Most Main Line seniors walk into a prom appointment already knowing a name or two. Sherri Hill, usually. Maybe Jovani because a cousin wore one. At Formals XO Prussia, the upper-level shop inside King of Prussia Mall, that is a fine place to start, because the prom menu on the company's site runs to more than twenty lines.
Start with the designer list
It is a good idea to know roughly what each label does before your hour in the fitting room. A quick field guide, built from the designers the store itself lists:
- Sherri Hill
- The anchor of the floor. The site gives it its own collections menu, and most of the featured gowns on the homepage carry her name.
- Jovani and Portia & Scarlett
- The high-glam end. Portia & Scarlett shows up four times on the menu, split into couture, evening, pageant and prom lines.
- Faviana and Primavera
- Both come with dedicated plus-size lines on the site, Faviana Curves and Primavera Curvy Plus.
- Amarra, Ava Presley and Jasz Couture
- Trend-driven prom labels that also turn up in the homecoming section, useful if you are shopping both dances.
- La Femme, Scala and Alyce Paris
- Evening-leaning lines with long and short options for prom and semi-formal.
- Formals XO Exclusives
- The store's own exclusive styles, in long and short versions.
Johnathan Kayne, Ellie Wilde, Ashley Lauren, Jessica Angel, Stella and Colors Dress round out the prom list. On the quinceañera and sweet 16 side, the store lists House of Wu, Princesa and Morilee's Vizcaya line, plus ball gowns from Portia & Scarlett.
With a list this long, you don't need to arrive loyal to one label. Tell the stylist the look you want, sleek satin or full sparkle, fitted or ball gown, and let them pull across designers.
What the appointment hour looks like
Formals XO is appointment-based, and the King of Prussia store is marked appointment required on the site. Sizes run from 000 to 24W. The company's price range for prom runs from about $275 to $2,000, and many of the gowns are described as exclusive or limited-run.
How the appointment hour runs (a guide)
First
Book an appointment
Then
Pick your first five to seven styles
Last
The stylists pull from there, guided by your body type and the kind of event
Two rules apply to every prom visit. Prom and homecoming shoppers have to come with a parent or guardian over 25. And nothing to eat or drink comes inside, which the homepage puts in its own particular way:
Consume your morning coffee before entering the store. We have a no food/drink policy in our store for all guests.
It sounds fussy until you remember that a single spill can ruin a beaded bodice. The store says as much: even water can destroy a dress.
Planning matters too. The store recommends shopping three to six months out, and the sales policy says special orders can take three to six months to arrive. A Conestoga or Lower Merion senior with an early May prom who wants a specific color should be in a fitting room by winter, not spring break.
All sales are final, so decide in the fitting room, with your parent there, before anything gets rung up.
Who comes to the King of Prussia store
The company describes this location as serving Philadelphia and the Main Line, and that matches the map. Upper Merion Area High School serves King of Prussia itself. Radnor, Lower Merion and Harriton high schools lie to the east along the Main Line. Conestoga, in Berwyn, is just to the west, and Norristown Area High School sits just across the Schuylkill. The mall itself is the obvious meeting point for southeastern Pennsylvania families. Montgomery, Chester and Delaware counties all feed into it, and a prom appointment can share a Saturday with everything else on a family's list.
Formals XO also runs a second store in Bucks County, Formals XO Langhorne at Oxford Valley Mall. Each store keeps its own appointment calendar, which helps when a February weekend books up at one of them.
Questions about Formals XO Prussia
Can I just walk in?
You can browse anytime, but trying on requires an appointment. The FAQ says walk-ins are sometimes seen when a room is free, but you shouldn't count on that in prom season.
Does an 18-year-old still need a parent along?
The site requires every prom and homecoming shopper to be accompanied by a parent or guardian over 25, because the gowns are delicate and may need help getting on.
Are there plus sizes on the floor?
Yes. The store carries sizes up to 24W and lists dedicated plus lines from Faviana and Primavera.