Ypsilon Dresses opened for the 2025 season in a new home on 700 East, at the northwest corner of 3900 South, and it brought its appointment model along. This is an appointment-based prom and pageant store. You text to book, you arrive at a set time, and a Dress Specialist works with you for about ninety minutes. The appointment costs nothing.
We love Prom and understand how important this night is--buying a prom dress should be fun, exciting, and memorable, not stressful.
Ypsilon's about page puts it that way, and the store has been working from that idea since 2010. A post on its blog marked the shop's tenth anniversary in 2020, looking back on a decade of helping clients find their dresses, their style and their confidence. The name comes from the Greek letter Y, which the store reads as the ancient Greek view of the female figure, and it calls its customer "the Ypsilon Girl."
Sherri Hill and the labels around it
The store describes itself as the largest high school dance dress store in Utah, and the leading Sherri Hill retailer on the West Coast. Its about page goes a step further and says Ypsilon is the only authorized Sherri Hill retailer in Utah and the surrounding states, which also lets it special-order any style in stock. Sherri Hill gets its own section on the website, and the store lists itself as selling only authentic, new, never-worn dresses.
The designer mix runs well past one label. Gowns from Jovani, Ashley Lauren, Mac Duggal and Johnathan Kayne show up across the online collections, which split into prom, homecoming, a modest homecoming line, couture, pageant and a "Prom Queen" edit. Sizes 00 through 18 are carried in stock.
Coverage is a category here, not a special request. Ypsilon keeps a modest collection for prom and a separate modest homecoming line, and the about page talks shoppers through the usual asks: a thicker strap, a short sleeve or a long one. For a family that wants more coverage, that rack saves a lot of back-and-forth with a tailor.
Prices are posted, which helps when a family is setting a budget before the appointment. Short dresses average around $300, starting at $100 and topping out near $600. Long dresses average around $450, from $200 up to $1,000. Pageant gowns run $500 to $3,000. For sweethearts and the more casual dances, the store points out short dresses between $50 and $200 and asks, "Why rent when you can buy for that price?" Ypsilon does not rent gowns.
Getting ready for the appointment
The appointment page lays out the prep in four steps, the kind of list a shop writes after a great many fittings.
Before the appointment
- Screenshot the styles you like so your Dress Specialist can see them when you arrive.
- Settle on a rough budget. The specialist pulls dresses to fit it.
- Bring the heels you plan to wear and the right undergarments.
- Come with hair and makeup done, and skip a fresh spray tan.
New for 2025, shoppers can browse the showroom and pick dresses themselves while their specialist searches the back stock for more in their size, style and price range. Everyone is measured on arrival to find the right size section, and the specialist handles zippers, sizing questions and color swaps in the dressing room, so the guests can stay on the couch and vote. The specialists are the part of the visit Ypsilon is proudest of; the shop says more than 1,000 of its online reviews mention the specialist who helped. The store recommends bringing one or two guests and booking Monday through Thursday, since Friday and Saturday are its busiest days.
A few policies are worth knowing before the trip.
Sales
All final, with no returns or exchanges.
Layaway
A dress can go on layaway with a deposit.
Alterations
Not done on site. The shop refers clients to tailors it trusts, and its size guide includes a video on the most common changes.
Online orders
Free shipping over $350, which helps if you find a second dress after the appointment.
The new address sits in the middle of the valley's school map. Highland and East High are north of it in the Salt Lake City district, Skyline and Olympus are up the east bench, and Cottonwood and Murray High are to the south. Pageant shoppers from across northern Utah book the same appointments and have their own collection on the site.
What Salt Lake families ask Ypsilon
Can I shop at Ypsilon without booking?
No. Appointments are required, and you book them by text message. They are free and last about ninety minutes.
Can I put a dress on hold if I can't pay in full yet?
Yes. Ypsilon offers layaway, and a deposit is required to start it.