Prom night is a high school girl’s opportunity to feel like the center of her own red carpet universe. The experience is a glamorous first taste of life beyond adolescence, which is why her dress needs to be gorgeous. It’s a statement of who she is and what she hopes to become. The trends for 2008 offer something for every figure and personality. In the long, slinky and head-turning department, Tony Bowls’s Paris Collection prom dress ($399) deserves top billing. Available in red or peacock blue charmeuse, the dress has it going on front to back. There are beaded accents, spaghetti straps that criss-cross in back, a front slit and sweep train. A stunner at almost half the price is Mori Lee’s halter gown ($215). In black it’s very grown-up, but it also comes in delightful neon orange and sunlight. Not as slinky but ultra-elegant and flattering is Jovani’s printed chiffon gown ($499) with V-shaped neckline and bugle-beaded torso. Atelier Alyce made sure to include metallic fabrics, which are hot this year, in their line of dresses. The v-neck silver gown ($390) shimmers with silver, gray and bronze sequins over silver netting. Like many of the dresses, it comes with a matching shawl. For young ladies who prefer gold, the design house offers a gold strapless gown ($398) with embroidered bust and rucked torso above a floor-length full skirt. Short dresses make a bouncy alternative for prom. Sherry Hill’s prom dress ($299) is a bit naughty. It’s very short and very black, but the design is sweet, with a sequined sweetheart bodice and layers of tulle netting at the hem. Tony Bowls achieves a more demure and retro effect with his Paris prom dress ($278). It’s a pale pink A-line strapless, with sequins and tulle. The satin ribbon and bow on the empire waist make this a party dress reminiscent of childhood but all grown-up now. A gown that combines pink and black, sexy and understated, is Sherri Hill’s form-fitting polka-dotted heart-shaped strapless gown ($460). It has a high front slit yet whispers girl-next-door. All of the dresses here are from Promgirl.net. To shop for great dresses under $200, try Brides and Prom  and Cinderella’s Closet. Be sure to check the return policy wherever you shop, and be very careful in taking your measurements. Then, enjoy the big night.

Beverage pitchers come in handy during the lazy days and festive nights of the warmest months. Your guests can serve themselves a cold drink without having to rummage in the freezer for ice. Plus they’re pretty, even when empty and convenient (just when you notice the houseplants are drooping). OK, so this one isn’t exactly “pretty,” but it will keep your beverage chilled, not watered down or flavored by melted ice. The Polar pitcher iceless drink pitcher ($19.50) has a leak-free aluminum tube in the center that holds the ice separately. Its stable base is good around kids and comes with a fitted lid. Sleek enough to impress associates at business meetings, CB2’s stainless steel water pitcher ($29.95) is definitely a long, tall drink of water. If you love the look of ceramic, there are pitchers aplenty. Also at CB2 is the Nilsson large pitcher ($39.95), which looks vintage modern and comes in stylish shades of aqua, brown, green and yellow. A pitcher perhaps too pretty for actual use is Brenda Quinn’s ceramic pitcher ($200, plus $20 for shipping and handling), from The Artful Home. Who knows how many ounces it holds? The artist seems not to have considered such things when creating this gorgeous wheel-thrown, hand-built pitcher with inlaid glaze. Which isn’t to say elegance and function can’t go together. One look at Crate and Barrel’s handblown Ona pitchers ($16.95 to $26.95), with their embedded off-center handles and great price, will make you fall quickly out of love with your trusty old Rubbermaid. If new love isn’t enough, you’ll become obsessed with the artisan Cal Breed’s opaque curly pitchers ($210, plus $20 for shipping and handling). These exquisitely colored, blown glass vessels are quite freshing to the eye. Want something classic and simple? The Acapulco pitcher ($12.50) available at Amazon.com epitomizes most people’s idea of “pitcher.” Are you thirsty yet?

Former DEVO bandleader Mark Mothersbaugh warped some young minds in the ’80s by wearing a flower pot on his head, claiming humanity had de-evolved into a lower life form, and encouraging fans to Whip It. He may have shown his gentler side in later years, penning whimsical soundtracks for The Rugrats and The Royal Tenenbaums, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost touch with his weird roots: For a number of years, the composer has had a lesser-known life as a visual artist, using found portraits from the dawn of the photographic era as raw material for limited-edition art prints of computer-manipulated images that are sometimes creepy, sometimes amusing, and sometimes both simultaneously. The prints, which can be seen at Mothersbaugh’s art site, have been touring through small art galleries for a few years, though you needn’t visit one of the shows to make a purchase: If you see one you like online, you can email the site to inquire about price and availability. (Prices currently range from $350 to $1,250.) Unlike many prints bought online, though, these come framed — in a lovely, ornately old-fashioned dark wood frame that bolsters the images’ weird out-of-time qualities. For those who can’t afford a print, a photo book has been produced by the Grand Central Art Center in California; again, it’s unusually handsome, with embossed faux-leather binding and top-notch printing. It sells for a mere $25 directly from the gallery, though dealers are trying to get closer to $100 via Amazon.

