If you young men are not prepared for your prom by now, don't abandon all hope, ye who enter the high school gym.

A couple weeks remain before prom season, which provides plenty of time to brush up on this year's prom fashions and even the finer points of prom etiquette.

Men's formal wear shops in Cayuga County have fielded requests from their teenage customers that reflect a few new trends in prom fashion this year.

“Browns are big this year,” said Marty Goldman, owner of The Liberty Store in Auburn. “But cummerbunds have gone the way of the horse's buggy.”

Goldman has also noticed the popularity of pastel colors, which are most likely inspired by the dresses the young men's dates have already picked out. When Auburn High School senior P.J. Gagliano went tuxedo shopping, he “picked it out with my date so I could match her dress well.”

Vests are the primary piece of the men's prom attire that they use to match to the gown they'll be standing aside most of the night. The two most popular vest colors Goldman has sold are salmon and coral, but they still take a backseat to the traditional style of formal events.

“Black is always number one by a country mile,” Goldman said.

Tuxedo Junction in the Fingerlakes Mall has also seen pastel colors rise to the top of the request list from male prom-goers.

“There can be hesitation on the guy's part to wear those colors, so we make it not as grueling for them and give them a couple of options,” said formal wear consultant Timothy Reitz.

To males who may not be keen on wearing a tuxedo that matches their beach towels, Reitz suggests composing an all-black suit with only a tie or pocket square to match the date's color.

“That way it's not overbearing for them,” Reitz said.

At both the Liberty Store and Tuxedo Junction, many suit-shopping young men have been accompanied by their dates. The young ladies have overseen the suit selection process in order to ensure a perfect match on prom night. When the men come alone, they often provide clerks with a cell phone picture of the dress with which to match the tuxedo.

Although the color scheme of their suits is predetermined by their date's dress, the men still have some choice in what styles they wear on the special night.

“Pinstripes in the last year or two have come on strong,” Goldman said.

This year, Tuxedo Junction added tuxedos in champagne pinstripe, brown pinstripe and black with chalked white pinstripe styles. Another particularly popular suit style sought after by males at Tuxedo Junction is the peak collar, which points upward and appears to broaden the wearer's chest.

“I tell the prom kids that Tom Cruise wore a peak tuxedo on the red carpet,” Reitz said.

Some males have broken with the tradition of solid black tuxedos and sought more unusual styles.

“We always have those kids who don't really care and want to wear something different from anyone else,” Reitz said.

Regardless of how far they stray from fashion norms, male prom-goers are expected to conform a little more comfortably to the etiquette of prom night.

“This is the time to pull out all the stops for etiquette that they've been taught,” said Edie Ethridge, an etiquette teacher who offers classes at her home in Skaneateles under the name E.style. “In my many years of interviewing young girls, I found this is definitely the time to bring out everything they've learned.”

Young men should show their dates key courtesies such as opening doors for them, coming to their door both at the beginning and end of the evening and meeting her parents.

Ethridge's experience with prom etiquette stems from more sources than her female students. She has also coached three sons through their own prom nights and learned many lessons about what young men lack in the area of manners.

“One of the biggest mistakes they make is not taking the evening as seriously as they should,” Ethridge said.

Mitul Patel, a junior at Auburn High School, plans to follow Ethridge's advice by making the evening a special one for his prom date. He hopes to “dance with her and treat her like a lady.”

But many males do not grasp the importance of spending the night at the side of their date. Too often they talk and dance with her for as long as they feel obliged, then flee to gather with friends.

“When you consider who you ask and who you're going with, make sure you want to spend most of the evening with them,” Ethridge said.

If males find themselves in the opposite position, they should try not to take their date's apparent disinterest as a free pass to ditch her. Crowding her as she cavorts with her friends is no alternative either.

“Check in on her every half an hour and ask for a dance or if she wants a drink, show her you want to be with her,” Ethridge said. “I suppose there's nothing you can do if she tunes you out; girls do get clique-y, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong.”

Ethridge finds no fault in dancing with another person for one or two songs, but it would be wise to first ask your date. While dancing, males should behave in such a way that pleases not only their dance partners but also the hosts of the prom.

“Obviously be on your best behavior and make your school proud of who you are,” she said.

By being both fashionable and well-mannered, young men like Auburn High School junior Quendel Ellison are confident they can make the most of their proms this spring.

“I'm not nervous about anything. I'm just ready to enjoy my last prom,” Ellison said.

Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net