Preparations for prom keep Valley clothiers bustling

Carson Valley teenagers have been sifting through outfits this week, throwing out the unwanted and saving the spectacular, tweaking last-minute details, rushing to hair salons, nail parlors and tanning beds, all in preparation for the Douglas High School prom, which is tonight at Edgewood.

"It's the busiest week hands down," said Gloria Gero, owner of A Gourmet Sewing Co. in Minden, which rents tuxedos and alters dresses. "The first two weeks before prom are a zoo, a fun zoo."

Gero was in her shop on Tuesday helping 18-year-old Zach Hastie with his tuxedo.

"I do more tuxedos than dresses," Gero said. "But the workload is the same; the dresses are high labor."

Gero situated Hastie in front of a mirror and instructed him to tighten his belt. She then helped him smooth the arms of his jet-black jacket and straighten the fabric of his white-and-pink-striped tie, which matched the bright-pink, stripeless vest beneath the jacket.

"A girl picked it out for me," the Silver State Academy graduate said with a slight smile. "It's real colorful."

Rather than a pair of traditional dress shoes, Hastie will be sporting a pair of Vans at the prom.

"Vans are the thing to wear with tuxedos these days," Gero added.

And Hastie's choice of colors? Not uncommon this year, Gero said.

"They've really been mixing and matching a lot of bright colors," she said. "They've been creative, wanting that POW!"

Douglas High senior Brittney Peterson, Gero's next customer, was no exception. The 17-year-old emerged from the dressing room in a brightly-beaded, neon-green halter-top dress.

"It's bright and unique," she said. "I like how it doesn't have a lot of back."

Peterson twirled around in front of the mirror, satisfied with her choice. The next stop, she said, would be a tanning booth, then a nail shop, then onto the Beachcomber salon where her mother works as a stylist.

"I'm not sure what I want to do with my hair," she said. "Just something up is all I know."

Peterson and Hastie are heading up to the prom together. They're not dates, but said they'll be joining about 30 of their friends in a large rented vehicle, what they called "the party bus."

"I'm looking forward to dinner and the dance and just everything," Hastie said.

Down the street in Gardnerville, around the same time Hastie and Peterson were leaving Gero's shop, Douglas High senior Thomas Asher was changing back into his regular clothes inside Felicia's Event & Wedding Coordination, another tux supplier.

"I picked a black suit with a yellow vest and tie," he said. "My girlfriend picked out a dress with eight different colors, but yellow is the primary color."

Asher said he's looking forward to spending time with both his girlfriend and his guy friends.

"We're going to be hanging out and having fun all night," he said.

Classmate Joe McDonald was also at Felicia's. The 18-year-old said he doesn't have a date for prom, but prefers it that way.

"I'm going solo," he said, grinning.

McDonald chose a long, pearly-white notch coat, with a black vest and a white, pleated shirt. Unlike Hastie, he'll be sporting a pair of traditional dress shoes, black and shiny.

"I didn't want a regular tux," he said. "This is very cool."

Felicia Gantar, owner of the store, helped McDonald button up his vest.

"I've been doing this for 15 years," Gantar said. "This year, I know all the kids."

McDonald's mother, Victoria Wilkinson, approved of her son's outfit.

"I think it's awesome," she said. "He has a lot of cousins, a lot of girls in the family to tell him what looks good."

But Wilkinson felt something else mixed in with the excitement of prom. The proud mother couldn't hold back tears when revealing that McDonald is the last of her children to grow up.

"He's my baby," she said.

Gantar nodded, and offered some consolation.

"I have one turning 18," Gantar said. "I know how you feel."