Price Out of Reach? Rent It

For all the Prom Queen hopefuls who can’t quite cover that $7,000 ticket on the to-die-for Bob Mackie sequinned gown, or the $4,000 Vicky Tiel number with the big sweeping bow at the waist, here’s the solution--rent it, don’t buy it. After all, you’re only going to wear it once and the teen-age weekly allowance or credit card limit will never cover the cost of couture.

At Dressed to Kill in West Hollywood you can rent dresses for one night for $100 to $300, that would normally retail for $900 to $12,000. Such designer names as Bob Mackie, Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Victor Costa and Gianni Versace are on the racks just waiting for that wrist corsage.

At One Night Affair in Santa Monica, the black and white twirly skirted dresses with poufy sleeves (the chart-topping popular style for the magical night this season) start at $35 and go to $150. The shop’s 500 dresses were originally priced from $200 to $6,000.