A Softer Touch for the Prom
Making an understatement may be the statement at this year’s prom. Styles are simpler, soft pastels are as prevalent as black, and sequins are few and far between.
“Many girls are buying the straight, sheath styles made of satin,” said Maria Antonillo, manager of Windsor Fashions in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. One style of slip dress has straps ranging from thick tank versions to spaghetti-thin strings, some decorated with rhinestones. Velvet, popular last year, is used just for the bodice, as an accent, on one style of sheath.
Carre Dawson, owner of Not Always a Bridesmaid in Burbank, said she’s still selling a number of long, fitted velvet dresses, but overall, prom fashions are simple with modest sheath and halter constructions.
“The emphasis is more on accessorizing with rhinestone jewelry and doing glamorous hairstyles,” she said.
Fashions speak louder this year in the wide range of colors featured. The satin sheaths at Windsor Fashions run the gamut of color, from baby blue and pink to hunter green and eggplant purple, as well as basic black.
“We’re seeing more of a selection in color as opposed to black. We get a lot of requests for ivory or red,” Dawson said.
Customers at Cruz’s Bridal in Santa Clarita have made red the color this year, said owner Adriana Farrell, adding that the hue is found in dresses from velvet to crepe fabrics.
“The dresses aren’t as constructed or rigid,” Farrell said. “Girls want to be unique, and they want to be noticed, but it’s back to being more of a simpler glamour, like this year’s Academy Awards.”
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ANY-TIE OPTIONAL: Speaking of Hollywood glamour, one of this spring’s biggest tux trends takes its cue from such celebrities as Tom Hanks, who sported a collarless shirt--sans tie--at the Oscars.
“The new thing this year is the mandarin collar shirt with a button cover that fits over the top button in place of the bow tie,” said Bob Frieden, owner of The Tux Shop in Sherman Oaks.
The mandarin collar shirt costs an additional $5 above the standard tuxedo rental, which starts at $29.95. The button covers range from plain to fancy, in designs featuring onyx and rhinestones, and rent for about $7 at Frieden’s store.
The trend adds a fresh option for young men attending the prom, said Tanya Salseth, who works at Tuxedo Gent in Northridge, where pearl and black-onyx studs replace the ties on tuxes.
“People are tired of that white wing-tip, collar-and-tie look,” she said.
Gary Brill, president of Gary’s Tux Shops, said the tie-optional style also has been a hit at his stores, where customers have the option of renting or buying the neck jewelry--usually a flat black stone with rhinestone trim--to add sparkle to their collars.
“It’s a fashionable look--something different than getting just a plain tux,” Brill said. “Guys want to have unique options, too.”
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BEADING TO DIFFER: “They usually hit me the night before,” said Linda Hawkins, laughing. “It’s the last minute, and they can’t find anything to match their dresses.” Hawkins, owner of The Bead Store & More in Newhall, said about two dozen girls a year come in just before prom to have an accessory created from some of the thousands of beads in her store, to add a personal touch to an outfit at a modest price.
Since she opened nearly three years ago, high school students have brought in their prom dresses so matching earrings, necklaces, anklet bracelets, bracelets and sometimes hair ornaments can be made.
She has done a lot of vintage looks--from chokers to long, flowing ropes of beads--and has restrung vintage beads. Crystals are hot for prom, she said, because of their sparkle.
Some items have been created using sequins identical in color to those on the girl’s dress. Other jewelry has been replicated from a picture or a description of an item a girl may have seen. Price depends on how elaborate the design is and what material is used.
“I work with the amount of money they have to spend,” she said.
A simple pair of earrings, using a teardrop-shaped glass bead and some crystals, may cost only $2 to $3. She sometimes charges an extra small fee if assembly requires a lot of time and detail, although she just as often does not.
“Sometimes I can do it right at the counter when they’re here,” she said. “But I’ll also walk them through and show them how to do it. Making it is half the fun. Nine times out of 10, they walk out of the door making their own.”
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Barrette Barrage The humble barrette, the homely bobby pin and the practical curl clip have been resurrected in more glamorous forms, sparkling on the heads of such celebrities as Drew Barrymore, Tori Spelling and talk show host Ricki Lake.
The trend has hit close to home, at stores including Claire’s Accessories at Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, where the glittery items have been snapped up by young customers for prom or just for fun, said Noeleen Spies, a district sales manager for Claire’s. Prices at Claire’s range from $1.99 for a set of metallic clips o $15.99 for a barrette encrusted with rhinestones.
Amanda Cochran, 27, a beauty consultant at Robinsons-May in Valencia, wears the barrettes in her short red hair for work and play. “They have a retro feel. They add a little funk,” she said. “I wear them when I want to feel playful and girlish.”
