Marla Kemsey learned to sew young. After her fashion design degree she spent six years as a buyer and then a district manager before opening Chantilly Lace on University City Boulevard in Blacksburg. The store credits her with an intimate knowledge of sewing and a designer's eye, and she still oversees every gown alteration and fitting in the boutique.
1984
Marla Kemsey finishes a fashion design degree at Radford University
1990
She opens Chantilly Lace in Blacksburg
2012
Her daughter Brenna Holliman graduates and takes over as full-time boutique manager
Brenna, Marla's oldest daughter, was one year old when the shop opened and spent her grade-school years helping her mother in the boutique. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, finished her degree at Virginia Tech and worked at the shop part time while in school. The store says sales have tripled since she took over. Two generations of the same family, a sewing studio in the boutique and a prom floor out front: that is the shape of the business in Virginia's New River Valley.
Prom without the appointment
Much of the boutique's booking system is built around brides, but prom works differently. The store says it in a single line: appointments are not necessary for prom dress shopping. A student can come in after school or on a weekend, browse the racks and try on what she likes.
The prom and homecoming designers the store carries are a strong lineup for a college town:
- Sherri Hill, the label the store featured in a roundup of metallic, beaded and cut-out gowns.
- La Femme, including curvy and plus prom collections.
- Ellie Wilde and Chandalier for fashion-forward styles.
- Dave & Johnny and Faviana, both carried for prom and homecoming.
- Morilee, with its prom collections alongside the bridal ones.
That Sherri Hill roundup shows how the buyers think. The picks included a strapless metallic gown with a cut-out bodice, pleated skirt and high slit, a fully beaded fitted dress with an organza overskirt for drama, and a hot-fix fitted gown with a lace-up back. The mix runs from princess volume to sleek and edgy, which is about right for a floor that serves both Blacksburg High juniors and Virginia Tech seniors heading to a spring formal. The roundup closes by inviting readers to book a visit for a gown "that's uniquely you."
Homecoming has its own lineup, with many of the same labels in shorter cuts.
The store's greeting is written with prom in mind as much as weddings, promising the gown of your dreams or a dress "to dance the night away in at prom or homecoming." It follows with a line about how a visit should feel.
from the moment you walk in the door it is all about you.
Fittings in the building, tuxedos for the date
Chantilly Lace runs its own alterations studio inside the boutique, and the store describes in-house appointments for fit, from adjusting the bust to setting a hem to the height of your shoes. Because Marla oversees every fitting, the gown and its tailoring stay with one team in one building, a real advantage when prom is three weeks away and the hem still needs to come up.
A prom date can be outfitted here as well. Chantilly Lace bills itself as Southwest Virginia's premier source for formal wear needs, and it adds a small perk for couples who shop together.
Prom dates
Jim's Formal Wear rentals
What
Tuxedos and suits
Appointment
Not needed
Occasions
Prom, college formals and black tie events
Couples perk
A free pocket square with the prom tuxedo when the date's dress came from Chantilly Lace
For Virginia Tech students, the same shop that dressed them for high school prom can outfit them for a college formal or a black tie event a few years later.
The prom racks draw students from Blacksburg High School, Christiansburg High School, Auburn High School in Riner, Radford High School and Pulaski County High School in Dublin. Coming from Interstate 81, the store's directions send drivers up US 460 to Prices Fork Road and onto University City Boulevard, where there is parking right in front of the boutique.
Before a Chantilly Lace prom fitting
Who handles alterations on a prom gown bought at Chantilly Lace?
The boutique's own alterations studio. Fittings are booked in-house, and the studio will also consider gowns bought elsewhere, depending on its in-house schedule.
Is there a deal on a tux if my dress came from Chantilly Lace?
Yes. The store offers a free pocket square with a prom tuxedo when the date's dress was bought at Chantilly Lace.