Emily Rassias was 21 when she opened Emily’s of New York on Richmond Road in April 1982. She was a Staten Island native, backed by an entrepreneurial father, and she wanted to build the kind of boutique the island didn’t have yet. The shop started with sportswear. Customers kept asking for more.
So it grew, on a schedule an Industry Magazine profile lays out.
1990
The store doubles in size
1999
Doubles again to open a dedicated eveningwear salon
2017
Takes over 1,000 more square feet next door
The store’s own site counts four expansions in all. The eveningwear salon is where prom happens now, in a room the magazine described in grays and silver under three chandeliers, with tufted velvet seating and private fitting areas.
If you grew up in Dongan Hills or anywhere along the Richmond Road stretch, you probably already know the storefront. If you didn’t, the prom details follow.
How prom works in the evening salon
Evening wear at Emily’s is by appointment only, and the first phone call is part of the process, not a formality.
From phone call to try-on at Emily’s (a guide)
First
Phone in advance: the staff go over what you’re shopping for and any concerns, and explain their policies up front so nothing surprises you later
Then
Once you arrive, a salesperson asks about your personal style
Last
Your salesperson pulls pieces for your style, body and budget, and the try-on starts
For that style conversation, bring the screenshots. Bring the list of things you would never wear. And if you walk in with no idea at all, the store is fine with that too.
The salon covers prom, sweet sixteen, mother of the bride and groom and other formal events, with a selection of more than 100 ready-to-wear gowns. Gowns begin at $700, so this is a shop for families who have decided prom deserves a real dress. For anyone who wants something nobody else at the dance will have, the couture side lets you choose fabric, color and beadwork for a custom gown.
Evening designers the store names on its own site include:
- Jovani, which also brings its trunk show to the salon
- Tarik Ediz
- Terani
- Couture and evening names such as Kelly Chase Couture, Ysa Makino, Stephen Yearick, Paula Varsalona and Nicole & Felicia
The store hosts more than 20 trunk shows a year, each a chance to see a designer’s entire collection in one sitting. The events page posts the calendar, and trunk show visits need an appointment too. Plan around one if a specific label is on your list.
The long view of a prom customer
Prom is one night. Emily’s plans a little further out. Rassias told Industry Magazine that her team keeps track of what longtime clients like and dislike, and that the relationship tends to outlast the dance.
“It’s not a one time sale. We sell some girls their prom dresses; now we’re doing dresses for their engagement party, rehearsal dinner, shower.”
That continuity is the point of the place. In the same profile, Rassias said she keeps an expert seamstress who can do anything, because things need to be tweaked and fitted just so. Confirm fitting arrangements when you book, especially in the weeks right before prom.
The trade area is the whole island and then some. The store describes its customers as women across the tri-state area, and on the island itself that means senior classes from big public schools like Tottenville, New Dorp and Susan E. Wagner, plus the Catholic and specialized schools that run their own spring formals. Shopping here also means you can sort out a parent’s outfit, jewelry and a bag in the same building. The store’s stated goal is that you never have to step foot into a mall.
For families across Staten Island, New York, Emily’s is the long-established answer when prom calls for a gown and a stylist rather than a rack and a guess.
Booking and pricing at Emily’s
Does Emily’s take walk-ins for prom gowns?
Not for evening wear. Gowns are by appointment only, and the store wants a phone call before any visit. Sportswear and accessories shoppers should still check by phone.
What does a prom dress cost at Emily’s?
Gowns begin at $700, per the store. Custom couture gowns, built from your choice of fabric, color and beadwork, are also available.
Do card payments carry a fee?
Yes. The store accepts all forms of payment but adds a 2.95% processing fee to credit and debit card transactions.