Antoinette learned dressmaking in Italy as a very young girl, and when she brought that trade to America, the family business began as a dressmaking and alteration shop. The retail side came later. Today Stefania's Boutique on Oaklawn Avenue is a family-owned formalwear store run by Antoinette and her daughter Stefania, and the order in which the business was built still shows: the sewing room came first, and it is still in the building.
Prom is the center of the business. The store welcomes prom walk-ins, while appointments are reserved for mothers' and social occasion gowns. Homecoming and pageant have their own collections.
A mother and daughter doing the buying
The store describes a mother-and-daughter team that hand-picks dresses from various markets, and it puts a number on the result: over 2,500 dresses in stock. For a student who wants to see a gown in her size rather than order it from a swatch, that depth is the draw. The designer list covers eighteen lines, three of them singled out by the store.
Featured by the store
The rest of the designer list
- Jovani
- Amarra
- Ava Presley
- Faviana
- Portia & Scarlett
- Primavera Couture
- Rachel Allan
- Ashley Lauren
- Scala
- Colette by Daphne
- Dave & Johnny
- Jasz Couture
- Amelia Couture
- Chandalier
- Nox Anabel
The fall homecoming racks are a useful preview. A sophomore who tries a Sherri Hill or Amarra short dress in October learns how that label's sizing runs on her before prom shopping starts in winter, which makes the bigger decision faster. Mothers dressing for a wedding are the one group asked to book: the appointment form lists mothers and special occasion gowns as its only interest and notes, in the same place, that no appointment is needed for prom. The form also asks for a budget, so the staff can pull options in range before you arrive.
Why the alterations room matters for prom
Alterations are where prom timelines tend to get tight, since nearly every long gown needs a hem and many need a bodice taken in. Stefania's keeps that work in the building, and the store describes the arrangement in one line.
All work is done by our professional on-site seamstress with the utmost quality and care.
Stefania's Boutique
The rules around that service are spelled out clearly.
Payment
Dresses must be paid in full before alterations begin.
Fees
The work carries its own separate fees.
Booking
First come, first served, by appointment.
Choice
Nobody is obligated to use the in-store seamstress; a customer is free to take the dress elsewhere.
But once a dress leaves the store, it cannot come back for alterations, so decide before you walk out with the garment bag.
For a prom shopper that sequence is simple enough. Choose the gown early in the season, pay it off, and get on the alteration calendar while there is still room on it.
Oaklawn, and the schools that shop here
Oaklawn Avenue is Route 5, the main road through the Oaklawn neighborhood of western Cranston, and Stefania's sits on it rather than in a mall. Cranston High School West is the closest large school, and Cranston High School East is across the city. Johnston High School, West Warwick High School, Coventry High School and Warwick's Toll Gate and Pilgrim high schools are all close enough for an after-school visit, and Providence families come out from the city as well. That reach covers most of Providence County, Rhode Island, plus the Kent County towns just south of Cranston.
The shop's ties to those schools go beyond selling dresses. In March 2024, WPRI's The Rhode Show featured owner Stefania Spas and reported that the boutique has continued to give back to local high schools during prom season.
Shopping prom at Stefania's in Cranston
How big is the prom selection?
Over 2,500 dresses hang in stock across prom, homecoming, pageant and evening wear, and prom shoppers can come in without an appointment to see them.
Do I have to use the store's seamstress?
No, it is optional. Keep in mind that a dress cannot be brought back for alterations once it has left the store, and that the gown must be paid in full before work starts.
Which designers does the store carry?
The store highlights Sherri Hill, Ellie Wilde and Jessica Angel among its eighteen lines.