Joani's runs a banner in capital letters across the top of its website, and it sets the tone for the shop better than any summary could.
NEW ARRIVALS DAILY! LOTS OF IN STORE EXCLUSIVES! COME SEE US! No appointment needed.
That last line is the one families in this part of Macomb County notice first. Joani's Fashion Boutique is a walk-in shop. You park on Van Dyke, come through the door, and start pulling dresses. The only request on the contact page is a courteous one: if you are shopping, arrive at least half an hour before close so there is time to actually try things on.
The store calls its line of work dresses, clothing and accessories for every occasion and every budget, but prom and homecoming carry the website. The Prom & Homecoming collection runs to seventeen pages online, close to four hundred styles, and it is where most of the store's energy goes from fall through spring.
Which labels fill the prom racks
Two names dominate the catalog. Alyce Paris has the most styles posted, from simple satin columns to heavily beaded ball gowns in colors the store tags as Barbie pink, unicorn and storm cloud. Ellie Wilde is a close second, with a run of sea glass, espresso and ice blue gowns for the new season. Behind them sit Colette, Morilee and a smaller group of Blush, Rachel Allan, Colors and Luccilu pieces.
- Alyce Paris
- about 160 styles, the largest single group
- Ellie Wilde
- about 130 styles
- Colette
- about 50 styles
- Morilee
- about 40 styles, many of them ball gowns
- Blush and Rachel Allan
- a handful each
Posted prices spread wide.
Under $100
A simple satin one-shoulder dress
Around $500
Middle of the catalog
$800+
The most detailed gowns
That middle is where most Alyce Paris and Ellie Wilde full-length styles land. A homecoming shopper can do well in the lower third of the range.
The tags on those listings show where the catalog leans. Corset bodices show up on well over half of the posted styles, thigh slits on about half, and there is a solid block of mermaid gowns and Morilee and Alyce ball gowns for anyone who wants volume. Short dresses make up a smaller share, enough for homecoming or a junior who prefers to dance without a train.
Sizes on the posted listings run from 000 up to 24. Most of the stock that shows online sits in sizes 0 through 10, and the larger sizes appear on fewer styles, so a shopper who wears a 16 or above should plan on calling to ask what is hanging in her size, or on ordering a style in from the designer early enough to leave room for alterations.
The website and the shop floor do not carry quite the same stock, and the banner's point about in-store exclusives is real.
On Van Dyke
In the store
- In-store exclusives that never make it onto the website
- A trip in person shows more than the screen does
Online listings
Order from the site
- Sold-out styles are marked, so the site doubles as a rough stock check
- In-stock items ship within two to five days
- Styles from the manufacturer take longer
Who drives up Van Dyke for a gown
This is Utica Community Schools territory. Eisenhower High School is in Shelby Township itself, and Utica High School sits just south on Shelby Road. Henry Ford II and Stevenson are down in Sterling Heights, a straight run south on Van Dyke or the M-53 freeway that parallels it. Families from Romeo High School and the Washington Township side come down the same road from the north.
Joani's also keeps a section of gowns for the mothers of a wedding party, with its own clearance rack. For students, though, the reason to make the drive is the depth of the Alyce Paris and Ellie Wilde selection in Macomb County, Michigan, at a shop where nobody asks you to book a slot first.
Before you head to Joani's on Van Dyke
Will Joani's ship a dress I find online?
Yes. In-stock items ship within two to five days. Styles that have to come from the manufacturer take longer, and the store notes that it cannot control those delays.
What is the store's policy on returns and exchanges?
Joani's treats every sale as final and does not take returns or exchanges, so try the gown on in the store and check the size and length carefully before paying.