What We Wish Every Prom Dress Shopper Knew Before They Started

We have been designing prom dresses at Jovani since 1983. In that time, we have heard from thousands of customers, retailers, and parents. Some reach out to share photos from prom night. Others call because something went wrong. The happy stories are wonderful. The disasters are preventable.

This guide covers what we wish every prom dress shopper knew before they started looking. Not sales talk or generic advice you could find anywhere. Real issues we see happen again and again, and how to avoid them.

The Counterfeit Problem Is Worse Than You Think

Every prom season, we hear from girls who ordered what they thought was a Jovani dress online, only to receive something completely different. Wrong color. Cheap fabric. Falling apart at the seams. Sometimes the dress looks nothing like the photo at all. These are not manufacturing defects. These are counterfeits.

Scam websites steal photos directly from our site or from social media posts by real Jovani customers. They list the dresses at prices that seem like a bargain. The shopper places an order, waits weeks for delivery, and receives a knockoff made with materials we would never use. By then, prom is days away. There is no time to fix it.

How to Spot a Fake

If a price seems too good to be true, it is. Jovani dresses cost what they cost because of the materials and craftsmanship involved. When you see a dress that normally retails for $500 listed at $89, that is not a sale. That is a scam.

Authorized retailers price Jovani dresses within a few dollars of each other. If one store is dramatically cheaper than everywhere else, ask yourself why.

What to Check When the Dress Arrives

Every authentic Jovani dress has original tags with a barcode. Check for this immediately. The fabric should feel substantial, not flimsy. Beading should be securely attached, not glued on. Seams should be clean and even.

If anything feels off, contact the store right away. A real authorized retailer will work with you. A scam site will disappear or offer you a $6 refund.

The Safest Way to Shop

Buy from authorized retailers. These are stores that purchase directly from Jovani and are accountable for what they sell. You can find Jovani retailers in New York, authorized stores across Florida, California retailers, and stores in every state on our website.

Sizing Works Differently Than You Expect

This catches almost everyone the first time they shop for a formal dress.

Prom dresses do not use the same sizing as jeans or everyday clothes. A girl who wears a size 4 in jeans might be a size 8 in a fitted gown. This is completely normal. It does not mean anything is wrong with your body. Formal dresses are built to different specifications.

The number on the tag is meaningless. What matters is how the dress fits.

Measurements Are Everything

You need three measurements: bust, waist, and hips. Not your bra size. Not your jean size. Actual measurements taken with a tape measure by someone who knows what they are doing.

If your measurements fall into two different sizes on the chart, order the larger size. A good tailor can take a dress in. Nobody can magically add fabric that is not there.

Why Trying On Matters

Even with perfect measurements, different silhouettes fit differently. A mermaid dress hugs curves that an A-line skirt floats over. A fitted bodice feels different in jersey than it does in structured satin.

This is why visiting a store matters. When you try on a dress in person, you learn how that designer’s sizing runs on your body. If the exact dress you want is not in stock, try on something similar in the same fabric and silhouette. It will give you a much better sense of what size to order. Find a store near you to try on styles before you commit.

Never Buy a Motivation Size

We hear this story too often. A girl orders a dress one size too small because she plans to lose weight before prom. Then life happens. The weight stays. The dress does not fit. Prom is in three days.

Buy the dress that fits your body now. If you happen to lose weight, alterations can adjust the fit. But starting with a dress that is too small creates stress you do not need.

What to Bring When You Go Shopping

Walking into a store prepared makes everything easier. You will make better decisions and waste less time.

Shoes That Match Your Plan

Bring heels that are similar in height to what you plan to wear on prom night. The length of a dress looks completely different in flats than it does in four-inch heels. If you do not own heels yet, borrow some or buy an inexpensive pair just for shopping. Getting the hem right depends on knowing your actual height in the shoes you will wear.

