Vintage pieces are popular and can be an investment

Alex Brown is a student at Rhea County High School.

With prom season near, young women are struggling to find the perfect attire. Yet they may be surprised to find it buried in their grandmother’s old trunk.

Even though stores and boutiques in the area are filled with the latest prom fashions, some teens in the area are preparing for prom with a different trend in mind, packing up the couture and breaking out retro fads.

Vintage dresses “are really timeless,” said Laura Martz, pointing to a lacy strapless dress from the ’50s hanging in her store, Relics Antiques & Home Furnishings, in Cleveland, Tenn. “Can you imagine President Kennedy’s wife, Jackie O., in a beautiful, pink, strapless?

“It would be just as beautiful on women today.”

Even in 2008, some teens recognize this lasting appeal in the fashions of past decades, Ms. Martz said.

“We have a lot of Lee College students looking for vintage here,” she said. “They look for handbags and shoes because it’s just really cool.”

Vintage gowns also have graced the red carpet.

Angelina Jolie dazzled the crowd at the premiere of the film “A Mighty Heart” in New York with a vintage dress from Wasteland store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, according to an Access Hollywood article on MSNBC.com.

And just because a celebrity wore it doesn’t mean the outfit had a red-carpet price tag. According to the article, her black, crushed-velvet dress cost $26.

Inexpensive older gowns can be found to save buyers money. A vintage dress can change from a chic prom alternative to a financial asset over a period of time, according to the Web site Lovetoknow.com’s section on vintage clothing.

“In general, vintage clothes increase in value over time,” the site noted. “As inflation increases, people turn to these tangible items for financial investments.”

For teens thinking of retro chic for prom, accumulating value is the last thing on their minds.

“I love vintage,” said Lindsay Roden, a junior at Rhea County High School. “I’ve seen tons of cute flapper dresses around Chattanooga.

“It’s just really unique and classic. I would definitely rock vintage to prom.”