TEEN'S DREAM $10,000 PROM ($2400 dress, $550 shoes, but no date)

NY POST ^ | 3/26/06 | LINDSAY POWERS

[Liz]

GLAM GAL: "You only do prom once, and I've been planning this for over a year," says Brooklyn 17-year-old Jenna Cossuto. Photo: Graham Morrison

Jenna Cossuto spent $2,400 on her custom-made dress. She'll rent a 22-seat stretch Hummer to transport her closest friends to privately booked Gotham Hall. And then it's off to the swanky South Street Seaport at Bridgewater and afterward, a party in Crobar's VIP section before a long weekend in a Hamptons beach house.

But this once-in-a-lifetime weekend isn't for Cossuto's wedding. It's for this 17-year-old's senior prom.

She's part of a growing generation of teens who think of prom as the end all, be all of their young lives. "Teens think of prom as their Oscar night. They want to look and feel like celebrities," says Gina Kelly, fashion director at Seventeen magazine.

According to a Seventeen prom survey, girls spend an average of $833 for dress, shoes and accessories......(and) shell out $135 on beauty products, $105 at the salon and $206 for tickets and limos.

"I'm not sure exactly how much I'll spend, but probably thousands and thousands," said Cossuto. If she gets all she wants, the total will exceed $10,000. "My parents are just happy that I saved up myself for the dress, and they'll obviously help me pay for everything else I need."

Beyond the designer Jovani dress, which includes multi-carat Chopard diamonds, Cossuto got $550 Gucci shoes, a matching handbag, tanning sessions, eyebrow shaping and professional hair and makeup for the big day, June 7.

The only thing she hasn't nailed down? A date. "I don't care about that as much," said the teen, who will go to college at Florida International University in Miami. "I'll have one, but I don't want to make the wrong decision."

[Liz]

Snicker.....you got that right.

[JenB]

Wow. I hope all this "stuff" makes her happy. Personally, it seems a little ridiculous to me. My wedding won't cost half what her prom costs!

[GladesGuru]

"I pity the guy that ends up with this high-maintenance New York idiot princess."

She is a good example of what life in the Big Sh*tty can produce. Or should I have said 'whelp'?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

She is going to make someone a fine "Ex-First Wife" one day! :)

[razorback-bert]

I knew where my yearbooks got to, I would know who it was.

I am afraid it might have been a cheerleader turned clintonoid.

I didn't have a steady at prom time, I was a bee fliting from pretty flower to pretty flower.

[Hildy]

I'm not at all surprised by this. Does anyone ever watch MTV or E entertainment television to see what these teens are watching...It's all about THE STUFF. They actually have shows called "IT'S GREAT TO BE ________________ (Jennifer Aniston). Where, for an HOUR, they go through the things that Jennifer Aniston owns...the cars, the clothes..wear she vacations, her homes. Let's not get into the Paris Hilton phenomenon. Then, of course, there are the shows about trust-fund children, where we see how they live.

We are bringing up, quite possibly, the most superficial, materialistic generation ever...and our country will pay dearly for it.

[PzLdr]

Didn't try to find a date. Didn't dance. Still don't. Played a lot of baseball. Went to a few street fights. All my cousins my age or older were either guys, or were married. Didn't ask any of 'em. Thought proms were stupid. Still do.

[PzLdr]

See my response to #67

[durasell]

I've seen "Court Street lawyers" that make Eddie Hayes look like a wimp

[Looking4Truth]

Ummm...yea that was me doing the ridiculing.

yeah, wtf ever....

who pissed in your cornflakes?

[knuthom]

Misplaced priorities.

[LoveDoc]

"Ummm...yea that was me doing the ridiculing. yeah, wtf ever.... who pissed in your cornflakes?"

Just enjoy life my jealous friend...

Enjoy life...

[MaDeuce]

And they said us Gen Xer's were spoiled...

Good point

And another thing ... will daddy pay for the abortion after she gets knocked up during her fabulous weekend? What do ya think the odds are on that?

[durasell]

Linking extravagance to loose morals. Interesting.

[sgtbono2002]

I am not getting myself in any deeper.

[sgtbono2002]

I dont know the girl that well , but that slit in the dress sure is inviting, and no straps.

[Looking4Truth]

Just enjoy life my jealous friend...

I certainly enjoy life and am definitely not jealous of anyone who's idea of high priorities includes blowing ten grand on a freakin' prom. Don't confuse my scorn with jealousy. Have a good night.

[sgtbono2002]

Anything worth having requires an investment in time and money. Not sure I could afford this one though. $2500 dollars for a prom dress?. Thats insane.

[sgtbono2002]

I went to 5 or 6 of them different date every time except the last one ,I married her she was 3 years behind me graduating, and from a different school, we got married 10 days after her graduation and have been married for 43 years.

[Mark_C101]

Dennis:

Yes, my name is Mark Cossuto and I am the lawyer mentioned in that article. And yes I am very proud of my accomplishments as an attorney.

I think that before you form opinions about other people, you should have all of the facts. First of all, you really should question the source of what you read. Do you really believe everything that you read in the NY Post? The shame on you! A dress retailer contacted my daughter about posing for a "dress promotion" for the NY Post. She did not pay $2,400 for the dress. In fact, she did not pay a dime. She was given the dress free of charge due to all of the free publicity that the retailer and the dress company were given because of the article. Her shoes were $39. The costs were completely fabricated. The reporter knew what the article's tag line would be, but I certainly did not. I did not know what the slant of the article was going to be, otherwise I would not have consented to the article. But it was too late. I was just as shocked when the article was published.

The idea of spending $10,000 on a prom is completely insane. I certainly would not allow it, even if I could afford it. It is insane. The article was and is a complete embarrassment to myself and my family. I try to the best of my ability to bring up my children with values which would never include such waste and excess.

So kindly stop judging my daughter, myself and my family. I assure you that the NY Post Article was filled with lies. It was a complete fabrication. I am considering legal action against the reporter and the NY Post. They should at least print a retraction of the story and an apology.

I can certainly understand other people sitting in judgment of me and my family, if the article were true, but it is not. So please stop with the shots against me.

Thank You - Mark Cossuto