WAITING TO EXHALE ELEGANCE IS THE KEY AS STUDENTS GET READY FOR THEIR BIG NIGHT OUT.

Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer

Shannon Leavey's to-do list during the past three months has included tanning, working out and scheduling precisely choreographed hair and nail salon appointments. All this for Saturday - the night of her junior prom.

Plus there was the added challenge of finding the perfect dress amid the fashion industry's unremitting ``skin-is-in'' mantra droning from every pop-culture outlet this spring. Leavey and her friends experienced several hectic shopping trips.

``We were all just saying the other night, this all seems so much more stress than what it's worth to be in a dress for only a few hours,'' mused Leavey, a Saugus High student. ``But then you get to that day of the prom - which is so much fun - and you say, `Oh, well, I guess it was worth it.' ''

Pre-prom frenzy has evolved over generations into an unofficial coming-of-age ritual, experts say, made even more challenging this year by racks full of gowns that flaunt skin around the shoulders, back and midriff. They warn that high expectations and selmposed pressures can lead to unnecessary risks - emotionally, physically and even financially, when costs outweigh means.

``It's a very big crisis for young women,'' said Dr. Dee Shepherd-Look, a professor of psychology at California State University, Northridge, who studies how teen apparel reflects personality. ``A lot of teens, especially seniors, look at the prom as the last time to be together, to look their best and go all out.''

Leavey has already learned one lesson the hard way. She replaced some meals with water and exercised to the point of feeling ill before her winter formal. Her goal was to fit into a tight formal dress.

``It was a stupid thing to do. I know that now,'' said Leavey, a Santa Clarita resident. ``That's not something I would do again. This is me.''

Shepherd-Look says the obsession with looking ``perfect'' can compound other prom pressures, such as finding dates, figuring out seating plans, deciding whether to use illegal drugs and alcohol or engage in risky sexual behavior after the prom.

Crash dieting and extreme exercise is common though not sensible, she says, as many teen girls want to make sure the perfect dress is a perfect fit on a perfect night.

``Kids will buy a dress one size too small and pour themselves into it,'' said Shepherd-Look. ``And when you see what's out there to wear, they're seeing that thin - and skin - is in.''

Chatsworth High School student Dee Smith knew of a student who became ill after using illegal drugs to lose weight. She speculates many young girls go to extremes to look like teen pop music icons such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

``I think that's sad,'' said Smith, who won't wear revealing shirts because she's not comfortable baring her midriff. She added, ``I think (teens) should just try to find something that fits themselves.'' Other teens insist clothing pressures come from peers more than pop-culture icons from fashion magazines, music videos, movies and television.

Rachel Agius, also a Chatsworth High student, admits she sometimes reconsiders fashions she once disliked after classmates wear them.

``I'll see it in the store and not think it's really that great, but then I see it on someone else and think it's actually really cute,'' said Agius.

``I think we compare the way we look more to our friends than anything,'' Leavey says frankly. ``These are the people you're going to be standing right next to, and people see you next to them - not someone on television.''

``Clothes play such an important part in (teens') lives, so when it comes to prom, it's no wonder they put such an emphasis on that one night,'' said Laurel Bear, an Alhambra school administrator, youth counselor and author of ``Straight Answers to Tough Questions,'' a parenting guide distributed free to Santa Clarita residents.

She added, ``There's pressure to get that date; there's pressure to look good at all costs.''

``I'm going all out because this is my last year,'' said Danielle Blackman, a senior at Reseda High who rented a stretch Navigator - the $200-per-hour sport-utility equivalent of a limousine - for the occasion. ``This is it. After this, you're all leaving.''

Jackie Sanchez, a Winnetka resident and senior at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, understands how students - particularly seniors - get carried away with prom details.

``You get pressured by the moment,'' said Sanchez, who vows never to crash-diet again, after having ``bad headaches'' following three days of eating nothing but salad. She added, ``It comes to pictures. Everyone wants to look their best for pictures.''

This year, some teens have freed themselves from some pre-prom hoopla by outright rejecting all fashions in stores this spring and having dresses tailor-made to fit their figures.

``I haven't seen anything (in stores) that's different. I want something that stands out,'' said Jessica Chacon, a junior at Canoga Park High. She envisions something elegant with an open back.

Saugus junior Cassie Carr is having a ``Cinderella'' floor-length dress made, she says, because she's more comfortable not revealing her legs.

And classmate Jessica Hott has designed her own light-pink, floor-length fitted gown with spaghetti straps and thigh-high leg slits by pulling together elements from several dresses she saw in magazines.

There's no plunging back or necklines, Hott explains with the disclaimer, ``Mine's a good-girl dress.''

Not surprising, many teens say they must buy less revealing prom dresses that meet parents' approval, so squeezing into those less-is-more dresses is not an issue.

Both Bear and Shepherd-Look say parents can help alleviate more pre-prom pressures by setting ``healthy boundaries'' in other ways.

Bear recommends parents place reasonable restrictions on prom night attire and spending budgets, establish curfews, and know exactly how teens are being transported to and from their proms and where they will be after the prom.

``Generally, parents have to help put this event in a realistic perspective,'' explained Bear. ``It's not a wedding. They shouldn't contribute to the notion that this will be the biggest event of their child's life. It might seem like it at the time (to the teen), but a month later it won't seem like as big of a deal.''

Shepherd-Look agreed, adding, ``My advice to teens is, `Don't sweat it. It's one night.' ''

CAPTION(S):

8 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) On the cover: Shannon Leavey, center, tries on a prom dress with the help of her friend, Shannon Tohill, right, and a clerk from the California & Main store in Ventura.

(2 -- color) Saugus High School students Shannon Tohill, left, and Shannon Leavey do a double take, comparing notes on prom outfits of similar design and style.

(3 -- color) no caption (Shannon Leavey)

(4) Thousand Oaks High School student Gina Simili, center, considers a potential prom dress while shopping with friends, including Ashlee Conrad, right.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(5 -- 6 -- color) At left, on a mall shopping excursion, Reseda High School senior Danielle Blackmon, left, and her friend, Kieshean Johnson, shop for an evening bag to match Danielle's prom dress. Above, the two Shannons further scrutinize prom dresses with the help of a store clerk.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(7 -- 8 -- color) Alice Mouradian models a rhinestone tiara, above, while Juana Torres, left, samples lipstick colors to coordinate with her dress. The two Reseda High School seniors spent the day looking for the perfect ensembles for their upcoming prom.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer