Gattinolli

Fit first, then everything else

If your prom dress needs to fit like it was made for you, start here. This family-owned shop on East Ridgewood Avenue is a tailoring house as much as a dress boutique. Its alterations page says the business has specialized in custom made dresses and alterations for more than 30 years, which puts it in the trade since at least 1996.

The homepage pitch is short: gowns, tailoring, and a personalized experience. In practice that means a prom dress here does not leave the building to be fitted. The in-house alterations team takes it in, lets it out and hems it to your measurements, and the homepage promises a fit tailored to your exact measurements. For a gown that has to survive photos, a dinner and four hours on a dance floor, that tailoring counts for a lot.

The shop also builds gowns from scratch. A banner across the top of the site asks, "Interested in a custom gown?" and the alterations page explains how it works: inspired by your ideas, sketches and images, Gattinolli will create the dress with you. If you have had a look in your head since freshman year that no designer seems to make, this is a shop that will sketch it out with you.

And you can simply walk in. The site header spells out the policy: no appointments required.

The labels on the floor

The store's site groups its designers by collection.

That prom lineup covers a lot of ground, from fitted sequins to full ball gowns, and it means a group of friends can shop together without fighting over one designer's rack. On the first page of the online prom catalog, prices run from about $450 to just over $1,700, with many choices under $1,000.

Browse the online catalog first. Its size filter runs from 000 through 30, plus 12W to 24W and an extended 18E to 24E range, and an "In Store" toggle shows which styles are physically in the shop. You can also build a wishlist. The site advises creating an account first, since that lets the consultants see your selections, so your favorites can be pulled before you arrive.

Cocktail dresses round out the racks for homecoming, winter formals and the long list of parties that follow graduation.

Ridgewood is the right setting for all of this. East Ridgewood Avenue runs through the walkable village downtown, one of the classic main streets of northern New Jersey, and a fitting here can easily turn into lunch and an afternoon in town. Ridgewood High School is the hometown school, and Glen Rock, Fair Lawn and Paramus high schools are all within a few miles. Head north and west and you reach Northern Highlands Regional in Allendale, Ramapo in Franklin Lakes and Indian Hills in Oakland, all close enough for a weekday trip after school.

One last detail sets the shop apart, and it is a generous one. Bought your dress online, at another store, or inherited it from an older sister? Gattinolli will still fit it.

Gattinolli's tailoring services are offered to all! We tailor all dresses/garments even if it was not purchased from us.

Gattinolli posts that pledge on its alterations page, and it covers prom gowns bought anywhere.

Ridgewood tailoring and prom questions

What sizes does Gattinolli's online catalog cover?

Its size filter runs from 000 through 30, plus 12W to 24W and an extended 18E to 24E range, and an "In Store" toggle shows what is hanging in the shop.

How much do alterations cost?

It depends on the work. The shop prices each job by its complexity, and tailoring quotes are only given in person, so bring the dress (and your shoes) to the shop.

Can they design a prom dress from scratch?

Yes. Custom gowns are part of the business. Bring sketches, photos or a saved image, and the team will work from your ideas to create the dress with you. Start early, since a made-to-order gown takes longer than one off the rack.