The Best Places to Shop for Prom Dresses: Our Ultimate Guide

Article published at: Sep 11, 2021 Article tag: Prom
young lady standing in clothes shop, Best Places to Shop for Prom Dresses
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Prom season is approaching, and with that comes prom outfit shopping! Choosing a place to shop is the first step in finding your dream dress (or dress alternative, like a chic jumpsuit).

If you’ve never gone prom dress shopping before, or if you’re already stressed and need some guidance, we’re here to help. Here are the best places to shop for prom dresses, along with some tips from our shopping pros!

How Much Should a Prom Dress Cost?

Before we dive into the best places to get a prom dress, you’ll want to understand your budget for your dress (and the rest of the event). This will help you know where to start and where you can expect to find your dream dress. 

On average, prom dresses range from about $200 to $500, but there’s lots of room for options outside of those numbers. Using thriftiness and keeping an eye on deals, you can find a prom dress for as low as $50-100. If you’re looking into very high-end brands or couture options, a prom dress can cost over $1,000.

What Are the Best Places to Buy Prom Dresses In Person?

When you start to think about prom dress shopping, you may be overwhelmed by the many choices of places to shop. Fortunately, prom dress shopping doesn’t need to be difficult once you narrow down the best stores for your needs. Below, we give you an overview of the most convenient and useful places to shop for any budget or prom dress need.

Best Place to Buy Prom Dresses for Variety: Your Favorite High Street Fashion Store


We all have our favorite high street store, and it’s a great place to start looking for a prom dress. You’ll know what they stock and what you like, so get your friends together and have a day out browsing.

 

Bigger department stores are a great source of dresses or alternative prom looks in all styles. As prom season approaches, they will be amending their stock to suit the occasion, so you’ll find plenty of choices.

Best Places to Buy Prom Dresses and Get Them Altered: Local Boutique Dress Store


If you go off the beaten track a little, you’ll come across the occasional independent boutique fashion store. If you do find one, you’ll see that these are great places to buy unique and stylish dresses that may be perfect for the prom. If you don’t know of any yourself, ask around your friends and see if any of them know a great boutique.

In boutiques, you’ll find the proprietor will help you choose and – as with the bigger stores – you can try on the dresses you like and see which one fits. This sort of shop will probably offer an adjustment service too, so you can get exactly the right fit. This is especially great if you know you usually need to get long gowns hemmed.

Best Places to Shop for Prom Dresses Offering Unique Options: Consignment or Thrift Stores

It may be tempting to rule out going to a consignment shop or thrift store for a prom dress, but they often have tons of unique gems that won’t look like everyone else’s dresses.

If you tend to gravitate toward vintage glamour or other nostalgic eras, you’re more likely to find a dress that suits those tastes. You may also find dresses in darling prints, like florals to match the flowers blooming outside.

Consignment shops and thrift stores are also great places to look for offbeat accessories to go with your prom outfit!

Online Fashion Retailers: Best Sites for Dresses


For many people shopping online is the way to go, but some shy away from shopping for clothes this way. However, you really should check out online fashion retailers as there are great savings to be made if you’re shopping on a budget, and more choices than you can imagine. From moody dark gowns to sky blues, online retailers have it all!

If you’re wondering where to shop for prom dresses online, our prom collection is a good place to start. If you’d like to shop our collection in person so you can try dresses on, you can use our handy store locator. Many of these shops will also offer the ability to order online, which is perfect if shops near you don’t have the dress you’re looking for in-person.

Keep in mind that many online-only stores don’t have the overhead of a high street store to worry about, so sometimes they sell at lower prices. You’ll find that the difference in cost is quite considerable, and you may find the same items online as in the high street, but at a lower cost. There is one downside, and that’s the inability to try on your dress.

When shopping online, be sure to shop with reputable retailers, so your dress arrives as beautiful as it is in the pictures!

Pro Tip for Shopping Online: Check the Returns Service

We love online fashion shopping as the sheer choice of outlets is amazing, and most of the retailers have recognized that online buyers are looking for a sensible returns service.

Look for retailers that offer a free returns service, and you have nothing to worry about. If you’re going the online shopping route, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to return your dress and start over if need be!

When’s the Best Time to Buy a Prom Dress? 

If you’re shopping in person, you’ll want to get started no less than two months before the event (though with alteration time, you may want to make it three). For online prom dress shopping, you may want to purchase your gown four or so months before the event. This will give time for your dress to arrive, ensure that you like it, and have any necessary alterations done in time for prom. 

Finding the Best Place to Buy Prom Dresses


Selecting your dream prom dress doesn’t need to be an overwhelming task. Now that you know the best places to shop for prom dresses, you can go shopping for the big night!

Prom dress shopping can be stressful, but it can also be one of the most fun shopping trips (online or in-person) that you get to make, so have a blast! For more on how to prep for prom dress shopping, check out our guide.

Sherri Hill Blog