Get Your Own Red Carpet Look for Less

Stars will be strutting down the red carpet Sunday night wearing Oscar fashions costing thousands of dollars. But you don't have to be headed to the Academy Awards to wear this year's most fashionable styles, and you certainly don't have to empty your wallet.

"Our formal dresses range in price from $39 up to $300, depending on what you're looking for," said Jenn Truong, manager at Windsor, a formal wear store in Stoneridge Shopping Center.

Truong said it's not unusual for customers to come in after watching awards shows looking for dresses they've seen stars wearing.

"We had a dress called 'Taylor' that looked a lot like a dress Taylor Swift wore to an event. It's been sold out now for awhile," Truong said.

What's in this year when it comes to formal gowns? Bright colors, including purple, pink and navy blue, are popular. So is a color that might surprise most fashionistas — lime green. Silver also is big and off white appears to be making a comeback.

"Gold and tone colors are coming back, too," Truong added.

As to the style of the dress you might see on the red carpet, long mermaid dresses are common.

"This dress reminds a lot of people of something Angelina Jolie might wear to an event," Truong said, pointing to a floor-length flowing dress with a colorful print, though she's most often seen in black.

When it comes to shorter dresses, customers tend to opt for tulle, similar to a ballerina-style dress.

The jewelry you'll see the stars sporting can run millions of dollars and most often isn't even their own. But costume jewelry can do the trick and doesn't cost a lot. Then, pick up a pair of long gloves to complete your outfit.

No matter what event they're shopping for, customers usually have an idea what they're looking for and often want something unique, Truong said.

"Our customers range from ballroom dancers to teens going to prom to bridesmaids and even women attending military balls," she noted.

So, if you see a frock at Sunday's Oscars that you can't live without, a trip to the mall might bring you one step closer to owning it.

Coverage of the Oscars starts at 5 p.m. on ABC.