Caleb Mathis and Caroline Puri were both recent Forsyth County high school graduates, with modeling and fashion work already behind them, when Forsyth County News profiled the store they had just opened. Its 400 Life magazine story opened on a January Monday, before the doors even unlocked, with a mother and daughter already waiting outside. The writer called that scene the start of pageant season. It also happens to be the start of prom season around here, and Flirt has been working both calendars ever since.
The shop began inside The Collection at Forsyth and has since moved to Lakeland Plaza in Cumming. Same name, same pairing of prom and pageant, new storefront.
The prom floor and the designer weekends
Flirt's own prom page describes its 2026 collection as designer prom gowns from Jovani, ASHLEYlauren and others, and the site organizes its designer menu around six labels: Ashley Lauren, Jovani, Ava Presley, Amarra, Ellie Wilde and Portia & Scarlett. That is a lineup heavy on beading, structured bodices and big skirts, which is what you would expect from a store that also dresses girls for the evening gown round. Prom styles shown on the site's 2026 page ran from about $380 to $970.
The best reason to watch the shop's events page is the late-winter run of brand weekends. For the 2026 season, Flirt posted this schedule:
| Date (2026) | Event | Booking |
|---|---|---|
| February 14 | ASHLEYlauren Couture Trunk Show | Appointment required, booked by text |
| February 14 and 16 | ASHLEYlauren Prom Shopping Event | Open shopping |
| February 21 | Jovani Couture Trunk Show, designing a dress with a Jovani representative | Appointment required, booked by text |
| February 27 and 28 | Portia & Scarlett Prom Shopping Event | Open shopping |
| March 6 and 7 | Amarra Prom Shopping Event | Open shopping |
Two of those were true couture trunk shows, where a shopper sits down with the brand and builds a gown rather than picking one off the rack. If the 2027 season follows the same pattern, February is the month to keep open. For ordinary shopping days, though, the homepage is clear: no appointment required.
Pageant racks beside the prom gowns
The pageant side is not a corner rack. The site splits it the way a competition is judged, with separate sections for evening gown, interview and fun fashion or runway, a kids pageant division, and custom and couture work for both adults and children. A contestant can build a full wardrobe here. A prom shopper benefits too, because a store that buys for the evening gown round stocks gowns with real construction, and many of them end up at a prom instead of a pageant.
Homecoming gets its own season as well. The site's banner announces that HOCO 2026 is in the store now, with a dedicated collection of shorter styles for the fall dances that come long before anyone thinks about May.
Shoppers should know the exchange rules before they buy, because the window is short. The store's in-store policy page sets it out this way.
Exchanges are permitted within 3 days, with day 1 being the date of purchase.
Only one exchange is allowed per season per account, and sale items, shoes, earrings, layaway purchases, special orders and dresses above $598 are excluded. That list also confirms that Flirt offers layaway, which helps families spread out the cost of a gown bought months ahead.
Flirt also sells through its website under a separate online policy, though for most local families the store itself is the better route.
Lakeland Plaza
In the store
- Feel the weight of a beaded bodice
- See how a color reads under real light
- Walk out with shoes from the same shop, since Flirt sells shoes as well as gowns
The website
Online policy
- Returns within three days of delivery
- Refund minus a restocking fee and shipping
- UPS only for the trip back
Lakeland Plaza draws from all of Forsyth County in north Georgia, and the county's high schools feed the racks: Forsyth Central, West Forsyth, North Forsyth, South Forsyth and East Forsyth in Cumming, Lambert in Suwanee and Denmark in Alpharetta. That many big schools in one county means the same gown can show up at two or three proms in the same spring, so it helps to ask the stylist how often a style has already gone out the door.
Shopping Flirt in Cumming
Is there an age rule for weekend shopping?
Yes. The homepage says shoppers 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult 21 or older on Saturdays and Sundays.
Can I reach the store without calling?
Flirt takes text messages at its main number and lists a manager email address for policy questions, which is handy for checking whether a particular style is in the store.