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del.icio.usProm's short story: Long dresses are out
BY KATHRYN WEXLER
McClatchy Newspapers
MIAMI - The iconic prom dress -- in all its floor-sweeping grandeur -- has been cut off at the knees.
Some prom-goers this year are ditching the long gowns for dresses that skim the thigh.
A sprinkling of high-schoolers have donned cocktail-length dresses at senior prom for several years. But now, more designers and retailers have latched on to the idea. And with a smorgasbord of shorter dresses at the ready -- from the frilly to the sleek -- girls in droves will be heading to prom showing more leg than satin.
Full-length gowns for girls were once as essential to prom as boutonnieres for boys. But starlets like Lauren Conrad, Amanda Bynes and Hayden Panettiere are strolling red carpets in shorter numbers, convincing young admirers that they needn't dress like adults to look glamorous, said Marissa Grumer, senior market editor for Seventeen magazine, which has an annual prom issue.
"We just saw actress Brittany Snow wear a short dress to the premiere of 'Prom Night,' so definitely, this is a huge, huge trend," said Brianne DiSylvester, assistant online editor for PromSpot.com, a site marketed to teens.
Joanne Stoner, CEO of online retailer edressme.com (whose prom offerings are on edressmeprom.com), said 30 percent of its prom dress inventory this year hits above the knee.
"We've increased them because there's more demand and more short dresses available for prom in the marketplace," Stoner said.
She and other vendors say the season's short-dress craze also was fueled by Betsey Johnson's spring/summer '08 fashion show in New York City. Its campy prom theme involved lots of crinolines and bows, but on truncated dresses. Johnson took the look to the limit -- and beyond. One tongue-in-cheek dress was so revealing, knickers flashed from beneath.
Other prom dress stalwarts like Jessica McClintock, Alfred Angelo and BCBG Max Azria are touting shorter designs, too, as are mass retailers. Some parents say that given the immodesty of today's casual teen clothing, diminutive prom dresses don't seem particularly risque. Some welcome the trend as practical.
Lots of the girly confections still have voluminous skirts, sequined netting and sweetheart necklines. And the reduction in material generally doesn't mean a reduction in price, especially for dresses marketed for prom.
"In most cases, they really aren't" cheaper, Stoner said. "The short dresses are very embellished."
"You don't have to buy one anymore."
