The Clothes Tree by Deborah keeps a ledger that every over-the-mountain senior should know about. The store calls it the Gown Guarantee. Tell the staff which prom, ball or pageant you are going to, and they can tell you whether another Clothes Tree customer has already bought your gown for the same event. The services page explains how it works.
We log every dress and gown purchased from our store by individuals from the Birmingham area schools and pageants so you can avoid the embarrassment of showing up with the same gown on as someone else.
The log only covers sales from this shop, so it can't stop a classmate who bought elsewhere. It works best when you name your school and the date at the register.
Dulcie Roberts' shop, now run by Deborah and Tori
The staff page credits Dulcie Roberts as founder. Deborah Flowers Wiggins is president and owner, the Deborah in the name, and Tori Wiggins Chappell is vice president and runs social media. The store has been dressing Alabama women since at least 1968, by the site's count. A second Clothes Tree now operates in Brentwood, Tennessee, south of Nashville, with its own staff. The Birmingham store's six consultants cover merchandising, accessories, special events and inventory.
The banner across the top of every page is blunt. No appointments necessary. The Birmingham store opens Monday through Saturday from 10 to 5. Need a later slot because of practice or a game? Deborah and Tori both take after-hours appointments, and the come-see-us page lists their numbers for it.
Jovani first, then Sherri Hill
The Jovani lean shows up in the catalog. The store's online prom category runs dozens of pages deep, and Jovani is the biggest label in it, about one of every three styles. Sherri Hill is right behind. Colors Dress and Ashley Lauren come next, with a smaller run of Ava Presley. The menu also gives Jovani its own homecoming section and a Jovani Girls line for younger sisters.
That full catalog includes styles the store can order. The ones that matter for a Saturday visit carry an "In Stock!" tag, and they are a small slice of the whole, fewer than one in ten. Jovani leads that group too, with close to half of the tagged styles, ahead of Sherri Hill and Ashley Lauren. A handful of Colors Dress and Ava Presley gowns make up the rest.
Prices are posted on every style. The in-stock prom gowns start just under $300 and top out around $1,500, and most sit between about $575 and $850. Across the whole prom catalog the spread is much wider, from under $250 to close to $9,000 at the very top.
Typical in-stock prom prices online
Under $300Most about $575 to $850About $1,500
The site's search lets you filter for in-store stock by size, from 000 to 32 and 14W to 32W, which saves a trip when you only want what fits today. Treat the result as a starting point and ask a consultant what has come in since.
A Jovani couture appointment
For a girl who wants something nobody else at her prom can own, the store runs a Jovani couture appointment by request. The form asks for the event, its date and what you want to design, whether a gown, a fun fashion look or a jumpsuit. It also asks you to agree that a 25% deposit is due on the day of the couture appointment. That is a different path from pulling a gown off the rack, and it needs lead time, so start it early in the season.
Walk in
In-stock gowns
- No appointment needed, Monday to Saturday
- Jovani, Sherri Hill and Ashley Lauren on the rack
By request
Jovani couture appointment
- Design a gown, fun fashion look or jumpsuit
- 25% deposit due at the appointment
Know the store policies before you pay. Formal gowns and "After 5" pieces cannot be refunded or exchanged, special orders and sale items are final, and other items can be exchanged within 10 days with a receipt and tags attached. Garments with smoke or perfume odors can't be exchanged at all.
Fashion shows, wish lists and a wider floor
Prom is one part of a floor that also covers pageant and girls' pageant dresses, rush and formals, homecoming, sportswear, accessories and a children's section. Deborah books fashion shows and accessory demonstrations for clubs and organizations, and the store will keep a wish list so family can buy the right gift. Gift wrapping is free.
Pageant
Gowns for women and girls
Rush and formals
Dresses for college events
Fashion shows
Booked through Deborah for clubs and groups
Old Rocky Ridge Road sits over the mountain from downtown, close to Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Homewood and Hoover, with Spain Park High a little farther out. For other shops in the metro and across the state, see our guide to prom shops in Alabama.
Before a prom stop at The Clothes Tree
Will the store tell me if someone from my school bought my dress?
Yes, for sales made at The Clothes Tree. Name the event when you shop, and staff will check the gown log for your style.
Is every prom gown on the website in the Birmingham store?
No. Only the styles carrying the store's in-stock tag are on the floor, a small share of the online catalog. Everything else can be ordered.
Can I shop after 5 p.m.?
By appointment. Deborah or Tori can open the store after hours if you arrange it ahead of time.
Can I return a prom gown?
No. Formal gowns are excluded from both refunds and exchanges, so make the final call in the fitting room.