As one of the most anticipated nights for high school students creeps closer and closer, many young women are scrambling to find the perfect dress.

Whether its in pink, yellow, blue, purple or red, students who plan on attending their prom usually begin searching for the perfect prom outfit months before the actual event.

Gregory J. Balakoff, owner of Helen Freed's Inc., in downtown Sharon, said most girls usually start shopping after the Christmas season to get a jump start on finding THE dress.

"Right after Christmas they start looking. Usually it's the girls with steady boyfriends who start early. They don't come in great numbers, but we have them coming starting in early November," he said.

Jennifer Londono, owner of the Four Seasons in Grove City, said she usually sees a rush of girls at her store in January.

"I think they want to get a head start over the other girls. January and February are the big search months because they want to have first choice."

She said when girls come into Four Seasons they usually have already gone through a magazine that comes out in December called "Your Prom," which has the "newest latest styles" to choose from.

Balakoff said the earlier the better. Through the months of January and February, he said he can get just about any dress there is. But after February it becomes harder to obtain certain dresses.

"After February if it's not in stock, you're pretty much out of luck," Balakoff said. "If it's the beginning of April and the prom is at the end of May, right now there's a 50/50 chance to get the dress on time. That's why a lot of the girls shop early."

Balakoff said half the girls who come in know exactly what they're looking for and the others sometimes don't have a clue.

"Girls who've gone to the prom before have an idea, but others need guidance. Once they look at a dress they might not like it, but after they get it on it makes a big difference," he said.

Mistica LaBrasca and her mother Jackie LaBrasca both of DuBois, made their first dress shopping stop at Helen Freed's. Mistica, 17, a junior at DuBois Area High School, said she's attending prom for the first time this year. She and her mother tried to decide on a dress together, but were stuck between three favorites.

"It's hard because you see one dress you like, then you see another dress that you love even more. So you have to make a tough decision and it's your prom so you want to make the right decision," said Mistica LaBrasca.

Mrs. LaBrasca added: "It's hard to agree with teenage girls. They like what they like and I might have a different opinion because of the way the dress fits her. But it's her prom so she can pick out her dress. Whatever she wants I'll get it for her."

Trends for this year incorporate bright colors with a variety of dress styles. Mrs. Londono said there are three new popular colors this year: cotton candy pink, seventies turquoise and orange sorbet, almost like a melon color.

Preferred dress styles have also changed slightly from last year. She said sequined dresses and red tool dresses, which have a tight corset bodice and a full bottom, are in style this year. Balakoff said the biggest trends this year seem to be the pouffy ball gowns and the two-piece ensembles with the bare midriffs, which were popular last year and still "pretty popular" this year, he said.

He said most local schools have banned the bare midriff dresses, but they're still in high demand. Whether its the lace dresses with the flashy jeweled tops, or the low-cut dresses with or without the spaghetti straps, Balakoff said everything, with the exception of garters, seems to be in -- and in demand.

Another prom trend triggered last year is clear acrylic shoes, a style that's "the most popular in the country," he said. The heal of the shoe is clear and it unscrews. It can be filled with beads or sequins to coordinate with any color dress.

After choosing what looks best, the cost factor comes into play. Prom dresses range in price depending on style. The average dress usually costs about $300, but prices can range from $100 to $450, Balakoff said. Dresses with sequins usually cost more because someone has to hand sew them onto the dress. Then there's also the additional costs of jewelry, shoes, make-up, hair, acrylic nails, skin rhinestones and perhaps a matching shawl.

"Senior year is the most important year where girls really want to make a statement," Mrs. Londono said. I have a teen-ager myself. There's an unspoken etiquette of what you should and shouldn't wear and the older you are there's a rank in how show-stopping your dress needs to be."

She said whatever type of dress it is, the most important priority should be comfort.

"The style of dress needs to be the image you want to create to your classmates.," Mrs. Londono said.

"You want to say 'You will remember me in this red dress.' It also depends on your figure. You have to consider whether you're full busted then you may need a halter style dress or you may want a color to compliment your complexion."