Prom Gown Manufacturers: Web Watch by Bill Ernst

Still looking for that perfect dress for prom? These sites have got it!

Once again, Prom time is rapidly approaching. Whether you're dreaming of going to prom or winning a pageant, the gown you choose will forever be a part of your life. Hopefully, by this point you have already begun thinking about who you might like to have for a date during the prom, and who you'll hang out with once you're there. Maybe you have already visited Pageantry's web site (www.pageantrymagazine.com) and gotten an overview of what style of gown you like. Pageantry's web site is once again displaying ALL of the gowns you see in the Pageantry Prom Shoot. When you click on the gown you like in the Pageantry photo shoot, it will take you to a page where you can get contact information for that manufacturer. The manufacturers who have their own web sites have a link on the contact page that you can "click and go" to visit their site. At some point you're going to have to settle on just one special dress... and that is where these sites come in.
As the manufacturers of the most stylish prom gowns anywhere, these web sites will give you an overview of their gown lines. They also usually include such information as style numbers, colors, and sizes. Most also provide a list of retailers from whom you can purchase the gown of your dreams because most of them do not sell directly to the public.

Alyce Designs opening page is as sleek as their gowns.

Alyce Designs www.alycedesigns.com
Alyce Designs site welcomes one with a camera face (right) that flashes "snapshots" of some of their gowns. From here you can log in as a retailer, learn more about the company, or see their fashions.
Alyce Designs produces several different lines such as bridesmaids and special occasion. A click on "Alyce Prom" takes you to the Prom line where you can view over 60 Alyce prom styles.
Once that special gown is located, you can click on "Find A Store" and put in your state to find the name, city, zip, and phone number for the store nearest you.

Attitudes by Debra
When this article was written for publication, Debra's web site has not been updated. However, since then they have posted their entire 2002 line on their site, so stop by their site to see all of Debra's latest creations. Their address is www.attitudesbydebra.com.

Because of Love www.marysbridal.com
Because of Love is what fashion manufacturer P.C. Mary's calls their line of prom gowns. You can see them by clicking on the "Gowns" button in the navigation frame. Find a store in your area by clicking on your state on the map, or call one of the number� listed for International visitors. You may request a 100-page catalog from P.C. Mary's by sending $2.00 to the address listed. Their "FAQ" button answers frequently asked questions.

Claire's Collection's web site covers many content areas; all somewhat-related to fashion.

Claire's Collection www.clairescollection.com
Claire's Collection is one of the more creative manufacturers web sites because they provide a lot of content areas all presented in interesting ways. For example, "The Dish"`area discusses the fashion industry's and celebrities reaction to the September 11th disaster. "Whites" is of course their bridal line, the "Fashion Show" flashes four gowns at a time on your screen and lets you click "continue" to have more of them pop up. The only downside to this is that it doesn't give style numbers, and there is no way to find a store in your area which might carry these beautiful gowns.
Many celebrities wear Claire's gowns. When you see Sandra Bullock, in their gown in an Academy Awards photo or Halle Berry donning a Claire's-designed wedding gown, it makes you want to own one of them all the more. Other celebs include singers Shania Twain and Aretha Franklin and pageant celebrities Julie Moran and Mary Hart.

Fashion 1001 Nights www.fashion1001nights.com
Fashion 1001 Nights by Nina Canacci has three lines: Social Occasion and Prom, Bridesmaid, and Informal Bride. The Prom area features a number of gowns all pictured in elegant settings. When you click for a closer view it tells the style number, along with pop-up menus providing the color options and size availability. This site doesn't have store listings either, so you'll have to e-mail them to find out who carries their gowns.

Both of the lines featured on the J� Matadi site are suitable for Prom.

J� Matadi www.jematadi.com
The web site for J� Matadi by fashion designer Sean Mehta features two lines: the J� Matadi Collection, the more sophisticated of the two; and the Beads Collection, the most economical. Finding a store in your area is quite easy here. Click on your state and you will receive a list with the city, store and phone number of a retailer near you. In addition, you can request a free catalog by completing the online form.

