Tiddly-om, prom, prom

IN an interview with an American newspaper, Brandon Holley, executive editor of New York's ELLEgirl Magazine, rates the importance of the high school prom in a girl's life as second only to that of her wedding. "Of course, a wedding is more important than the prom, but girls spend a lot of time shopping," she says, by way of qualification.

In the United States, the prom, short for promenade, is big business, with girls spending an average of $200 (about £120) on their dress, hair and accessories. It's not unusual for them to shell out $500 and, says Holley, "in New York, some girls go up to thousands."

Anecdotes reveal the extent to which the prom is revered as a make-or-break event, with the power to either elevate or destroy a teenager's social standing. With this in mind, it seems that for some Americans, no effort is too great to ensure the desired outcome.

In the same newspaper article, high school senior Breanne Endicott says she is opting for professional hair and makeup, a spray-on tan and salon-waxed eyebrows, justifying this by explaining: "Going all out is what makes it fun."

And it's not just the teenagers who get carried away. In fact, it seems that for some parents, the chance to live their child's big night vicariously is just too tempting to avoid. A dewy-eyed Ted Collins, capturing his daughter on film as she enjoys her lavish 'heavenly paradise' themed evening, says: "My days were the 1970s, when you spent all week decorating the gym to look like a fantasy world. Now you come out to all this. It adds up, but you're only young once. She'll remember this, and so will I."

Mr Collins may not begrudge his daughter a premiere league prom but many parents would balk at the expense. Transforming a rented room into a 'heavenly paradise', for example, cost $1,500 for the decor alone. The food, including chocolate covered strawberries, fruit and sandwiches, was $2,400 and the huge television screen for live viewing of students doing the Cha Cha Slide, $950. In total, the event cost $6,750 and while the teenagers themselves raised funds for it, it was no doubt their parents who bought the candles, cards and car washes they sold.

While it has long been established in the United States, the prom tradition has only just arrived in Britain, adopted, like Halloween, as a meaningless, yet somehow alluring celebration. It has echoes of the old-fashioned formal post-exams dance, at which strict etiquette was observed, but allows teenagers much more scope to let their hair down - without, of course, the sanctioned drinking of alcohol by under 18s. British proms are typically held at the end of GCSE and A level years, when students are leaving school, and can vary from a glorified disco to something more closely resembling the old-style formal occasion.

Hurworth School, in Darlington, held its prom for year 11s just beginning their GCSE's, on May 21. One of the first local schools to adopt the tradition, its first was in 1994. Number 11 deviated from the norm by taking place at Hardwick Hall, in Sedgefield, and by having proper place settings and a colour theme (the school colours, maroon and silver).

School spokesperson Rita Rees says: "It's something the children look forward to every year. The prom king and queen are presented with sashes at the end of the evening and the students like that all the staff are there. The students arrive in style in stretch limos. I think a prom is something a little bit special. We've always done it and now other schools are catching on."

The 120 Hurworth School pupils sat down to a carvery and dessert before dancing to a disco. Tickets cost a relatively modest £17.50, although obviously, the cost of outfits made it a more expensive night.

As an assistant at Tru Womenswear, in Yarm, which specialises in prom dresses, Marie Corner knows the joys and pains of finding the right dress as well as any. She says girls go for different styles depending on their personality and what suits them. "The girls are wearing all sorts of things - some wear short, some wear long; some go for the really outrageous and some go for a 50s or 60s look. We have sleek dresses that fit like a glove and we have a few traditional dresses with all the stiffness underneath. Some girls like them, some don't, but the majority go for the more modern look."

With a whole upstairs room devoted to prom and cruise dresses to go at, girls often spend a long time browsing and trying things on. They might choose just a dress or a whole outfit, including jewellery, bag and wrap. At £149 for long or £129 for short, the dresses aren't cheap, but Marie reasons that you can easily pay the same for everyday wear. Plus, as she explains, her customers have the added benefit of knowing they won't fall victim to a girl's worst nightmare - ending up at the same function in the same outfit as someone else. "We have a record book with the names of all the schools and whether it's a GCSE or A level prom, and we don't sell the same dress to the same school for the same prom," she says.

According to Marie, pastels are the colours to be seen in, with girls going for pale pinks, blues and lilacs. She says: "Proms certainly have taken off, more so this year than ever."

While crinolines and corsages may be out, the prom tradition seems stronger than ever, with schools clamouring to embrace it. Chatting to the Hurworth youngsters days before their big event, their excitement is obvious; the school buzzing with talk of sharing limos and what colour lipstick to wear. For them, it's a big night, but one of many to come as they enter adulthood and get to dress formally at other functions. It may be important but it's not life-changing, and I doubt that many have compared it with their wedding.

It's telling that for many people, the most memorable image of the American prom is in the film Carrie, when it marks the culmination of Carrie's torture by her cruel classmates. As the smiling prom queen, she thinks she's finally been accepted - then is drenched in pigs' blood.

With so much invested in the occasion, and the glory surrounding the beautiful and popular, it's easy to imagine the prom's flip side, making this ideal film fodder. It can only be hoped that by not going down the American path of excess, we can retain the prom as an enjoyable, and perfectly harmless, rite of passage.