CINDERELLA NIGHTS; PROM GOWNS TAKE THEIR CUE FROM GLAMOROUS OSCAR STARS.Byline: Story by Barbara De Witt The big night is coming up. Finally, it's your chance to look as dazzling as a movie star on Oscar night. We're talking about the prom, of course. The soiree soi·ree also soi·rée n. An evening party or reception. [French soirée, from Old French seree, from seir, evening, from Latin of the season that calls for a day of pampering at the beauty salon and a gorgeous gown worthy of paparazzi pa·pa·raz·zo n. pl. pa·pa·raz·zi A freelance photographer who doggedly pursues celebrities to take candid pictures for sale to magazines and newspapers. attention. Yep, it's true. Proms are a big deal again. And nobody's wearing sneakers as a joke. ``Overall, girls are looking for a sense of glamour and they're looking to the Academy Awards for inspiration,'' says Lesli Brown, fashion spokeswoman for Seventeen magazine, which recently hosted two prom seminars at the Glendale Galleria. And the stars they're studying most, Brown adds, are Minnie Driver in her burgundy column gown with a dyed-to-match fox stole, and Kim Basinger in the pale green satin ball gown she wore the night she won an Oscar. Jim Watterson, spokesman for Robinsons-May stores, calls the newest collection of prom gowns ``red carpet-worthy.'' ``They're definitely not demure this year, or short like last year ... and I think girls will choose between the retro Audrey Hepburn style or the Ashley Judd style,'' he said, referring to the white gown with sexy slits worn by Judd on Oscar night. But his store has plenty of satin Cinderella ball gowns with jeweled spaghetti straps and slinky slink·y adj. slink·i·er, slink·i·est 1. Stealthy, furtive, and sneaking. 2. Informal Graceful, sinuous, and sleek: wore a slinky outfit to the party. gowns with lace-up backs. At Sears, fashion spokeswoman Linda Blakley calls the Cinderella ball gown silhouette the big news, especially in icy pastels such as blue, pink, lavender and pistachio green pistachio green n. A moderate to light yellowish or yellow green. . It's a '50s theme, with gowns often featuring strapless strap·less adj. Having no strap or straps, as a dress or an undergarment. n. A garment having no strap or straps. strapless Adjective bodices or halter necklines and frothy tulle-trimmed skirts worn with dyed-to-match satin sandals and clutch bags. But don't rule out those curve-hugginggowns worn by Mae West and Veronica Lake ... and more recently by Driver and others. According to Merle merle a pattern of coat color pigmentation with dark, irregular blotches on a lighter background. Seen in some Collies and Welsh corgis. In shorthaired dogs, e.g. Great Danes and Dachshunds, the similar pattern is called dapple. Goldstone, spokeswoman for Macy's West stores, ``The move toward refinement and sophistication so·phis·ti·cate v. so·phis·ti·cat·ed, so·phis·ti·cat·ing, so·phis·ti·cates v.tr. 1. To cause to become less natural, especially to make less naive and more worldly. 2. in promwear that began last year continues full speed ahead with the majority of dresses continuing to be long ... reminiscent of the fluid evening gowns of the '30s with bias-cut skirts playing a large role. The influences from this glamorous era are seen in the feather trims and decorative beading beading, n the scribing of a shallow groove (less than 0.5 mm in width or depth) on a cast that outlines the major connector. It is used to transfer the design to the investment cast and ensure tissue contact of the major connector. found on bodices, as well as fishtail fish·tail adj. Resembling or suggestive of the tail of a fish in shape or movement. intr.v. fish·tailed, fish·tail·ing, fish·tails 1. hems and softly draped necklines.'' ``More than ever, girls will be spending the day at the salon, getting their hair done up, makeup applied and nails painted to match their pastel gown and shoes. And in their hair they'll be wearing flowers like Drew Barrymore did at the Oscars, or a tiara, which is the hottest ticket in prom accessories,'' says Brown, who used them in her prom seminars. Although Brown prefers the dainty rhinestone rhine·stone n. A colorless artificial gem of paste or glass, often with facets that sparkle in imitation of a diamond. [After the Rhine (translation of French caillou du Rhin : style worn like a headband instead of a crown, less regal styles are selling best at boutiques such as Claire's Accessories. At the Topanga Plaza store in Canoga Park, there is an an entire wall devoted to tiaras, right next to the feather boas and evening bags. According to store manager Christina Sladek, ``We're selling all kinds of tiara styles for the prom this year, but actually the plastic kids' styles in pink, silver and gold are more popular than the classic rhinestone style.'' Maybe that's why the prom is in again. For as little as $5, every girl can be Prom Queen. PROM TIP SHEET Pastels Full skirts Open backs Embroidered em·broi·der v. em·broi·dered, em·broi·der·ing, em·broi·ders v.tr. 1. To ornament with needlework: embroider a pillow cover. 2. bodices Feather boas Tiaras High-heeled sandals Fancy up-'dos Glittery makeup CAPTION(S): 6 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Cover--Color) PROM FASHIONS OK, girls, it's Cinderella time (2--Color) Pastels pack panache at the prom, especially in this pale blue satin brocade gown, left, by Kay Unger, $675, at Ames; pink slip dress by a.b.s., $208, at Devon Becke; and turquoise bias-cut dress by Betsey & Adam, $148, at Macy's, Glendale Galleria. (3--Color) For that movie-star look, a violet column by Jessica McClintock, $138, matches her date's cummerbund cum·mer·bund n. A broad sash, especially one that is pleated lengthwise and worn as an article of formal dress, as with a dinner jacket. [Hindi kamarband, from Persian : kamar, waist and tie. (4--Color) White has replaced black as the new neutral, and it's oh-so-Hollywood in satin by Jessica McClintock, $181, left, with a long feather boa from Cache, $85. More choices include a white column style by Cache, $235, center, and a sheath with slit from the White House, $139.98. (5--Color) You, too, can be Cinderella in a tulle-covered ball gown by Jessica McClintock, $365, from the Jessica McClintock boutique at the Glendale Galleria. (6--Color) Tiaras make a major comeback at the prom, offered at a variety of accessory stores, including Jessica McClintock, where they're priced from $38 to $100. Photos by Tom Mendoza/Daily News Box: PROM TIP SHEET (See Text) |
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