Over 1,000 prom dresses are in stock at Dimitra Designs, and the building that holds them is large enough to make that number feel manageable. The store on North Pleasantburg Drive covers 15,000 square feet, with 47 fitting rooms, seven separate customer areas for its different divisions and an in-store runway set aside for prom and pageant. When a Greenville senior tries on her first round of gowns, the runway is the part she remembers. You get to walk the dress, not just stand in it.
The prom department sits inside a bigger formalwear business, but it has its own rules, its own registry and its own season. Peak prom traffic runs from January through April, and the store plans its floor around those months.
From a home studio to the Upstate's big formalwear stop
Dimitra Mandalas started out making custom gowns one-on-one from a studio in her home. Word of mouth built the business.
1994
The first Dimitra Designs storefront opens on South Pleasantburg Drive
1994
Mandalas acquires Brides and Beauties in Greer
2007
The store moves across town to the north end of Pleasantburg Drive, the stretch of SC 291 on Greenville's east side
The store credits Mandalas with more than 40 years in fashion design and bridal, and it says she still chooses gowns by touch, checking fabric, construction, movement and fit before a style joins the collection. The store adds that she attends markets in person to see dresses in motion.
Recognition has followed. The store lists a Diva Award for Best Retailer of the Year from AmericasMart Atlanta in 2006, and it supports Upstate high school athletics and PTSA activities through sponsorships. Families keep coming back, too. The store's testimonials include a mother who bought her own prom dress at Dimitra in 2002 and came back with her daughter for a sweet 16 dress and then a prom gown.
How prom season works on the Pleasantburg floor
Prom shopping runs on a walk-in, first come, first served basis. No appointment is needed, and the store warns that weekends get busy. On Saturdays and Sundays during peak season, each shopper gets one hour of fitting room time so the line keeps moving. A weekday visit after school is the calmer choice. The store also invites shoppers to bring trusted friends and family along.
Stock
Over 1,000 prom dresses in store, plus styles it says are sold in-store only.
Sizes
00 through 30.
Registry
Each dress registered to your school by style and color.
Layaway
A free plan with 50 percent down and up to 90 days to pay on in-stock dresses.
Alterations
In-house master seamstresses on site.
Tuxedos
Prom tuxedo rentals and sales.
The registry deserves a closer look. When a student buys a prom dress, the store logs it to her school. If a classmate wants the same style, she has to pick a different color. The earlier you shop, the more style and color combinations remain open, which is why the store pushes January and February as the best months to buy. Those months also leave time for alterations before the dance.
Alterations happen in the building. The store says the in-house team handles hemming, taking in and letting out, and it traces more than 30 years of experience across all kinds of clothing, from neckline changes to custom hemlines and added fabric. On a beaded or heavily embellished prom gown, in-house skill counts, because a hem on a sequined skirt is a very different job from a hem on plain chiffon.
Designers on the prom racks
The store features its own set of prom labels and says more than 100 other collections hang in the store, and its authorized-retailer list adds more for prom and pageant, along with quinceañera lines.
Featured for prom
Added for prom and pageant
- Jasz Couture
- Alyce Paris
- Sugar Kayne
- Aerie Couture
Quinceañera lines such as
- Princesa by Ariana Vara
- Vizcaya
For students at Greenville High School, Wade Hampton High School, J.L. Mann High School, Eastside High School in Taylors and Riverside High School in Greer, the store is a local stop, and one testimonial describes a family rushing over from Greenwood. There is also a Prom Rep Program that pays cash back to students who refer friends, and a student with a big friend group can earn something back on the season.
Bridal is the other big side of the business, with more than 1,000 wedding gowns, and the store also dresses mothers, bridesmaids, quinceañeras and debutantes. Ask about the Exclusive Dress Registration Program before you pay, since it is what keeps a gown unique at your school.
Our Exclusive Dress Registration Program ensures that every prom and pageant dress purchased from us is registered, so you’ll be the only one wearing your specific designer style at your event.
That promise comes with one condition the store spells out: the guarantee only covers dresses bought directly from Dimitra Designs. For students across the Upstate of northwestern South Carolina, it is a strong reason to buy in person on North Pleasantburg.
Prom at Dimitra Designs: Greenville shoppers ask
How far does the prom size range go?
Dimitra Designs carries prom sizes 00 through 30, and its in-house alterations team can fine-tune the fit on any size.
How does the layaway plan work for a prom dress?
Put down 50 percent on an in-stock prom dress and take up to 90 days to pay the balance, with no interest or hidden fees, according to the store.