Ask a shop where Aleta hangs and the answer is often two places. The label turns up on prom racks, but it is just as likely to hang in a store's fall homecoming section. Several stores file it under both menus, and the short dresses have a nickname of their own: Aleta shorts.
Prom
Long beaded gowns
- The same heavy beading as the shorts
- Most list for $350 to $700 at full price
Homecoming
The shorts
- Listed in the homecoming sections at Prom USA in Douglasville, Georgia, Breeze Bridal & Prom in Columbia, Missouri and Chique Prom in Raleigh
- Alexandra's Boutique in Massachusetts and Eighth Avenue Villager in Quincy, Illinois both call them "Aleta shorts" by name
The label describes itself as "redefining couture with luxurious styles and captivating, intricate embellishment," and says on its Instagram that it was founded in 2018 and is based in Los Angeles. In practice that means sparkle first. On a store floor Aleta often shares space with Amarra, as it does at Glitzi Prom & Pageant, The Ritz and Mia Bella Prom, and it chases the same all-over shine as Scala. A children's range shows up in pageant shops too.
Still confirming
- Who owns and runs the label
- Whether any Aleta style is cut above size 18
Aleta sizes top out at 18
Your jeans size won't tell you much here. Formal sizes run on their own scale, so try the gown on at the shop and let the stylist tell you which size to order. Between two sizes, take the bigger one and have it taken in.
Try it on first. The shop will tell you which size to order.
The runs are short. The Dress Outlet in Los Angeles offered style 1132 in 000, 00, 0 and 2 through 16, and Alexandra's Boutique in Massachusetts filters its Aleta stock from 00 to 18. We haven't found an Aleta style above 18, or a separate plus line. A fully beaded bodice leaves little seam to let out, so try it on before you order.
Younger sisters get their own range. Miss Priss in Lexington, Kentucky, stocks Aleta Children's, with style numbers that start with K.
Fringe, illusion panels and a $498 middle
On the hanger, an Aleta gown is fitted and covered. Beading and sequins run edge to edge, often with beaded fringe, sheer illusion panels, cut-outs or a high slit, and lace and trims fill in the rest. How it gets made is a retailer story, not the brand's. The Dress Outlet says every bead and sequin is applied by hand. Alexandra's Boutique says Aleta does its embellishment and embroidery in-house. Neither claim comes from Aleta itself.
The largest Aleta listing we checked, at Prom USA in Douglasville, Georgia, showed 48 styles on its first page, with a median of $498. Most long gowns there fall in one fairly tight band, with a long tail at the top:
What long Aleta gowns list for
$320Most $350 to $700$1,493
The floor is style 1106 at $320, the same price at Prom USA and Alexandra's. The ceiling is style 639 at $1,493, a single high outlier rather than the norm: 42 of Prom USA's 48 styles sit between $350 and $700. Signatures Formal in Middlesboro, Kentucky, goes lower, with three styles at $205. It doesn't label hemlines, and those are probably shorts.
Buying Aleta, and checking the seller
There's no brand retailer list to check a seller against, so the shop itself is your check. Buy where Aleta samples hang on the floor, and ask how the store orders from the label. Some boutiques say so outright. The Dress Outlet calls itself "an authorized retail outlet of the Aleta brand," and Alexandra's calls itself "a certified Aleta retailer."
Price is the other check. Aleta list prices look the same from shop to shop. Style 1090 is $688 at all three stores we compared, and styles 303, 615, 648 and 656 match between Alexandra's and Prom USA. That is an observation, not a published pricing policy, but it gives you a yardstick: an Aleta style listed far below what the boutiques charge deserves questions before you pay.
Returns and timing belong to the shop. Get the store's return terms on paper before handing over a deposit. Popular styles sell through, too. Style 1132 once sold out at The Dress Outlet and went to a waitlist for a restock. If a gown fits you right in the fitting room, don't sit on it.
The floors that carry the most Aleta
Aleta is a small label in our listings, and it leans South and Midwest. Georgia leads, with Ohio, Nebraska and Missouri next. These four shops go deepest on it:
Sophie's Event WearValdosta, Georgia
11 Aleta dresses posted across prom and homecoming
Oconee FormalWatkinsville, Georgia
Four posted Aleta prom styles, all in the $399 to $595 band
Jewel Prom & PageantLincoln, Nebraska
15 Aleta listings, mostly homecoming, with a couple tagged for pageant
OC SparkleLaguna Niguel, California
Splits Aleta Couture into its own prom, cocktail and evening collections
Questions shoppers ask
What do Aleta prom dresses cost?
Expect about $350 to $700 for a long Aleta prom gown at full price, with a median near $498 at Prom USA. A few styles climb higher, up to $1,493.
Is Aleta a homecoming label or a prom label?
Both. Plenty of shops stock the shorts for fall, and a short style such as 709 lists at $435 at Signatures Formal. If you loved an Aleta short in the fall, the long styles carry the same beading and are worth a look in spring.
Does Aleta come in plus sizes?
Not that we've found. Retailer size runs top out at 16 or 18, and no separate Aleta plus line has turned up.
Does Aleta make dresses for younger girls?
Yes, under Aleta Children's, with K style numbers. Miss Priss listed K1014 at $319 and K1020 at $298.
Where is Aleta based?
Los Angeles, according to the label's Instagram, which also gives 2018 as its founding year.