I would suggest you make some sketches of your own designs and get them done at a tailor. I'm designing for myself and a couple of close friends. There definitely will not be any one with the same outfit as yourself, plus you get to pick your own material at the tailors as well. They have many different fabrics ranging from traditional, but gorgeous, satin to something more daring like velour for instance.
The best thing about a tailored dress/outfit is that it will sit well on you because it's sewn for you. If you're not the "creative" sort, then try picking up some magazines to get some ideas of what's in vogue and what's not. Downloading runway shows of the latest winter collections by various designers will also help you get an idea of what you want for your own dress. Feel free to import various detailing or design from different labels in your sketches. It's not that hard really. Naturally, it's fun to do the design on your own but if you're not confident, checking out the latest collections are a good idea. You'd typically like to set aside a budget of about $200. Be as specific about the design as possible. Tailors are people who sew, they are not designers.
As a tip, short, straight hems and empire cuts are making appearances almost everywhere for the 2006 fall/winter collections. I could go on about this for ages, but that would greatly affect your own design decisions, which you should really work out for yourself.
Style is an art, it works the same as photography. You've got to consider things like visual weight, colour combinations, lines, etc. The most important thing you MUST MUST take note of is to get your make-up done properly, preferably by a pro if you don't know how to get the colours right yourself. Make-up should always work hand-in-hand with your dress/outfit and they should not be clashing with one another, which is what i see all too often. Go easy on the blusher/bronzer(this is the main problem that girls have with make-up).
Keep it chic, good luck!
