The calendar has just turned to fall, and the holiday season is still months away. You are getting into the routine of back-to-school: homework, tests, after school activities, and sports. Besides looking ahead to college, next spring is probably off your radar. Why would you even be thinking about a prom dress for next year's prom?

What most prom-goers don't understand is that the best way to get the hottest dresses for the prom, is to shop before the new year starts. Dress manufacturers begin sending their wares to prom dresses retailers in October, for the upcoming spring events. Many people have already ordered the most popular dress styles by the time the prom magazines hit the store shelves in December. How are new styles found when they aren't even shown in magazines yet? Easy! Early shoppers utilize the Internet. Manufacturers' photos of their new spring styles are available as early as October, and many internet prom dress retailers begin adding these to their websites then.

I know, you're saying, "My prom isn't until May! March is plenty early, right?" If you will consider all the different types of colors and styles, yes would be the answer. If you have a certain style of dress in mind, don't wait to start shopping (especially if it's a popular style). The most popular styles in dresses will be totally out of stock or backordered up until May or later, when you wait until the end of January to start your shopping.

How can this be? Prom dresses are seasonal and aren't available year-round. August or thereabouts, the dress makers cut a certain amount of dresses; later in the fall, they begin delivering them to shops. Manufacturers will re-cut the most popular styles, even through February or March, judging on early orders. By March stores will have already taken pre-orders for the re-cuts of these popular dresses. When this occurs, the companies discontinue making additional dresses. Who needs unsold prom dresses in their inventory during summer? Styles that will be available for homecoming dances are an exception to this generality, but even they are not widely available until summer or later.

Many schools have winter formals from December through February, which is another reason popular prom dress styles might be sold out or on backorder long before prom. A lot of them are purchased for these events since they are already available. Additionally, the top U.S. Companies who make prom dresses sell in the United States and all over the world. Also, several prom dress sellers can be found on the Internet. Needless to say, the most popular dresses spur the most competition.

Proms that are held early in the year are another reason to shop early. Some areas of the country hold their proms as early as the month of February. Not everyone attends prom during April or May. There have been instances of proms being held in the middle of December! It never ceases to amaze us how many people will come into the stores, carrying 4-month-old prom magazines, wondering why we don't still have "their" dress.

Take a chance and wait if you aren't too concerned about styles and available colors for your prom dress. But if you are more particular or you want a style that's very popular, you'll want to think about shopping in November or December. If you aren't yet sure what you want, you can start by looking online in December and getting an idea of which style you think you might choose. When the perfect style comes your way, go for it!