Seen At 11: Parents Advised To Steer Teens From Inappropriate Prom Dresses

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- High school prom season means students are spending big bucks to look just right.

But as some ladies call dibs on dresses, some will go too far. CBS2's Dave Carlin explained Thursday night what parents can to do guide kids away from prom dress problems.

Wearing a long, flowing skirt with a hint of midriff, Brittany Patten of Passaic Valley High considered her choice an example of prom perfection.

"For me, I just recently lost like a lot of weight, so I figured I want to show off my new body," she said.

And Brittany's dress covers enough to make it mom and grandma-approved.

"Very, very nice," he grandmother said.

But this season there will be many other dresses -- too low in the front or too high on the leg.

Brittany's mother, Liz Patten, was having none of that.

"We steer her the other way," said Patten, of Totowa.

But revealing and sexy is the trend, according to child and parenting psychologist Susan Bartell.

"I think the dresses very much trend toward super sexy," she said.

Bartell said the demure dresses of our grandparents' proms are history. Girls now teeter ever closer to the barely-there, red carpet shockers of risk-taking celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez.

Bartell said parents must strongly say no to any prom fashion that goes too far.

"Part of your job as a parent is to teach your daughter how to dress appropriately and how to value herself," she said.

Parents are advised to lay down ground rules before coming into a store. They should set the stage so they can wind up with something classy and comfortable, experts said.

Lynn Primavera owns the Figleaf Boutique, a prom specialty shop in Maywood, New Jersey.

"They want up-to-the-minute trends, and that's what we're giving them; we want to make sure that it's in line with their body and with their age," Primavera said.

She said she will add extra fabric and support.

"I do like to add straps to them, even when they tell me: 'No straps! No straps!'" Primavera said.

She advised that parents should sell their kids on comfort, with dresses they can dance in without fear of ridicule or wardrobe malfunction.