• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, April 15, 2011

OMG the seething cauldron of adolescent fear and loathing that is prom season is almost upon us.  Even before it arrives it will inflict many psychic casualties among American youth, as dates are secured, limos hogged, security deposits absconded with, friendships forged and broken. But one key area of potential conflict -- who gets to wear what dress -- may be defused thanks to social media.

Girls are using social media sites to lay claim to prom gowns, allowing them to (hopefully) avoid the humiliating and possibly violent consequences of dress redundancy on the dance floor. This includes a Facebook-based registry, "Got Dibs," launched by the fashion advice Web site fashism.com, whose name resonates with the promise to bring order to this chaotic situation. Users just take photos of their dresses and post them to their high school's Facebook group to stake their claims. "Got Dibs" also lets users get feedback about the outfit, including advice on shoes, hemlines, and silhouettes.

Considering that girls routinely buy $1,500-$3,000 prom dresses, this is obviously a potential marketing gold mine for young women's brands, as reflected by Lord & Taylor's sponsorship of "Got Dibs," which includes a recommendation engine drawing suggestions from the store's inventory.

While their extravagance varies with broader economic trends, proms are a big and growing business: estimated spending by high school students and parents increased from $2.7 billion in 2003 to $4 billion in 2005, surging to $6.6 billion in 2007, with $1 billion or more going to dresses alone. In 2011 13-15 million U.S. teenagers are expected to attend a total of 40,000 proms around the country. Over the last decade the total amount of spending power wielded by teenagers (12-17) has increased from $160 billion in 2000 to $175 billion in 2003, $190 billion in 2006, and $216 billion in 2010.