Every year fashion styles change by the season and by the event. Proms are no exception.

Amy Drescher, a fashion writer, wrote an article last month, Prom Trends 2007: Top prom jewelry, that sums up this year's trends quite nicely. Although she takes a slant that focuses on jewelry she provides clear insights on clothing, accessories and more. We'll use her acticle as the jumping off point for our quick guide to proms on Long Island.

Ms. Drescher says that this year's prom dresses are all about bold vibrant colors and metalics. A quick search for "prom dresses" on any of the major serach engines will bring you to many websites where you can confirm this trend. The two dress styles featured this year are the strapless dress and dresses with a plunging neckline. She recommends chadelier earings and other large styles in bracelets, rings and pendants. Complementary delicate pendants can work for you but the focus this year is on creating a look that contrasts and emphasizes the bold approach. With these prom dresses most necklaces will not work. If you are going with softer and more traditional romantic dress styles then you should surely consider a matching necklace.

When shopping online you'll find dresses that are categoriezed in many ways. And the names will not often match what you find on another wesbsite. One popular site used these phrases to organize their dress sleections: cocktail dresses, celebrity dresses, formal gowns, long sleeved dresses, mini dresses, mod dresses, and tango dance dresses. Another website uses the phrase clebrity dresses but then they use other very different phrasing like ball gowns. And yet another offers even less descriptive but perhaps more inviting naes like: hollywood starlet, sweet siren, uptown rocker, twilight vixen, frill seeker and curvy girl. Let the shopper beware!

To state the obvious - ignore the words at the top of a category and spend time looking through a lot of specific items. Many websites will let you browse their prom dress inventory by sizes (plus size dresses, petitie dresses, etc.) but only a few will arrange their inventory by body type.

In the end Ms. Drescher offers the best advice - go with a style that is you! The order of selction is important though. Pick the dress first, then the hairstyle and then accesories. Of course you have to consider your budget. Its great to go online to get ideas and compare styles you may not get the best results from ordering online. For most prom clothing and accessories you will want to try on the items and get some honest on the spot feedback from your best friends and even your sister and mom.

If you shop around online you can go to a local clothing store or boutique and get a better deal on price. Just follow the links below to the category of local businesses that fit your needs. Our business listings cover all of Long Island - all of Nassau and Suffolk counties.

So following the advice above you'll want to shop for shoes after you pick your dress. Some of the common prom shoe styles are: high heels (with the heel over 3 inches), short or flat heels, open toe, and closed toe. Some websites and local stores sell dyeable prom shoes so that you can have more choice and control over the exact color match to your dress and other prom accesories (bags, shawls, etc.).

When you search online for advice about the hairstyles that are popular for this year's prom and for the spring 2007 fashion season you'll find very diverse opinions about the style trends. There may just be too many choices or options to consider. One article said that the short bob is the hottest hairstyle in the spring of 2007. Short and funky is the way to go. But this article warns that there are many styles that get called "the bob" so you would do well to look online fir the hairstyle and then go to a stylist that you trust and really like. Ask her or him how to make this style work for your bone structure and facial features. Of course you should not follow the crowd, especially when it comes to hairstyles. If you cut your hair short it take time to grwo back and you'll be living with this decision for weeks or months. For long hair this year color accents that match the bold dress styles are also popular.

If there is one enduring bit of advice it is this - the right hair style must always fit your facial structure. A cool and fun resource for our quick guide is: Hair Cut Guide - How to Find the Right Hair Style For Your Face ShapeHair Cut Guide - How to Find the Right Hair Style For Your Face Shape. The facial types in their system are: diamond shaped, heart shaped, oval shaped, and retangular, round, suare and triangular. Just check it out and see if it works for you.