Check the website before you leave the house
A lot of prom shopping starts on a phone screen, and Rubie & Jane leans into that. Its prom and homecoming pages list the styles actually in the store, and according to the shop, the website gets updated at the end of each business day. Gowns that have sold get a SOLD label. When this guide last checked, the store's online catalog held more than 500 listings across long prom, short homecoming and mothers' dresses.
For a family driving in from Diboll, Huntington or Pollok, that changes the trip. You can scroll the long-dress page on Thursday night, see that the Amarra or Sherri Hill you liked is still there, and plan Saturday around it. The store is careful to note that not every gown in stock has a photo, so there is always more on the floor than online, and it cannot promise real-time availability. For the latest word, it points shoppers to a phone call or a message on Facebook or Instagram.
The shop sits on First Street in downtown Lufkin, the county seat of Angelina County and the main shopping town for much of Deep East Texas. When the downtown streets were torn up for renovation, Rubie & Jane even posted a parking map on its site so customers could find their way in. Few shops would bother with a parking map for a construction season, and this one did.
The labels on the long and short racks
The store's prom listings are dominated by a handful of names. Amarra and Primavera carry the most styles, followed closely by Alyce Paris and Ashley Lauren. Sherri Hill has a solid run of gowns, and Portia & Scarlett, Jasz Couture and Stella Couture round out the long-dress side. On the homecoming page, Dave & Johnny joins Alyce and Ashley Lauren for the short styles.
Prom inventory begins arriving in December and homecoming inventory in August, according to the store's pages. If you are a Lufkin High or Hudson High senior with a specific look in mind, the early weeks after new stock lands give you the widest choice. Students from Central High in Pollok and Nacogdoches High make the drive too, and the nightly updates save them a wasted trip.
The same racks are not only for students. A special-occasion page carries mothers' and women's dresses from Nox Anabel and Primavera, and a ready-to-wear section covers weddings, banquets, cruises and other semi-formal events. A homecoming dress and a mother's gala dress can come off the same First Street racks.
Tuxedos for the prom date
Rubie & Jane runs a full tuxedo and suit rental counter with three formalwear houses, plus pieces to buy outright, and its tuxedo FAQ answers the questions dates always ask.
From the tuxedo FAQ
Paul Morrell Formalwear, Jim's Formal Wear and Squires Formalwear
Full rental
$185 to $240 for jacket, shirt, pants, vest, tie and shoes
Order ahead
At least three to four weeks in the fall (October and November) and spring (March through May) seasons
Single pieces
Any item rents on its own, such as a vest and tie for a date who already owns a good suit
Rental length
A weekend: pick up the week of the event once the store confirms it has arrived, return the following Tuesday, or Monday in the spring extended-hours season
To own
Jacket and pant sets through dress shoes
Matching a vest to a prom dress is much easier when the dress came from the same shop, so bring a swatch or a photo of the gown to the tux fitting.
Rubie & Jane does not do alterations in the store. Instead, it keeps a published list of local tailors and seamstresses it recommends around Lufkin and Zavalla, and it asks shoppers to bring their shoes and undergarments to the alterations appointment.
Please give your seamstress plenty of time prior to your event to finish your alterations.
That reminder comes from the store's alterations page, so line up a tailor from that list soon after you buy.
Two Rubie & Jane answers before the first try-on
Can I book an appointment to try on prom dresses?
Yes. The store's website has an online appointment request form. You can also call or message the shop to ask about a specific dress before you come in.
Does Rubie & Jane alter dresses?
No. Alterations are not done in the store, but the shop publishes a list of local tailors it recommends. Book the seamstress well before prom.