What did your college or high school graduation gown look like? Was it black and plain, or a color? Or did you skip the ceremony to go have a beer? Okay, maybe that was just us, but those gowns are seriously unflattering, and we had no intention of wearing it around for a day and being photographed looking like we were wearing a garbage bag. No thank you.

Fortunately, for graduates of King's College in London, they will have something a little different -- graduation capes and hoods designed by Vivienne Westwood!

Formal events are often the events for which we want to look our very best. You might be seeing people you haven't seen for a while, or meeting new people you'd like to impress. Either way, you want to look absolutely amazing.

The thing is, formal gowns often show body parts we normally keep covered, like our backs, shoulders, and arms, and they sometimes cling to our stomachs and hips in ways that are unflattering -- not exactly what we're going for on a big night out, right?

Here are some tips for working with your figure when finding a dress for a formal event:

Little girls dream of the day their prince will come sweep them off their feet. They imagine having a beautiful white wedding with the man of the dreams -- and some young women even spend hours fantasizing about what kind of dress they'll wear. Ashlee Simpson said she was never that type of girl, until she got engaged to Pete Wentz.

Jenna Bush got married this weekend at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas, and we're sure her new husband, Henry Hager, had no regrets as to his choice when he saw her walking down the aisle. Jenna was dressed in an Oscar de la Renta gown that we just loved -- it had a simple silhouette, but an intricate design with embroidered organza and matte beading from the very top to the end of her chapel-length train.

Not everyone looked so sharp, however -- check out the gallery to see what we loved and what we could've done without.

You're here at StyleDash, so I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you at least care about fashion. Well, it turns out you're a good person for caring. That's right. Not shallow, but good, and here's why:

The lack of red carpet events is hurting our economy.

Think about it -- Jennifer Lopez wears the infamous green Versace dress on the red carpet to the 2000 Grammys. Millions of people saw it when she wore it there, and millions more saw it after the fact. Prom dresses, wedding dresses, formalwear, and clubwear are all modeled after this design. Not only does Versace make a buck, but so does everyone else involved in all those other industries.

We know Eva Longoria Parker is gorgeous -- but does she have to flaunt it?

Why, yes. Yes, she does.

Eva made a real splash at the 2008 SAG awards in this Naeem Kahn cowl-neck gown. And while she's contorted herself into a seriously unnatural pose for this picture, trust me when I say that it was still a beautiful gown when she stood like someone who might not be a part-time contortionist. This modern take on old-school Hollywood glamor can work for you, too, even if you don't have a red carpet event on your calendar. Here's how:

I have always thought of Penelope Cruz as a little ethereal. She seems to effortlessly pull off a glamorous yet approachable look; mixing classic style with the latest trends very naturally.

Last week was no exception, as Ms. Cruz attended the Hollywood premier of her latest movie, Volver, wearing a creamy white, asymmetrically cut, beautifully draped Greek-style gown. Cruz accessorized the dress with diamond earrings and bangles, and wore her hair in an Audrey Hepburn-esque chignon. The overall effect may not have been "on trend", but was one of ageless, timeless beauty, which is refreshing to see amidst so many style-of-the-moment, leggings-clad celebrities.

The Spanish stunner is rumored to be a front-runner in the Oscar race for her performance in the all-Spanish Volver. If Cruz wins, she will be the first woman to take home the Best Actress award for a foreign-language film since Sophia Loren won in 1961.