Sisters Bridal co-owner Kelly Murphy talks about the wide variety of prom dresses available. Over the years she had seen every style of dress and trend, but said she rarely saw anything that surprised her. “It is all about a persons specific taste,” Murphy at Sisters Bridal said. “That’s why nothing is off the table in terms of style.”

NEW ULM – Spring is here and prom season has begun.

Within the next few weeks New Ulm’s three high schools will host their prom celebration, which means a hunt for formal wear. Area boutiques reported a rush for prom dresses, tuxes and suits and it seems no style is off limits.

Kelly Murphy, co-owner of Sister Bridal & Tux on South Broadway said with a week to go before prom the busy season is actually starting to wind down.

“The prom dress rush starts around January,” Murphy said. “That’s when it really start getting busy. We’re still selling dresses now, but by March we start seeing more tuxedo and suit sale.”

Murphy said many girls going to prom will start shopping for a dress months in advance to make sure they find the right dress.

“The dress companies will only make so many of a specific style of dress,” she said “If the store does not have the right size or color, we can order it, but you’re going to want to order it earlier to make sure it arrives on time.”

Murphy said most of their customers find the perfect dress in the store, but every year there are a few customers who need to put a special order in.

Asked what was the popular fashion trend this year, Murphy said there was no obvious trend.

“There are so many colors and styles it hard to pinpoint a specific trend,” she said. “There might be a trend toward a slimmer fit dress with shorter skirt, but still sell a lot of long skirts.”

In terms of colors, Murphy had noticed more jewel tones; such as reds and blues but overall there were no major shift in trends from last year.

“Nothing changes quick with formal wear,” Murphy said. “Its more a gradual change.”

She said the same is true for men’s formal wear. The traditional black, blue and gray suit is still the standard for prom.

“The guys who want to look little more unique might buy some fun shoes,” Murphy said. “We have sold some sparkly shoes for guys or maybe some bright socks.”

Another popular trend for men was attempting to match with their date’s dress.

“If she has a bright dress, they want a tie to match it,” she said.

Murphy said one new trend she has noticed is prom goers will try to match their dresses and suits to match the vehicle they are driving to prom.

Bel Soie By Valerie’s Bridal located in downtown New Ulm has also seen a prom rush, but employee Alexa Pearson said the New Ulm shop typically sees more customers shopping for weddings, with the Bel Soie shop in Mankato seeing more prom shopping. Pearson said they did sell a lot of men’s wear at the New Ulm location.

She said for men’s wear, the standard style was black, blue, grey and tan for a wedding, but during prom season there is a little more color.

“For prom there are guys who want that extra pop of color,” she said. “You will see brighter suit jackets in every color.”

Pearson said this year the bow-tie was more popular than the long tie.

This year prom goers also had the option to shop at Wunderberg Collective, a downtown consignment shop.

Owners Jackie and Jen Berg said their store has sold prom dresses and men’s formal wear for the last two years, but this was the first year they saw a prom rush.

“We actually have a wide selection of prom dress,” Jackie Berg said. “But many people were not aware of that last year.”

“The word is starting spread,” Jen Berg. “Sales are starting to pick up.”

Jackie Berg said in addition to prom dresses, Wunderberg sells a lot of dresses before any community galas. She said they saw many customers buy dresses ahead of last year’s Tea for Cancer event.

Asked what types of dresses were selling best, Jen Berg said, “I think the girls are looking for a special ‘bling’ for the dress. A dress with sparkle or even rhinestones are popular.”

Jackie Berg said she was not seeing any specific trend other than a desire to be unique.

“They all want something unique,” Jackie Berg said. “The girls don’t want to look the same.”

This was a common insight from all the area boutiques.

Pearson at Bel Soie said, “{They] all want a twist that makes the outfit work. That’s why it’s a mixture of everything and nothing is most popular.”

“It is all about a persons specific taste,” Murphy at Sisters Bridal said. “That’s why nothing is off the table in terms of style.”

New Ulm High School and Minnesota Valley Lutheran will hold their proms Saturday, April 25. Cathedral High School prom will be held Saturday, May 2.