Why prom has Long Island teens shopping for their dresses early

The early bird gets the gown.

That’s the current sentiment of many teens all over Long Island when it comes to shopping for those all-important fancy frocks, which they’re scooping up w-a-y far in advance for prom — in some cases almost a year before.

The prom dress rush is palpable this season, even though most senior proms are held in late May to June. Retailers have taken note.

“When my accountant saw the numbers that were coming in this December, he couldn’t believe how busy I was — he was like, ‘What is happening here?’ ” says Amy Tedesco, the owner of party dress purveyor, Outrageous Boutique in Plainview. “They definitely reflected an early buying trend. It seems every year, they’re buying earlier and earlier.”

WHY TEENS ARE 'CLAIMING' THEIR DRESSES EARLY 

Elise Baumann, manager at prom dress destination Ask Alice in Syosset, agrees. “I’ve been here for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” she says, noting that one of her clients bought her dress last July.

They want to claim their dress and make sure they get the very best of the best.”

— Elise Baumann, manager, Ask Alice in Syosset

And when she says “claim,” she means it.

Once they’re purchased, the teens post pictures of their gowns, often along with style numbers, colors and brands, on the private Instagram and Facebook chats that exist at many schools. The goal is to fend off anyone else interested in acquiring the same dress for the same prom.

Does it ever happen? “Occasionally,” says Baumann.

“Sometimes, someone wears the same dress in a different color,” she adds. How bad is it to have two of kind at a prom? “It’s not the end of the world,” says Sofia Yaker, 17, of Commack, who purchased her slim emerald green gown at Outrageous Boutique in November after becoming nervous that other girls were posting their dresses in September and October. “Nobody forces someone else to change their dress. If they’re not in any pictures together, I wouldn’t think it was a big deal.”

But getting first dibs may not be the only reason for the extremely early purchases. Some say the reaction is a result of a pandemic hangover when there were serious supply and delivery problems. People “are factoring in the shipping aspect — sometimes it’s up to 45 days,” says Baumann.

One of her clients, Marissa Schmier, 18, of Commack, fell victim to a no-show dress last year and wasn’t taking any chances. Her mom, Alyse, says, “We went shopping for her junior banquet dress in January and it never came because of supply chain issues around the world, so we had to do a last-minute scramble and she ended up wearing something she had. We didn’t want to take any risks this year.”

Her daughter Marissa admits, “I was very upset and bummed out. I loved the dress and all my friends had theirs.” This time around, “I decided to order earlier, especially because it was my senior prom.” She fell in love with her sparkly silver gown with cutouts in November and, happily, it’s already here. “It’s so unique and fits me and my style. Since I was little, I always wanted a special, special dress like this.”

But fear not you latecomers to the prom dress game. Even if you still remain undecided on that glam get-up, your perfect pick is likely still out there. “Don’t worry,” says Tedesco.. “There are still so many dresses that are available.”

Adds Asena Pesmen, executive buyer at prom dress central Estelle’s Dressy Dresses in Farmingdale, “We continue to receive new styles all throughout May, so there are plenty of options for girls who have waited to shop for prom later than others.” Phew!

DRESS TRENDS FOR 2023 PROM SEASON

There are definitely some fashion leaders of the prom dress pack this season. When it comes to colors, there’s a whole new green scene. On the other end of the spectrum, Barbie pink (with the "Barbie" movie slated for July) is popping up everywhere in various levels of saturation.

There are cutouts galore, sheer fabrics, lots of sparkle, plunging backs and necklines and from a construction standpoint, corsetry and visible boning in dresses (think Lady Gaga at the Oscars). Those poufy, princess dresses seem to be a thing of yesterday with a more body-con silhouette in jersey fabrics making the rounds.

Here’s a look at some of the standouts at stores:

At Estelle’s Dressy Dresses, Pesmen is seeing a strong interest in emerald tones. “It’s the new, hottest color,” she says. Not a traditional prom color, she’s also selling more black “than I ever have before. We’ve been reordering it.”

The store created an entire Barbiecore section (think pink) and, “We’re getting a great reaction to that.” In terms of silos, sleek is in. “I see the girls going for a more fitted, sexy look. They’re wearing really stretchy jersey with ruching up the back.” Embellishments include “iridescent hot stones. They either cover the whole gown or they use them on the bodice of the dress.”

Gowns run from “simple” to “head-to-toe beading” over at Outrageous Boutique, says Tedesco. And she, too, is seeing an interest in green, pink, “fuchsia even,” she says. Some of her customers are going for black, but she discourages it, noting that they’re going to wear a lot of black moving forward and the prom dress is “a once in a lifetime” opportunity to shine. She’s also selling some feathery numbers and “corsets galore.”

Again, it’s green and pink all over at Ask Alice, along with “a lot of bold neon colors,” says Baumann. Here, she’s seeing a run on sparkling allover sequins — “everybody loves them,” and “slinky” fitted, jersey numbers, many with open backs. She says lace is a staple, and is selling loads of it in straight cuts, with low backs in strong shades. While she says there are certainly trends, she encourages her customers to do their own thing. “Everyone has their own style.”