The one rule every prom shopper should know
Picture the nightmare. You find the dress in January, guard the photos all spring, and walk into the ballroom to see it on someone else. Absolute Bridal on Courtyard Drive takes that off the table. The shop registers every formal it sells to the event it is bought for, so it will not sell the same dress twice to the same prom.
That policy alone earns the shop a first visit. It is not the only reason. The shop has an owner who designs and sews, a seamstress in the building every day, and a prom collection that turns over all year. In a part of the Permian Basin of West Texas where a big-city selection usually means a long drive, that combination counts for a lot.
The prom basics, at a glance:
Prom labels
Ellie Wilde by Mon Cheri and Colette.
Sections
Long prom, short prom and plus-size prom.
New arrivals
All year, with the biggest shipment in January.
Dress registry
Every formal sold is registered to its event.
Alterations
In-store seamstress, open to garments bought elsewhere.
Walk-ins
First come, first served. Mondays are by appointment.
Ellie Wilde, Colette and a January head start
The prom floor is built around two labels the shop names on its own site. Ellie Wilde, from the Mon Cheri family, is a favorite for structured bodices, bold color and a lot of shine. Colette rounds out the rack with its own mix of long and short styles. Separate sections for plus-size and short prom dresses mean a sophomore shopping for a spring formal and a senior hunting a floor-length gown can both find a starting point.
January is the month to circle. New dresses come in throughout the year, and the shop says January brings its biggest arrival of the season. The site is also clear that inventory changes quickly and every style is available while supplies last. Put those together and the advice writes itself. Come early in the new year, try on what you like, and do not count on a dress still hanging there in March. Walk-ins are taken first come, first served, except on Mondays, which are by appointment.
The registry adds another reason to move early. Once a dress is registered to a particular prom, that style is spoken for at that event. The first girl from her school to claim it gets it.
An owner at the sewing machine
Absolute Bridal is a small shop with an unusual amount of skill behind the counter. Owner Chantilly Satterfield is also the in-house designer and custom design seamstress. She holds a degree in Apparel Design and Manufacturing and interned under Australian designer Akira Isogawa, and the shop says most days you can find her at her sewing machine.
That shows up in the alterations room. The shop has a seamstress in the store every day and a team of on-staff seamstresses behind its designer. It offers alterations to everyone, even when the garment did not come from Absolute and even when it is not bridal. For prom, that covers the usual hems and strap adjustments, and it also opens the door to bigger changes. Sleeves added to a strapless gown, a reworked neckline, a custom touch that makes a popular style feel like your own. Any dress can be customized, according to the shop.
The shop has collected some recognition along the way. Its site lists a Midland Reporter-Telegram Reader's Choice Award and media mentions in The New York Times and The Knot. The wedding features came from the bridal side, which carries gowns from Essense of Australia, Martina Liana and Eddy K. The same hands and the same standards apply to prom.
Geography works in the shop's favor. Midland High School and Midland Christian School students are right in town, and Greenwood High School families are just outside the city. Odessa sits to the west along I-20, and Permian High School and Odessa High School families can shop here as well. For them, the registry and the in-store seamstress are as good a reason to come as the dresses.
We as a store register all formals sold to any event, so no two dresses alike will be worn to the same event insuring you are always uniquely stunning at your event.
That line sits on the shop's prom page, and it states the registry rule better than any summary could.
The registry, new arrivals and outside alterations
Will anyone else at my prom have my dress?
Not one bought at Absolute Bridal. The shop registers every formal it sells to its event, so it will not sell the same dress to two people going to the same prom.
When do new prom dresses arrive?
All year, but January brings the shop's biggest shipment. Inventory changes quickly, and every style is available only while supplies last.
Will the shop alter a prom dress I bought somewhere else?
Yes. Absolute Bridal offers alterations to everyone, even on garments that did not come from the store.