. A nice little limo to pick you up and drop you off. It’s now F Day! Get your crew together at one house and get ready together. Compile a getting ready for formal selection on your ipod for setting the ambience while you all primp and preen and transform into glammas. Getting together gives you a chance to help your besties get ready and for you to tell each other how fab you all look.

You arrive at the formal and it’s AWESOME. You make a beeline for the cutest guy in the room and desert your friends. EXCUSE ME, WE THINK NOT! That boy probably won’t be around in 20 years time to reminisce about this night with you but your besties will if you treat ‘em right. Trust us, boys will be far more interested in you if you’re seen as a challenge rather than just too easy. So, work the room girlfriends.

"My memorable formal moment was when we were on the party bus after the formal on the way to the after-party and we went on a scenic route through the city - there were 40 of us dancing and chatting, having a fun time." Ash

Talk to as many people as possible. If you see someone on their own or looking awkward ‘cos they’ve got no-one to talk to or dance with, do the right thing, involve them in your group. Helping others make the most of their formal will boost your enjoyment factor guaranteed! Now, drinking, if you’re thinking about it, think about this. Do you want to be THAT girl, the one who embarrasses herself with tragic drunken behaviour that everyone talks about the next day? Didn’t think so, and not only that, but what a waste if you can’t remember your formal the next day!