Check out a slide show of prom dresses.
A prom dress just isn't what it used to be. Teen girls today aren't dreaming about wearing a princess-like ball gown to the big dance – and they haven't been for the last few years.
Instead, they've been taking cues from the red carpet and donning form-fitting columns with racy cutouts fit for a Hollywood starlet, or short frocks with sassy tulle skirts and sky-high heels.
They're shunning typical juniors' stores for higher-end boutiques like Betsey Johnson for flashy, rock-and-roll dresses in bright jewel tones, or ABS.by Allen Schwartz and BCBG Max Azria for sophisticated cocktail looks.
"It's a lot sexier than it used to be 15 years ago," said designer Allen Schwartz. "The dresses are shorter or long and tighter. The girls are wearing dresses that would not have been acceptable back then."
The 15-year-olds, said Schwartz, want to look like they're 20. More like 20-something-year-old celebrities. Plenty of dress designers now offer celebrity-inspired gowns, like Keira Knightley's emerald 1930s dress from the movie "Atonement" or Katherine Heigl's scarlet, one-shouldered number from this year's Oscars.
Kate Hudson's memorable butter-yellow satin dress, which appeared in the 2003 movie "How to Lose a Man in 10 Days," is still a popular pick.
"We think of prom as every girl's red carpet moment and it's about looking sleek, sophisticated – and dare I say it – sexy," said Paul Beard, an evening-wear buyer for Bloomingdale's. "It's the whole celebrity culture. The celebrity magazines are their bibles."
At a weekend prom fashion show hosted by Teen Vogue and Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza, more than 100 teens and their parents showed upto check out hot trends for the big dance.
Schwartz and Beard both said that bold, look-at-me, entrance-making colors like yellow, green, magenta and blue are hot this prom season, in addition to metallic hues and floral prints.
For a self-described "girly-girl" like 18-year-old Sahar Ahwazi, the dress must be sparkly and bright-colored. But definitely not a strapless number – it doesn't stay up very well when she's trying to dance.
"Last year my prom dress was made of all pink rhinestones," said Ahwazi, a Trabuco Hills High senior.
Her friend, 17-year-old Heather Taylor, is hoping for a fitted and long gown in royal blue.
"You want to wear something to stand out from everyone," said Taylor, who attends Tesoro High. "I hate it when people have the same dress that I have."
To avoid that, the girls said they call dibs within their group of friends on who's planning to wear certain colors and styles.
Prom has become such big business that several designers have ramped up their prom offerings. Jovani has switched its contemporary fashion gears to become one of the hottest names in prom fashion.
Among Jovani's sultry offerings: A zebra-print halter gown with silver trim for $500; a pleated satin halter gown for $500; and a metallic flapper dress in silver or gold for $440.
Chelsea Engstrom, who attends El Toro High, said she wore a backless Jovani with racy cutouts to last year's prom.
"I'm thinking about designing my own dress this year," the 17-year-old said.
