Prom is the one department at Roxanne's Couture that never needs a booking. Bridal runs by appointment, mothers and bridesmaids fill out a request form, but a prom shopper can simply turn up during store hours with a parent along. That open-door habit fits a boutique that has been making women and girls "the star of their events" since at least 1991, through prom, pageant and wedding seasons alike, and that now works from a showroom on Northsight Boulevard in north Scottsdale.
Labels on the prom and homecoming racks
The prom collection centers on four houses, each with a deep page of current styles online, and Jovani leads the new arrivals, with Sherri Hill and Morilee filling out the middle. Prom sizes on the site run from 000 up to 28, and the filters sort by silhouette, from fit-and-flare and mermaid to two-piece and full ballgown.
Prom collection
- Jovani
- Sherri Hill
- Morilee
- Tarik Ediz, also on the evening rack
Homecoming rack
- Scala
- Sherri Hill
Evening side
- MNM Couture
- Frascara
- Nicole Bakti
- Beker
Also named on the About page
- Wayne Clark
- Vienna
- Rachel Allan
Scala short dresses for homecoming are listed between about $360 and $480. The evening labels matter for pageant contestants and for seniors who want something that reads more gala than dance, and the About page adds exclusive, one-of-a-kind and custom-made designs that will not turn up at the next table.
Bridal is a real part of the business, with Martin Thornburg, Sophia Tolli and Demetrios gowns and Joan Calabrese flower girl dresses, and the shop's blog still remembers the day TV wedding planner David Tutera spent hours helping brides there in 2014. For prom families, the bridal side is mostly background.
What a prom visit looks like
The store's Our Story page promises to make shoppers "look and feel like a queen," and it leans hard on one-on-one service. The same page credits "superstar stylists" with giving each shopper individual attention, and it singles out a stylist named Lola for nudging ladies out of their comfort zone toward a dress they had not considered.
How a walk-in prom visit goes (a guide)
First
Arrive during regular hours with a parent or guardian, which the shop prefers for prom shoppers
Then
Tell the stylist your event, your budget and any label you already love
Next
Try silhouettes from Jovani, Sherri Hill, Morilee and Tarik Ediz side by side
Last
Decide in the store, since the shop does not take returns, exchanges or offer store credit
With no returns, bring the people whose opinion counts and settle the color before you pay. The store opens in the afternoon and closes Sundays, so check the posted hours before an after-school trip.
Pageant is the other big formal market here. The shop's contact page lists prom, pageant and weddings as the events it has dressed women and girls for, and the evening and couture labels give contestants options with more structure and sparkle than a standard prom rack. A sophomore who starts with homecoming at Roxanne's can move to a long Jovani gown for junior prom and a Tarik Ediz or MNM Couture piece for a pageant without changing shops.
The showroom's Northsight Boulevard address sits a short distance from the Loop 101, among the office and retail blocks of north Scottsdale rather than the tourist streets downtown. For families coming from the east side of the valley, that freeway access makes a weeknight trip after practice realistic.
Chaparral High School and Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale Unified and Horizon High School in Paradise Valley Unified are all in the area, and Pinnacle High School families in north Phoenix can come across on the Loop 101. Among Phoenix-area Arizona prom boutiques, its strongest cards are the walk-in policy and the depth of its Jovani selection.
The appointment page handles prom in two short lines.
No appointments are required for prom shoppers. We prefer if prom shoppers come accompanied with a parent or guardian.
Before you visit Roxanne's in Scottsdale
Which designers does Roxanne's carry for prom?
The prom collection lists Jovani, Sherri Hill, Morilee and Tarik Ediz, with Scala and Sherri Hill on the homecoming rack and Rachel Allan among the labels named on the About page.
Where is the shop now?
On Northsight Boulevard in north Scottsdale. Earlier listings placed it near Old Town, so use the current address on this page when you map the trip.
Does Roxanne's handle pageant gowns as well as prom?
Yes. Pageant is one of the three events the shop names alongside prom and weddings, and its evening and couture racks carry Tarik Ediz, MNM Couture and Frascara.