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Nothing 'poufy' for prom

High-schooler wades through 'that's so Barbie' fashions to find ideal style for spring ritual

BY MARILYN BAUER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Layers of lime, fuchsia and buttercup tulle explode from the racks of gowns smashed together on the second floor of Reading's Bridal and Formal.

Sequins, rhinestones, shimmery paillette discs and pearls bedeck nearly every bodice. There are a few short dresses here and there, but for the most part, when you go to prom, you go long.

"That's so Barbie," says Molly Binkley, 16, holding out an icy pink column of silk charmeuse. Molly, who lives in Alexandria and attends Campbell County High School, was chosen for The Enquirer's Not-So-Extreme Makeover: Prom Edition. She's visiting Bridal and Formal to select a dress.

The store's second-floor prom department, called Club Dress, has been taken over by salespeople, stylists, hair and makeup experts and Molly's mother and grandmother.

We are going to do some serious shopping.

Molly likes actress Jennifer Aniston's style and is not a fan of big, "poufy" dresses, although this season, ball gowns are in demand for prom.

"Big, poufy dresses are in because girls want to look like a princess at least once in their life," says Amber Dickerson of Bridal and Formal.

"What's also popular are strapless dresses with spaghetti straps you can pull on while you are dancing and take down for pictures."

Some of the dresses we consider are heavy with beads, sequins and embroidery. Others are slips of chiffon that just barely coast over the skin.

"I'm looking for something safe," Molly says, hoping for a gown constructed to avoid "wardrobe malfunctions."

Molly goes through the paces, trying on "mermaid" dresses, halter styles and an array of décolleté silk numbers.

And because color is in, we try the "bubble," a Pepto Bismol-pink dress with mounds of tulle and splashes of sequins, a top-seller this year.

It is so "not Molly."

As a student at the top of her class, editor of the sports section of her school newspaper and self-described "nerd," Molly is less into froufrou and more into style.

We settle on a sky-blue spaghetti strap charmeuse gown by Faviana ($289) with a drop waist and pleated bodice with a flourish of pleating in the front.

"It's like what Salma Hayek wore to the Oscars," says Molly, referring to the color. "The color is bold and it looks good on me. It feels silky, too. And it's flattering around my hips."

Not that a size 4 really has to worry about hips. But Molly wanted to look so good for her special day that she started dieting in November and has lost 20 pounds.

Many teens get an idea of what they want to wear to prom by watching their favorite stars on the red carpet or by looking through magazines, Dickerson says. Once a dress is sold at Bridal and Formal, the information goes into a computer file to guarantee each dress is exclusive at each school.

"All my girlfriends are wearing black," Molly says. "I've worn black before. This dress is definitely not black and it has a style all its own."

Hair and makeup artist Renata Doddy chose a neutral palette for Molly's makeup. After applying foundation and powder, she used pink eye shadow and teal eye pencil to bring out the green in Molly's eyes. After applying two coats of mascara - allowing one coat to dry before applying the second - Doddy added soft mauve blush and finished with wine-colored lipstick with just a touch of gloss.

"Right now makeup for teens is more sophisticated, classy," says Doddy. "The lips are light and there is less gloss."

For Molly's hair, Doddy did a "curly mohawk," which made the teen look like she had twice as much hair.

First, Doddy flat-ironed all her hair.

"This seals the cuticle and makes the hair look healthy and smooth," she says.

Then she used a curling iron to make long, loose curls that twirled from Molly's crown, creating a halo of light brown hair. The mohawk was created by teasing the hair in the front, twisting it and pinning in it back.

"This year the hair is down or half-up and half-down," says Doddy. "No more cutesy up-dos."

We didn't let the teen look in a mirror until her transformation was complete.

She was stunned. We're sure her prom date, Ronnie Keates, 18, will be, too.