Dressed to kill

Internet-savvy youth of the West are logging on to English-language websites of Chinese suppliers for fashion bargains. Todd Balazovic reports.

This year's summer high school proms in Europe sparkled with a touch of China, thanks to a growing trend of Western teenagers going in for Middle Kingdom fashion bargains. An increasing number of dresses made in China adorned the dance floors of high schools worldwide this year as clothing wholesalers in the East market their Oscar-style dresses online at a fraction of the normal cost. With parents strapped for cash and a progressively Internet-savvy youth, many are turning to the English-language websites of Chinese suppliers to buy luxury items. As designers such as Jovani and DressGoddess in the West demand prices exceeding 16,000 yuan ($2,472) for the latest fashion, hundreds of high school graduates shipped their 2011 prom dresses from China's manufacturing heartlands for a quarter of the price.

"It's beautiful, exactly what I wanted," says 16-year-old Beth Morris from England, who recently purchased her prom dress at the Chinese wholesale website DHgate.com, which is geared toward Western shoppers.