Sizing at Annabella Boutique runs from 00 to 32, and that one fact settles a lot before anyone leaves the house. Prom gowns come in multiple colors. A Northwest Side family with a junior in a 2 and a senior cousin in a 22 can dress both girls at the same boutique.
The shop sits on Harlem Avenue between Belmont and Addison, inside M&R Plaza, along the avenue that marks Chicago's western edge on this part of the Northwest Side. It is a family owned and operated boutique that has been dressing the neighborhood since 1987, and the floor covers prom, quinceañera and sweet 16, pageant, evening and social wear, with a bridal salon alongside.
How prom shopping works here
The prom side is built around one-on-one attention rather than a self-serve rack. Consultants pull gowns, talk through silhouettes and colors, and help narrow a long list down to the one. The store asks shoppers to call to reserve bridal appointments, and a phone call before a peak-season prom visit is the surest way to find a consultant free.
The boutique's prom page opens on celebration rather than sales talk.
Prom is a special time in a young ladies life and it should be celebrated with style and glamour.
That line sums up the approach. A prom appointment at Annabella is treated as an event, not a quick errand, and the experience is built to match.
Going by the store's own descriptions, a prom shopper can count on the following.
Special orders
Styles, colors or sizes not in stock
Custom changes
Changes to a gown, made on request
Alterations
In-house seamstresses and a fitting consultant, for jobs of all magnitudes
Accessories
Finishing details for the gown
Custom changes help when a shopper loves a gown but wants a different neckline, a strap added, or a slit taken out before a school dress code comes into play. For prom, having seamstresses in house means a hem, a take-in at the waist or a bustle on a longer train can happen at the same address where the dress was bought. Build in time for that. Most proms around here land in late April and May, so February and March are the comfortable months to buy, leaving room for a fitting or two before the dance.
Who shops this stretch of Harlem
The shop pulls from both sides of the city line. Steinmetz College Prep in Belmont Cragin is close by, and Taft High School, one of the largest public high schools in the city, sits to the north. Lane Tech, the biggest of them all, draws students from across the North Side. On the suburban side, Elmwood Park High School, Ridgewood High School in Norridge and the two Leyden campuses in Franklin Park and Northlake fill in the suburban map. For anyone shopping in northeast Illinois, the full statewide picture is on the northeast Illinois and statewide prom page.
Annabella also covers the other formal milestones that tend to come before and after prom. Quinceañera and sweet 16 gowns have their own section in the shop, and the same consultants who fit prom gowns handle those as well. Pageant and evening gowns round out the formal side, so the same shop can cover a pageant stage, an after-five party and senior prom in one school year.
Sizing, fittings and Annabella's seamstresses
What sizes does Annabella Boutique carry in prom?
The store lists its prom gowns in sizes 00 to 32, in multiple colors, with special orders available.
Can I get my prom dress altered at the store?
Yes. Annabella has in-house seamstresses and a fitting consultant, and the store offers fittings and alterations of all magnitudes, plus custom changes on request.
Does Annabella carry quinceañera and sweet 16 gowns too?
Yes. Quinceañera and sweet 16 gowns have their own section in the shop, fitted by the same consultants who handle prom.