Shoppers find this label under three names: Colette by Daphne, Colette for Mon Cheri and plain Colette. All three are one prom collection. It was sold as Colette for Mon Cheri, then renamed for its designer, Daphne Hardin. The line has been in shops since at least 2019, when the brand's blog was already pulling homecoming picks from its Fall 2019 collection. Hardin says Colette is "a traditional French name" she has always loved. Style numbers start with CL under every version of the name.
That pairing is the useful way to think about Colette. Ellie Wilde is the louder sibling, heavy on stones and beading. Colette leans on fitted satins, stretch knits and bold color, with beading on roughly a third of its styles. In our listings it is concentrated in the Northeast: Pennsylvania leads, followed by New York and Massachusetts.
Two sister lines, one maker
Colette and Ellie Wilde, side by side
One maker
Sister prom lines from Mon Cheri
Colette and Ellie Wilde are the two prom lines from Mon Cheri Bridals, and retailers order both through the same Mon Cheri portal.
101 shops
Nearly every Colette shop has both
101 Colette shops in our listings also carry Ellie Wilde, so you can compare the two in one visit.
Ellie Wilde
The louder sibling
Ellie Wilde is heavy on stones and beading. It piles them on.
Colette
Sleeker and lighter
Colette leans on fitted satins, stretch knits and bold color, with beading on roughly a third of its styles.
Price
About $100 less
At a shop that posts both, the median Colette gown costs about $100 less than the median Ellie Wilde.
Colette sizes, 00 to 24 on nearly every style
Own sizing; go up between sizes
On paper, Colette sizing runs from 000 to 26. The styles themselves use a slightly shorter run. Almost all come in 00 to 24, and the rare exception is sized XXS to XXL instead.
That is good news for plus shoppers. Size 24 is the norm here, so you are not hunting for the one style that goes that far. There is no separate plus line. The bigger sizes sit inside the main collection, at the same style numbers.
One authorized retailer notes that Colette "has its own unique sizing," so your usual store size won't tell you much. Try the gown on and let the shop choose the size to order. Another shop puts it more bluntly: between sizes, "ALWAYS go a size up." A gown can be taken in. It can't be let out.
Parisian chic meets an 80s pop party
That is how the brand sums up its look. On the rack that means fitted shapes in strong colors, sequins, satins and prints. Mermaids lead the line. Fit and flare and A-line shapes come next, with a handful of ball gowns. About half the styles carry stone accents, and beading, sequins and stretch knit each turn up often.
"Sleek fitted satins, dreamy floral ball gowns, and sparkling glitter tulle."
That is one shop's description of the range. Shops also stock Colette in mikado, liquid lamé and hand-beaded fitted gowns.
Mostly under $600
Price is where Colette is easiest to like. At one large shop that posts its whole Colette range, 91% of the long gowns are tagged between $399 and $599. The median is $519 and the most common tag is $499. A few styles fall outside that band at each end.
The low end is CL5278 at $339, or $389 in larger sizes. At the top, CL6209 is $799 ($849 in larger sizes), with CL2026 at $759 and CL2065 at $735 just behind it. A second shop lists 62 Colette styles from $399 for CL5158 to $749 for CL5250.
Special orders and Colette returns
Write down the CL number of any dress you like. It lets a shop check colors and sizes on a style it doesn't have on the floor, and it lets you match a photo you saved to the right gown. Special-order timing varies by style, so ask for an arrival date in writing before you pay.
Returns are the store's call. Mon Cheri says each independently owned shop sets its own policy. Get the terms in writing before you pay a deposit.
When the next Colette season lands
Collections are named for the spring prom season and arrive the fall before. The new long gowns tend to reach the brand's collection pages by October, shown beside styles carried over from the last few seasons. Retailer listings follow the same rhythm, with new prom styles going up in October or November. Short styles for homecoming can show up much earlier, as soon as June.
Want something from the new collection rather than a holdover? Ask your shop which of its Colette styles are new this season.
Buying a Colette you can trust
Colette says its dresses "are exclusively sold through our network of authorized retail partners." Find those partners in the Colette store locator, which marks some shops as Premier Retailers. Then check any seller against that list before you pay.
The company says it "will not make alterations, corrections or changes" to a gown bought outside its network.
Going outside the network costs more than the risk of a fake. Mon Cheri warns that a dress bought from an unauthorized seller may not be authentic, and can't be returned to the company.
Shopping resale? Older Colette gowns may be listed under the earlier name, Colette for Mon Cheri, which is fine. Ask for the CL style number and compare the dress with that style's photos on the Colette site. No number usually means no way to tell.
Colette's place in the Mon Cheri family
Colette belongs to Mon Cheri Bridals, formed in July 1991 and based in Trenton, New Jersey, with founder Stephen Lang as CEO. The company says it runs more than twenty special occasion lines. Its prom shelf holds just two: Colette and Ellie Wilde. Bridal lines like Sophia Tolli and Martin Thornburg fill out the rest, along with Princesa by Ariana Vara for quinceañeras.
Colette's own range goes past long prom gowns. The brand sorts its styles into short prom, evening, pageant, Sweet 16 and wedding guest dresses as well. There is no couture, plus or bridal Colette. The brand blog makes the case for shopping in person, where you can "touch, feel, and try on the dresses."
Colette makes no celebrity or pageant claims, and we found no verified red-carpet wearers or press coverage of the line. The pageant dresses are a style category, not a sponsorship.