Landa Designs www.landadesigns.com
Landa's site features many lines. You may find your prom gown in their Pageant, Special Occasion, or even Fantasy areas. There are plenty of gowns to choose from in a variety of styles. You can also download a PDF version of their Cir� Prom line by clicking on the "Landa 2001 Catalog" button.
The thumbnails page is the location where they have the color and size option menus, so you get a lot of info without having to click on a larger view unless you are really interested. The "store nearest you" area only appears on the splash page and could be a little hard to find. It is in the "Please click here for a list of retailers who carry our line of fine dresses," just above where to send your $3.00 for a catalog.

Le Gala www.moncheribridals.com
Le Gala is a division of Mon Cheri Bridals. It is one of seven lines produced by that manufacturer. Mon Cheri even made this wedding gown seen on the hit TV show Friends (right).
Their Store Locator lists many stores. For example, when I chose Florida in a search, I received over 14 pages of listings, with not all stores carrying all the lines. One good thing was that if you do find a store carrying the line you like and they have a web site, there is a link provided right on the listing page. Very cool!

Completing this survey on Loralie.com's web site could win the gown of your choice!

Loralie.com www.loralie.com
Loralie.com seems to take web shopping very seriously. They should; their company name is their web site name. On their site you can actually buy prom dresses, jewelry, handbags, hair accessories, lingerie, shoes, and more. They even have a sale rack featuring reduced-priced gowns!
The look of the layout is whimsical, with a cartoon character illustrating the products and appearing on each page, and the interface is easy to navigate. The sections are broken out by product category and ordering is secure. The products are presented nicely and you can get a very close view of the garments and the texture of what you want to buy.
The site has a survey you can complete to possibly win a prom dress. (One winner chosen each month.) You can also e-mail a friend to tell them about the gown you found for yourself, or one you think might look great on them. By clicking on the "E-Mail To A Friend" button on the lower left of each item page, an e-mail form will open with the e-mail address you entered. It adds the text, for example: "Check out this prom dress that I found at Loralie.com for only $212. To view style #7705, go to (www.loralie.com/thedressyoupicked"). It seems pretty cool to be able to find out what your friends think of your dress before you order it online.

Panoply Design www.panoplydesign.com
Panoply's website has both a "Bridesmaids" and a "Cocktail and Prom" section. The gowns are presented in a thumbnail format that can then be clicked upon to show the style numbers and colors. The largest views don't go as large as some other web sites, but they give you a very good idea of what the gowns look like. The ultimate goal is to get you to go to one of their retail stores which offer services such as wardrobe consulting, dyed-to-match shoes, and invitations, among others.
The way to find a retail store is through the Panoply Store Locator which covers every U.S. State, Canada, Central America and Jamaica. It lists city, store name, phone number, and which lines are carried. A few listings even have links to the store's web site.

Party Time www.partytimeromantics.com
The Party Time site goes about things a little differently. While most other sites show many pages with thumbnails to see a larger view, Party Time's gowns are presented in a horizontal scrolling frame format. With 90+ gowns to download, it does take a while, but it doesn't slow you down too much because it is in a frame (only the first three or four dresses show at one time). You can still click on these photos for an even larger view and details about colors and sizes, etc.
The only downside is that if you choose to get more details of a gown towards the far right on the scrolling bar, and then return to see more, you find yourself all the way to the left again. Finding your way back to where you were could be made easier, however, this method does enable you to get a good view of each dress.

Precious Formals design is compact, but very useful. No waiting for images to download here.

Precious Formals www.preciousformals.com
The Precious Formals site is compact, fast-loading and easy to navigate. The store locator is among the most precise. It goes down to the city, area code, or even zip code on searches to find the store that is truly nearest to you. Precious Formals has over 30 gowns presented in its prom line. It also has a Brides and Bridesmaids line. All the gowns in the Prom line show both front and back views, because there is usually something interesting in the many types of straps or the cut. Pages also provide a closer view of fabric, and next to the views you see the fabric(s) options, available colors, sizes, and the style number.

The above sites, along with the Pageantry web site, are wonderful places to search for the gown of your dreams. A good thing to do when you visit these manufacturer's sites is print out the page of the gown you're interested in and take it to your local retail store. This printout, with the gown photo, style number, sizes, and color choices available, is a great way to ensure you get just the dress you want. Again, just print the page out, and take it to your local retail store.
Good luck in finding that special dress and have a great time wearing it at prom, your next pageant competition, or whatever other important formal occasions you attend.