High school proms may be months away and many teens probably haven't lined up their dates. But the season for prom gown shopping is now, especially for those who want that one-of-a-kind outfit.

"I always tell the seniors, 'It's not about the date, you can ask anyone. It's about you and the dress,' " said Jan Pasquini, manager of Babette's formal shop in Bridgeville.

She said most of the girls who come into her shop, which specializes in prom and homecoming gowns, want to find "their own look" among the myriad of styles available.

So what's in this year? For the girls, it's bare shoulders and bright colors.

For the guys, the traditional dark tuxedo with tie or vest to match a date's dress is still the most popular choice.

"Colors this year are vibrant purple, turquoise, lime," said Pam Olivo, owner of Bridal Beginning in Mt. Lebanon. Other eye-popping choices include bold and pale shades of pink, blue, salmon and yellow.

Bright colors are in at Linton's at The Waterfront, which will hold a prom dress trunk show all day Saturday.

Most of the gowns shown in local shops and in national prom magazines and catalogues are strapless or have spaghetti straps. A popular choice are dresses with bodices that have corset laces up the back, allowing the dress to fit girls of different sizes without making major alterations.

Some of the dresses are short, but most are long because that's the favored choice of girls attending the prom, Mrs. Olivo said.

The gowns range from slinky form-fitting styles to those with full skirts.

Mermaids and belles

There are also mermaid-style dresses, which are form-fitting to about the knee, where wide ruffles start and flow to the floor. It's a popular style, particularly for tall thin body types, but girls often find that, while it looks attractive, the dress shape limits their mobility because it forces them to take small steps.

A favorite this year among the fuller gowns are those with "picked-up" or bustled skirts, which resemble the ball gown worn by the character Belle in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." Other full skirt styles have rows of ruffles or underlying layers of crinoline which provide the puff and fluff.

Full gowns are always in for prom, but not so much for other formal dances, such as homecoming, Mrs. Pasquini said. Often, younger girls prefer the full gowns and seniors prefer the straighter gowns. "It seems like they only do poofy once, and that's usually for the juniors," she said.

There are even two-piece dresses, where the bodice and skirt are separate pieces, but when worn, look like one piece. The advantage to buying a two-piece prom gown is that the top can be worn again with pants or a short skirt for a more informal look.

Out are the abdomen-baring dresses that were popular several years ago, though some are still available. Also available are dresses with sheer fabric across the lower part of the bodice, partially exposing the abdomen.

In addition to gowns from recognized designers, such as Jovani and Vivache, which have prom lines, there are designers known specifically for prom gowns such as Tiffany, Precious, Scala, Riva, Alyce and a new line this year by Bridal designer Maggie Sottero, called Flirt, that shop owners say appears to be popular.

Basic black for boys

Choices for the guys aren't nearly as complicated. They can pick between a dark, usually black, or white tuxedo, but their accent color is expected to match their date's dress. Windsor ties are the popular choice, said Mrs. Olivo, whose shop also handles men's formal wear.

A basic black tux rents for about $59.99 at Bridal Beginning, but often, the boys upgrade. A tie and vest adds $18 and shoe rental is $11.

Sometimes, the guys even spruce things up with a top hat, derby hat or cane. "Boys like to make their statement, too," Mrs. Olivo said.

At the Men's Wearhouse in South Hills Village, in addition to black, a new "midnight blue" tuxedo is expected to be popular this year, sales associate Kate Abel said. Ms. Abel, who attended the Keystone Oaks prom in June, said white tuxes were popular there.

A basic tuxedo package at the Men's Wearhouse, including a vest and shoes, costs $69.99.

But most guys end up choosing a tux with a longer jacket and a package which runs $99.99.

The guys get off easy.

Prices for gowns at specialty shops range generally from $99 to $400, depending on the type of dress and where it's bought, with the average around $275. Some customers have been known to pay $800 to $1,000 for a prom gown.

And that doesn't include the cost of shoes and jewelry to match the dress. In addition, most girls get their hair and nails done. Those costs can easily add more than $100 to the girls' cost over and above the price of a gown.

Chain stores such as David's Bridal and J.C. Penneys advertise dresses for $99 to $129. The DEB shops Web page shows gowns ranging from $59 to $140. DEB also offers a full line of plus-size dresses in the same price range.

Ramy Bolton, manager of the Deb store at Century III Mall, said the selection of dresses in her store ranged in price from $50 to about $130. "We are more geared toward the middle income family," she said.

She said customers could buy gowns from the stock in the store or could order from the chain's catalog. If girls don't like the special ordered dresses when the arrive, they can be returned.

Also, she said, the dresses in the store can be put on layaway now. DEB does not offer alterations.

Speciality stores can order dresses in colors and sizes not available in their stock, though special orders can take from several days to several weeks to arrive. And they generally have seamstresses on staff to provide alterations at an additional charge.

Shops such as Babette, Bridal Beginning and Linton's register dresses to make sure they don't sell the same dress to more than one girl at each school. This is done to prevent look-alikes from showing up at the prom.

Shop owners caution that their registries are no guarantee because a girl determined to get a particular dress can go from shop to shop until she finds one or orders the dress on the Internet.

"But usually, once a girl knows that someone else is wearing a dress, she doesn't want it," Mrs. Olivo said.

Mrs. Pasquini advises prom-goers to shop early, especially if they have a particular style in mind.

Mrs. Olivo takes a more traditional approach. "I never let my girls pick a dress until they have a date," she said.

Mrs. Olivo said shops such as hers, with seamstresses on hand to make alterations, can make changes to a dress, such as reconfiguring the back or neckline or adding ornamentation, weeks before the prom which will make it a unique design.

But before making any purchase early or later on, girls might want to check with their school districts before choosing a prom dress because some districts have guidelines on appropriate prom wear.

Check dress rules

Some districts, including Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin-Whitehall, West Mifflin Area and Mc- Keesport Area, have no official prom dress codes.

Clairton City School District appears to have the strictest policy. There, girls must bring in a photo of their dress to be approved by a prom committee of teachers and administrators. If a girl shows up at the prom with a dress that was not approved, she will not be permitted to attend.

But in the Peters and Duquesne school districts, the high school principals plan to sit down with students and discuss what is considered appropriate attire for the prom.

"The administrators will tell the students what is considered appropriate and what is not," said Shari Bruce, spokeswoman for the Duquesne City School District.

"If they show up in something that violates that, then they will not be allowed to attend."