In most of the country a prom dress is seen in a dark gym. In Minnesota it gets announced. Both the East and West prom committees in Mankato build props for the grand march, and the dress crosses a lit stage in front of an auditorium of parents with cameras. That changes what people want out of a dress and how early they start looking for it.
Glitz Prom is the prom side of Bel Soie by Valerie’s Bridal, and it operates inside the Bel Soie building at 19463 State Hwy 22 — a highway address, not a street address, so you are watching for the building rather than counting blocks. The shop stays open year round with in-stock formal dresses in sizes 000–26, including pageant, gala and military ball gowns, and its Facebook page describes hundreds of formal dresses on the racks.
Four verified prom labels, and the nearest alternatives
Glitz carries Amarra, Clarisse, Dave & Johnny and Jovani — each of those designers lists the store on its own retailer locator. That matters more here than it would in a metro. On Jovani’s own Minnesota list, Glitz is the southern-Minnesota entry; the next stockists are The Prom Shop in Byron, outside Rochester, and shops scattered around the Twin Cities suburbs. For a family in Blue Earth County, the practical choice is this building or US-14 east and US-169 north.
Appointments hold a fitting room
This is a booking-first shop, not a browse-in shop. Reserving online holds both a shopping time and a dressing room; the store says it accommodates walk-ins when it can, but is often fully booked through the season. Off-season hours begin April 15, which tells you when the buying actually happens rather than when the dances do — area grand marches land later, with St. Peter holding its Prom/Grand March on April 24 the year the Herald covered it. If you want a Saturday in February or March, call weeks out. The prom line is its own number, (507) 995-6302, separate from the bridal number on the main listing.
The rest of the building
- Tuxedos: Jim’s Formal Wear lists Bel Soie at 19463 State Hwy 22 as its Mankato rental location, so a couple can be measured and fitted at one address on one trip.
- Beyond dresses: MankatoLIFE’s local listing has Glitz down for dresses, tuxedos, shoes and jewelry.
- Second location: Bel Soie also runs a store at 2 N Minnesota St. in downtown New Ulm — useful to know if New Ulm is the shorter drive for you, though the prom racks are the Mankato side of the business.
Getting there during prom season
The shop sits on a state highway that is under construction north of town. MnDOT is rebuilding Highway 22 from south of Blue Earth County Road 57 in Mankato to just south of the Minnesota River bridge in St. Peter, including a new roundabout at County Road 21 in Kasota. The Free Press reported the Mankato–St. Peter detour resuming April 15. Anyone coming down from Kasota, Le Center or St. Peter should check the route before a Saturday appointment; traffic off US-169 is unaffected.
The two schools that fill most of these appointments are close by and not fond of each other: Mankato West, the Scarlets, on South Riverfront Drive, and Mankato East, the Cougars, on Hoffman Road, with about 1,300 students and West as its listed rival. Add the small-town schools around them — Blue Earth County alone holds 11 cities and 23 townships, with Mankato as the regional hub — and a lot of gowns move through one set of racks in about six weeks. Ask about what has already gone to your school before you fall for a style.
Locally, the store is a known quantity rather than a rumor: KEYC brought Glitz Prom onto Kato Living for a prom fashion show segment in March 2023.