SOUTH SALT LAKE — As their classmates mill in the halls during the lunch period, a group of Granite High girls peruses satin, lace, velvet and tulle for the perfect frock.

"I love frilly!" one girl squealed, twirling in a punch-colored tiered gown, as a friend tried to decide whether an aqua beaded number was right for her.

The girls are shopping at Becca's Closet, the only Utah chapter of a national organization that provides prom dresses to high school students who otherwise could not attend the big dance.

It's right inside Granite High School, where students can choose from some 75 dresses donated by an online dress company and the community, and wear them to the dance for free.

"If it were not for Becca's Closet," sophomore Meggan Fenton said, clutching a champagne-hued gown, "I couldn't go to junior or senior prom."

Becca's Closet is the legacy of Florida teen Rebecca Kirtman, who started a dress bank project at the start of her high school years, according to beccascloset.org. She was killed in a car accident three years ago at age 16. But her project lives on. It now has chapters in half the U.S. states and Singapore, and has grown to include men's formal wear — even a scholarship fund to encourage student community service.

Granite junior class secretary Ambrea Kuhn discovered the organization while surfing the Web on a slow summer's day.

"I thought, a lot of kids at my school could use that."

Thirty-one languages are spoken at her Granite District school. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-priced school lunch.

Kuhn set up Utah's premiere chapter this school year. With the help of her mom, PTA President Debbera Kuhn, she opened its doors in February, right in time for junior prom.

It was a popular move.

This year, junior prom attendance tripled from last year, the Kuhns said.

"Just that made it a huge success for me," Debbera Kuhn said.

Becca's Closet runs the style gamut, with gowns in lime-green tulle, navy velvet and basic black, both long and short, full-skirted or form-fitting, strapless or long-sleeved. There's also jewelry, makeup, even tiaras to top off the big night.

All of it is free. Teens just borrow from the boutique like they would from a library or a friend. They sign for a frock, have fun and drop it off when they're done. A local dry cleaner donates services, so girls don't have to worry about that, either.

"I think it's good for girls who don't have dresses," said sophomore Hanin Alrekabi. "Now there's no excuse for them not to go to prom."

Most dresses were returned after the premiere event, but some didn't make it back — perhaps due to language barriers, Debbera Kuhn said.

But it really doesn't matter, the Kuhns said. If the dresses are being worn, and girls have the chance to dress up and experience high school dances, it's all worth it.

"It's memories," Aleshia Ogden, junior class president who assists in the dress bank, said of the importance of prom. "It's something to look back on and remember how you were in your prime. Plus, you were a princess!"

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com