The Fort Worth store is the west side's WhatchamaCallit. Its sister is the Dallas store, where Bill Danches started the company in 1984. The pair keep identical hours, 10 to 7 Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 on Sunday, and both sit under the website's footer promise of "No Appts Needed For Prom!"
The company's Fort Worth page describes what the owners are after.
The owners want each customer to have a fairytale experience when they enter the store and have a shopping trip like no other.
That page also credits the company's stylists, at both locations, with "amazing customer service and styling techniques."
Median prom prices, label by label
Nearly every style on the company's website shows a price, so a shopper can settle on a budget before getting in the car. The online prom catalog runs to thousands of priced styles, and the median for each label sorts the twelve into clear tiers.
Primavera Couture and La Femme, both with medians around $450, are the gentlest on a budget. Jasz Couture, Amarra, Chandalier and Ashley Lauren come next, with medians in the $500s. Alyce Paris, Portia & Scarlett, Sherri Hill and Jovani fill the upper middle, from about $650 to $750. Tarik Ediz stands alone at about $1,100. Jessica Angel posts no prices at all, which makes it a question for a stylist on the floor. The company's Fort Worth page also names Morilee among its designers, though no Morilee styles appear in the online catalog, so call before counting on that line.
Medians in the $400s
Medians in the $500s
- Jasz Couture
- Amarra
- Chandalier
- Ashley Lauren
Upper middle, about $650 to $750
Top median, about $1,100
No posted prices
Medians hide the edges. La Femme has styles under $200. Sherri Hill starts around $400 and climbs past $10,000, home to the most expensive dress anywhere in the catalog, while Jovani stays in a tighter lane, from the low $300s to about $1,650. A designer roundup on the store's blog pitches Jovani as a line with gowns under $500 as well as luxury pieces, yet only about one in 25 Jovani prom styles online comes in under that mark. The same post points out that Amarra cuts its sizes from 00 all the way to 24.
New styles pull the numbers up. The newest season's prom gowns typically sit close to $700, running from under $300 to about $5,500. Count the older seasons still listed and the catalog-wide median drops just under $600.
- Under $300 Newest styles, low end
- About $700 Typical newest style
- About $5,500 Newest styles, top end
Pageant, from the interview to the crown
Prom is the core of the business, yet the company also dresses pageant contestants. The company's pageant page claims a specialty in "Pageant & Pre-Pageant Attire," covering everything "from the interview to the crown." Three labels feed the online pageant collection: Ashley Lauren, Jovani and Portia & Scarlett, with Ashley Lauren styles at the top of the listings.
A blog post on the site says walk-ins are welcome for pageant, homecoming and evening shopping as well as prom. Homecoming has its own collection, a White Collection covers any white-dress event, and the site lists jewelry by Jim Ball Designs. Bridal is a small sideline for the company, a short run of Jovani Bridal styles online.
Pageant
Pre-pageant and interview looks through the final gown
Homecoming
Its own collection, apart from prom
White Collection
Dresses for any white-dress event
Jim Ball Designs
Jewelry listed on the website
Arlington Heights, Paschal and the west side
Arlington Heights High School is a few blocks east on the same stretch of I-30. Paschal and Western Hills are close, Benbrook High School is off to the southwest, and Aledo and Weatherford are a short run in from the west on I-20 and I-30. Other Fort Worth and north Texas prom shops are on our Texas page.
For anyone already on the far side of the metroplex, the Dallas store is the company's original location, with the same walk-in rule for prom.
Fort Worth questions, answered before the drive
Which WhatchamaCallit labels cost the least?
By median price in the online prom catalog, Primavera Couture and La Femme, both in the mid $400s. La Femme, the biggest line in the catalog, also lists styles under $200.
Does the Fort Worth store help with pageant interview looks?
The company lists pre-pageant and interview attire as part of its pageant specialty, and no booking is required to shop it. Call the Fort Worth store to ask what is in stock in your size.
Is the Fort Worth store open on Sundays?
Yes, from noon until 6. On every other day of the week it opens at 10 and closes at 7.
Does the Fort Worth store stock the same dresses as the Dallas store?
The website lists one catalog for both locations and does not break stock down by store. If one style matters most, phone the Fort Worth store and ask whether it is on the rack in your size.