The title on Gipper Prom's homepage reads "Prom Dress Superstore," and the numbers are big for McHenry County. The store on Pingree Road in Crystal Lake covers more than 20,000 square feet, with 30 custom-lit fitting rooms, seating for the people who come along, and more than 10,000 dresses always in stock. Every shopper gets a trained stylist. A mother and daughter own and run it, and have since at least 2011, by the site's count. Prom, homecoming, pageants and galas are the specialties.
The two seasons set the calendar. Hours are limited outside prom and homecoming, and the store's job application asks applicants whether they can work August through October and January through May.
No appointments, one stylist each
Gipper doesn't book appointments at all. Instead, the FAQ welcomes all customers to shop at their convenience. You walk in, and a stylist works your fitting room. Sizing is meant to be simple. The FAQ says dresses run true to your jean size, so give your best guess and the stylist will swap sizes as you go.
The site's in-stock search runs from size 000 to 32, with women's sizes from 14W to 32W. Check it before the trip to see what is on hand in your size.
In-stock size search
000 to 32
- 000
- 00
- 0
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 18
- 20
- 22
- 24
- 26
- 28
- 30
- 32
Misses' 000 to 32 and women's 14W to 32W, well past the 00 to 16 the dashes mark.
Because the floor is so large and the hours shrink off-season, check the FAQ page for closings before a summer or early-fall visit. The store posts updates there.
A registry that runs on the honor system
Gipper keeps an event registry. Once a dress is bought and registered, the store won't register the same style in the same color to the same event. The FAQ is clear about its limits, though. It's an honor system. If a buyer skips the registry, or changes where she is wearing the dress, the store has no control over it. Dresses bought at other stores aren't tracked, and neither are dresses ordered through the Gipper website.
So register the dress when you pay, every time, and tell friends shopping for the same dance to do the same.
Amarra, Jovani and the Gipper Exclusive rack
The prom menu is organized by label. Long gowns come from Amarra, Jovani and its JVN line, La Femme, Alyce Paris, Ashley Lauren, Ellie Wilde by Mon Cheri, Colette by Daphne, Clarisse and Clarisse Couture, Primavera and Rachel Allan. Nox Anabel and Abby Paris round out the list. Most of those houses have short homecoming and cocktail lines in the store too.
The Gipper Exclusive section holds styles sold only here. Its styles include gowns priced under $300. For a firm budget, the site keeps a Prom Under $350 collection.
The Outlet by Gipper is the other money saver. The site announced it for December 2023, in the same shopping center as the main store. Outlet dresses are listed at a markdown, and every outlet sale is final.
Main store
The full prom floor
- Gipper Exclusive styles
- A Prom Under $350 collection
Same shopping center
The Outlet by Gipper
- Announced for December 2023
- Marked-down dresses, all final sale
Tailors, final sale and the drive in
There are no alterations in the store. Gipper hands out a list of seamstresses it recommends, three in Crystal Lake and others in Huntley, McHenry, Rockford, Bloomingdale and Silver Lake, Wisconsin. Book one soon after you buy.
Everything bought in the store is final sale, with no returns or exchanges, and sale items are final too. If beading falls off or a dress has a flaw, the contact page has a form to report it with photos and ask for a replacement.
Pingree Road is on Crystal Lake's east side, and Crystal Lake South, Crystal Lake Central and Prairie Ridge are the town's high schools. Cary-Grove is a few miles east. Other stores in McHenry County and around the state are on our Illinois prom shopping page.
Gipper Prom, quick answers
How do I know which size to grab at Gipper?
Start with your jean size. A stylist will bring other sizes to the fitting room if the first one is off.
Will Gipper register a dress I ordered on its website?
No. The registry only covers dresses bought in the store, and it depends on every buyer taking part.
Where is The Outlet by Gipper?
In the same Pingree Road shopping center as the main store. Its dresses are final sale.