Super-roomy red handbags are a noticeable celebrity fashion trend this spring, whether it’s Katie Holmes toting her oversize Hermes Birkin bag, Katherine Heigl carrying her red Valentino purse or Heroes star Hayden Panettiere promoting the big red bag she designed for Dooney and Bourke. Happily, it’s possible to achieve the same look without spending the thousands of dollars that movie stars do. Liz Claiborne’s Rocklin Ombre Tote is an affordable $74 and is 14 inches wide and 12½ inches deep. Lacoste has a bright red cotton summer shopping bag with red-and-white striped handles ($104). The Jessica Simpson Collection includes this Pacha Top Zip handbag, a mock-croc hobo that comes in several other colors ($88). Target has several large red purses with the same gleaming, oversized appeal as their more pricey counterparts. The NYC by Perlina shiny red tote, for example, is not leather, but it looks similar and could withstand a lot of wear ($59.99, pictured). The CL by Laundry large red quilted satchel is both stylish and functional ($34.99). These purses look just as good with jeans and a white T-shirt as they do with a little black dress. They’re so big, you could even pack a change of clothes.

If you’re interested in expanding your DVD collection with surefire kid-pleasers that will entertain the whole family, we’ve come up with a short list. Two of 2007’s stand-outs are being released on DVD in April: The Water Horse and The Golden Compass. The first, based on a novel by Dick King-Smith, tells a tale explaining the “true story” of Nessie, better known as the Loch Ness Monster (PG, $18.99). The Golden Compass is the controversial, highly publicized first installment in Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy of novels, which garnered rave reviews; the film starred Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (PG-13, $22.99; pictured). Also from 2007 was The Last Mimzy (PG, $14.99), based on the short story “Mimzy Were the Borogoves,” by Lewis Padgett. This intriguing tale of discovered treasure from the distant future is riveting for children and adults alike. A great companion film from the same year is The Bridge to Terabithia (PG, from $8.49 new), based on Katherine Paterson’s young adult novel, which celebrates friendship, imagination and empathy. Considered one of the cornerstones of classic children’s literature, C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe received a respectable and entertaining adaptation to film in 2005 courtesy of Disney and Walden Media and is now out in a four-disc collector’s edition (PG, $29.99). In 2004, movie buffs and book lovers got a double dose of Peter Pan in two highly acclaimed films. In Finding Neverland (PG, $9.99), Johnny Depp brilliantly depicts playwright J. M. Barrie as he creates the iconic character and story of Peter Pan, through relationships with a widow and her children. In Peter Pan (PG, $11.69), audiences get an entertaining live-action version of the beloved tale of the boy who never grew up. Finally, we wholeheartedly recommend a double feature of two beautiful classic tales by Frances Hodgson Burnett featured on one DVD: A Little Princess/ The Secret Garden (G, $11.99). Both of these stories are told from a young girls’ perspective and, as films, are striking cinematic portraits of life in simpler, but harsher times.

When it comes to the continuing creep of advertisements in public space — from movie theater ads and motorized billboards to the obnoxious gas-pump recordings that turn an already wallet-squeezing trip into something even less pleasant — I’m firmly in the anti-proliferation camp. I don’t want to live in the world of Minority Report, where sensors read my identity and beam personalized ads at me on the sidewalk. Still, it’s hard to be 100 percent annoyed at the developers of FogScreen, a new kind of projection system that uses tap water and ultrasonic waves to throw an image onto a curtain of “dry fog.” For one thing, it’s scientifically neat and pretty cool to look at. For another, it seems tailored for use in places — night clubs, convention halls, et cetera — where people are actually hoping to be bombarded with commercial messages. Then again, few technological innovations stay contained once advertisers decide they’re useful. If these walk-through fog messages start trying to sell me soda at the airport, I’ll start shopping for portable dehumidifiers right away. Until then, party-throwers with cash to burn can add some dazzle to events by renting the projectors here.