CASA LA gets free prom dresses and suits to hundreds of LA's foster youth

Over 400 Los Angeles teenagers in foster care get to go prom shopping Saturday morning and take home a brand-new, free formal dress or suit as part of CASA LA's annual event.

The nonprofit group advocating for underserved youth partners with corporations like Chinese Laundry, Nicole Miller, and Clinique to provide a complete formal look, head to toe – with the donated goods.

Racks of dresses, 1,600 in all, and tables of shoes and jewelry were on display early Saturday morning at the LA Convention Center, ready for the teens and young adults.

The Glamour Gowns & Suit Up Event not only provides the gowns, but also volunteer personal shoppers to help with choices, sizes, and assembling that on-point look for each teen.

CASA representative Marissa Wasseluk said it's also a self-confidence-building event for the teens.

"When kids are taken to their new homes, foster homes, they are actually given garbage bags to put all of their things in. It's so rare that they get to be treated with this kind of event, where they get to pick out things for formal wear for special events because they very rarely have those things," Wasseluk said.

Throughout the event's history, more than 8,000 youth in foster care have been outfitted.