A beaded prom dress almost never fits straight off the rack. The hem drags, the straps need taking up, the bodice gapes a little. In Style Boutique on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks is set up for exactly that moment, because the shop that sells you the gown also has a seamstress who can fit it. For San Fernando Valley families, that pairing is the main reason to put this storefront on the list.
The boutique keeps its pitch short. Its homepage says it has the widest selection of formal gowns and prom dresses in the area, and it describes the stock as running from fairytale gowns to simple, sleek dresses, long and elegant or short and cute. Prom gets its own paragraph on the evening-dress page, alongside graduation dresses, custom evening gowns and designer evening gowns for anyone who wants to look like no one else at the event. Wedding dresses are on the floor too.
Alterations without a second stop
We can also do dress alterations for prom dresses and other formal gowns. We take pride in our quick turnaround time, and our work is of the best quality.
Those two sentences come from the alterations and custom tailoring page of the boutique's website, where prom is named directly. The same page says the team can handle custom tailoring, custom-made dresses and custom evening gowns. Reviews posted on the store's own site back that up from the customer side. Several mention a seamstress on site, one describes alterations finished in time to make a flight, and another credits the owner, Knarik, with talking through how to customize a dress to match what the shopper had in mind. Picking the dress and fitting the dress happen in the same room here, with people who saw you try it on.
One timing note from those reviews is useful for prom planning. A customer who came in for a formal cocktail dress learned that some styles are ordered like wedding dresses, six to eight weeks ahead. If the dress you want has to be ordered, count back from your prom date before you count on it, then leave time for the fitting after it arrives.
Who shops here from around the Valley
Sherman Oaks sits in the middle of the southern San Fernando Valley in Southern California, which puts In Style within reach of several of the biggest public high schools in Los Angeles. Students from Ulysses S. Grant High School in Valley Glen, Van Nuys High School, North Hollywood High School, Birmingham Community Charter High School in Lake Balboa and Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills all shop this stretch of Ventura Boulevard for formal season. The Ventura Freeway runs just north of the boulevard here, so the drive in from Encino, Studio City or Van Nuys is a quick one.
The store also serves the rest of the formal calendar. Reviewers on its site mention birthday dresses, an engagement party, a baptism and repeat visits for every special occasion, and one longtime customer writes of eight years of visits.
In Style Boutique, Sherman Oaks: shopper questions
Can In Style alter a prom dress I buy there?
Yes. The boutique offers alterations for prom dresses and other formal gowns, and its reviews describe a seamstress working on site.
Can the shop make a gown from scratch?
Its tailoring page lists custom-made dresses and custom evening gowns along with standard alterations, so ask about timing when you first visit.