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Dressmakers, hairdressers and makeup artists are in hot demand at this time of year as teenage girls go all-out in search of the perfect school ball look.
Many fork out a small fortune for an event that has become a rite-of-passage, with some in the beauty industry comparing school balls to weddings.
Rose-Anna McGillivray has splashed out $284 on her dress.
The 17-year-old Aucklander chose a strapless, full-length gown for her Winter Wonderland ball at Cromwell College, Central Otago.
She found her frock in the racks of "barely worn" dresses at Wendy Timms' shop in Mt Eden.
When a girl finds the dress they want, Timms said the effect is immediate: "They turn into grown women."
Hairdresser Lee-Ann Cullen, of Rodney Wayne Newmarket, said this year girls are looking for a more "beachy", curly style compared to last year's more formal look.
"It's a very messy look, with back combing and a matt product," she said.
A ball hairdo can cost anything from $70 to $125 depending on the style and length of the hair.
Then there's the makeup.
Jo Roughan, manager of the MAC beauty counter at Smith and Caughey Newmarket, said girls book months in advance to secure a professional make-up artist.
For $90 a girl can have her face made up, and get a chart so she can recreate the look.
This season, girls are going for a "smoky eye" look with false lashes and subtle mouth, inspired by celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Jessica Simpson and Victoria Beckham.
