Kotsovos claims more than 6,000 designer prom and pageant styles in the store on Montgomery Road. Another 1,000-plus homecoming and cocktail dresses sit alongside them. No appointment is needed for any of it. You sign in at the front, register your school, and start pulling gowns.
The building is in the city of Montgomery, a few minutes from I-71 and close to Sycamore High School, with Blue Ash, Kenwood, Loveland and Mason all nearby. For other shops around Cincinnati and across the state, see our Ohio prom shop guide.
A Greek furrier's store on Montgomery Road
The store's Our Story page starts in Peloponnese, Greece. Christos Kotsovos came to America in 1973. He trained for years as a master furrier and designer in New York's fashion district and went on to lead a manufacturing business. He then bought a retail store in Roselawn, outgrew it quickly, and in 1989 custom built Kotsovos in Montgomery, adding designer formalwear and bridal to the fur business. Victoria Kotsovos came to America from London in 1995, later married Christos, and joined the family business.
1973
Christos Kotsovos arrives in America from Greece
1989
Custom builds the Montgomery store after outgrowing Roselawn
1995
Victoria Kotsovos arrives from London and later joins the business
Furs still matter here. The store employs two master furriers, Christos and George, and offers cold storage, cleaning, repair and remodeling of coats. For a prom shopper, the more useful part of that history is the sewing room. By the store's account, highly specialized formalwear seamstresses work alongside the furriers.
Register your school at sign-in
Kotsovos runs a prom and homecoming registry. When you buy a dress, it goes into the registry under your event. The FAQ puts the promise carefully: staff try their best not to sell the same style in the same color to anyone attending the same prom. That means the store needs to know your school, and the FAQ reminds shoppers to register it when signing in. The homecoming page extends the same protection to fall dances.
The idea goes back to how Christos set the store up. The Our Story page states it directly.
For our prom girls, we offer the latest trends in designer gowns, and it is our promise that no two girls, attending an event, purchase the same gown in our store.
Note the fine print in both versions. The registry blocks the same style in the same color. A classmate could still buy your gown in another shade, so if a color is the point of the dress, say so at the register.
What the listed prom styles cost
The prom menu names a long list of labels: Amarra, Ashley Lauren, Ava Presley, Colette by Daphne, Ellie Wilde, Faviana, Jasz Couture, Jessica Angel, Johnathan Kayne, Jovani, JVN, La Femme, Nicki B, Portia & Scarlett, Primavera Couture and Sherri Hill. Together those designer pages list more than a thousand prom styles, marked with an "In Stock!" tag.
Sherri Hill is the deepest line, with about a quarter of them. Jessica Angel is a surprise second, ahead of La Femme and Jovani, and then come Ashley Lauren, Amarra and Portia & Scarlett, which adds a few more across its couture, evening and PS I Love You lines. Prices are posted. Entry styles start under $200, the top Jovani gowns reach close to $1,900, and most styles sit between about $425 and $625, with the typical gown close to $500.
Typical prom prices online
Under $200Most $425 to $625About $1,900
Size is one of the store's strong points. The FAQ says Kotsovos carries 000 through 30W in the store and may be able to special order other sizes. Curvy shoppers get their own prom lines on the menu: Faviana Curve, La Femme Curves and Sydney's Closet Curves. The site also has a search for in-stock dresses by size, up to three sizes at once, so you can see what fits before the drive.
Prom sizes in the store
00 to 30
- 00
- 0
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 18
- 20
- 22
- 24
- 26
- 28
- 30
The FAQ lists 000 through 30W in the store, with other sizes possibly by special order. Dashes mark a common 00 to 16 rack.
Pageant shoppers will find Primavera Couture listed for pageant, and the store also carries Jovani quinceañera gowns and a Little White Dress collection. Mothers have their own formal department, which the store claims holds the best selection in the tri-state.
Hems, corset backs and paying it off
The alterations page bills the store as Ohio's specialists in formalwear alterations. The service list covers everything a prom gown usually needs and a few things it might: hems, strap adjustments, a changed neckline, a tuck to tighten the bra area, added bra cups, straps or sleeves, a corset back, a customized bustle, pressing, and last-minute rush work. Alterations require an appointment, booked through a 24/7 online system.
The store's installment agreement spells out how a layaway works. You make scheduled payments and must pay in full before your event date. The store keeps the gown until it is paid off, and you are expected to leave enough time for alterations. If an account falls more than 10 days behind with no new arrangement, the order may be cancelled and the payments forfeited.
At purchase
Sign the installment agreement and set a payment schedule
Each payment
Stay current; more than 10 days behind can cancel the order
Before the event
Pay in full, leaving time for alterations
Gown released
All sales are final, and the store says the designers do not allow it to return merchandise. One exception applies. If you order a dress the store does not have on hand, the FAQ says you may exchange it for another gown in the store.
Before a Kotsovos prom trip
Is Kotsovos open on Sundays during prom season?
Yes. Sunday hours run 11 to 4. The store is closed Tuesdays, open 11 to 7 on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 to 6 on Friday and 10 to 6 on Saturday.
Can a girl from my school buy my exact dress there?
The registry is designed to stop a second sale of your style in your color to anyone going to the same prom. It does not cover the same gown in a different color.
Does the store close for a summer break?
Yes. The hours page has listed a closure of about a week around the Fourth of July holiday, along with major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Who does the alterations?
Seamstresses who work in the building. They handle gowns and outerwear, and the alterations team asks you to reach out if you are unsure whether a change can be done.