Walk up to Ladylike Boutique on the square in downtown Monticello and you will find the building split in two. Suite A is bridal, by appointment only. Suite B is prom, and the rule there is the opposite. The store's banner spells it out in capital letters: PROM/HOCO/FORMAL NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED.
That split is the most useful thing a prom shopper can know about this store. You can come after school, on a Saturday, or on a Sunday afternoon in season, and the prom floor is yours to browse without a booking. Prom, homecoming and formal shopping also runs on extended store hours, which the shop posts separately from its bridal schedule.
A deep prom bench for a small town
For a downtown boutique in a county seat of this size, the label list is long. These are the prom and short-dress collections the store lists on its own site:
- Prom: Sherri Hill, Jovani Prom, Ellie Wilde Prom, ASHLEYlauren Prom, Ava Presley Prom, Primavera Prom and Primavera Curvy, Colors Dress and Colors GLOW
- Sydney's Closet, including Johnathan Kayne by Sydney's Closet and Tease by Sydney's Closet
- Homecoming and cocktail: Ava Presley and ASHLEYlauren homecoming, Jovani Homecoming and Short & Cocktail, and Primavera Short & Cocktail
- Pageant and couture: Colors Couture, Jovani Pageant, Jovani Couture and Jovani Red Carpet
The size range is the other headline. The store describes its sizing as inclusive, and its in-stock size search runs from 000 through 32, with women's sizes from 14W to 32W. Between Primavera Curvy and Sydney's Closet, a curvy shopper has real choices here. The site also lets you filter for dresses with pockets, which is the kind of detail a seventeen-year-old notices.
The fitting room setup gets attention on the About page, too. It promises generously sized dressing rooms, three-way mirrors and staff who will gladly pull dresses for you, so you are not shuffling back and forth to the racks in a half-zipped gown.
The case for shopping close to home
Ladylike's whole pitch is that a great dress trip should not mean a long drive to the city, and the About page makes that case without hedging.
You don't have to waste your day driving to Atlanta shops anymore. You can get the full boutique experience in the convenience of your community.
The store counts shoppers from Atlanta's southside among its customers, along with its own community, and the geography backs that up. Monticello sits where several state routes meet in central Georgia, and the roads out of the square lead to Eatonton, Jackson, Madison and Milledgeville. Jasper County High School is the local public high school, and Piedmont Academy is in town as well. Putnam County High School in Eatonton, Jackson High School in Butts County and Baldwin High School in Milledgeville are all within the kind of drive families here make for a Saturday errand.
In Jasper County, the closest full prom floor may sit right on the town square.
Moms shopping for a wedding have their own collections from Mori Lee, Jovani Evenings and Colors Dress lines by Marsoni and Rina Di Montella, and the site's own title also bills the store for tux rentals, so ask in the store if your date needs one.
Shopping Suite B: quick answers
Does Ladylike keep longer hours for prom shoppers?
Yes. Prom, homecoming and formal shopping runs on extended store hours, posted separately from the bridal schedule.
How high does the in-stock size search go at Ladylike?
Up through 32 and 32W. The store describes its sizing as inclusive and carries a Primavera Curvy collection for fuller figures.