The Right Undergarments

Wear a strapless bra or the type of undergarments you expect to wear with a formal dress. Regular bras with straps will show in most gowns and make it hard to see how the dress actually looks. If you are considering a backless or low-cut style, bring adhesive options or shapewear you might use. What you wear underneath changes how a dress fits and how confident you feel in it.

Photos of Styles You Like

Save photos on your phone before you go. Screenshots from Instagram, images from our website, anything that caught your eye. Show these to the store staff. They can either find that exact dress or pull similar options you might not have discovered on your own. This is much faster than trying to describe what you want in words.

Your Measurements Written Down

Even if the store will measure you, come in knowing your bust, waist, and hip measurements. Write them down. When you are comparing sizes across different styles, having these numbers handy speeds everything up. It also helps if you are shopping at multiple stores and want to stay consistent.

The Alteration Trap

Almost every prom dress needs some alteration. A hem. A small adjustment at the waist. This is normal and expected. What surprises people is the cost.

Why Alterations Get Expensive

Prom gowns are not simple garments. Many have multiple layers, each requiring separate hemming. Beaded dresses require the seamstress to remove beads by hand, make the alteration, then sew the beads back on. Horsehair hems and lace overlays add complexity.

A simple hem on a single-layer dress might cost $60. The same hem on a heavily beaded gown with four layers could run $200 or more. This is not the tailor overcharging. It is the reality of working with intricate formal wear.

Get the Full Picture Upfront

Before agreeing to alterations, ask the tailor to examine the entire dress and give you a complete estimate. Not just the obvious hem, but anything else they notice. Some tailors quote a low number initially, then add charges as they discover more work.

Ask specifically: Is this a fixed price, or could it go higher? What would cause it to increase?

Negotiate Smart

Some retailers offer alteration services or will include basic alterations with your purchase. Ask about this before you buy. Getting alterations bundled into the dress purchase can save money and simplify the process.

For minor fixes, consider whether you or someone you know can handle them at home. Adjusting a strap or securing a loose bead does not always require a professional. Save the tailor for structural changes.

Timing Changes Everything

We recommend starting your dress search at least six weeks before prom. Earlier is better.

Reality is messier than recommendations.

We know people wait. They wait for their budget to come together. They wait to see what their friends are considering. They wait for the holidays to pass. They wait to hit a fitness goal. By the time they start shopping, prom is a month away and everything feels rushed.

What Happens When You Wait

Popular styles sell out. Sizes become limited. If your size is not in stock, the retailer can often place a special order, but that takes time. Add two to three weeks for alterations. Now you are cutting it close.

Rush fees start appearing. Tailors charge more for quick turnarounds during prom season because they are swamped. Shipping upgrades cost extra. Stress levels go up.

Florida Shoppers Take Note

If you are shopping for prom in Florida, your timeline is even tighter. Many Florida schools hold prom in March or early April because of the heat later in the season. While shoppers in other states are just getting started in February, Florida students are already running out of time. Florida Jovani retailers understand this timeline and can help you navigate it.

The Best Time to Shop

January and February give you the widest selection and the most breathing room. New collections have arrived. Sizes are fully stocked. Tailors have availability. You can take your time finding the right dress instead of settling for whatever is left.

Shopping early also means less competition. Popular styles in popular sizes go fast. The girl who shops in January gets first pick. The girl who shops in April chooses from what remains. This is especially true for sizes at either end of the range, where inventory is naturally smaller.

If you are reading this later in the season, do not panic. Just start now and be realistic about what is available. There are always beautiful dresses. You just might need to be more flexible than someone who started earlier.

Price Red Flags

Designer prom dresses cost what they cost. The fabric, the beading, the construction, the quality control. These things have real costs. When you see prices that defy logic, something is wrong.

Too Low

A price dramatically lower than everywhere else usually means counterfeit. Or it means a previous season dress with undisclosed flaws. Or it means a bait and switch where you order one thing and receive another.

Compare prices across multiple authorized retailers. They should be similar. If one is wildly different, be suspicious.

Too High

Occasionally we see the opposite problem. A store marking up a dress well beyond reasonable retail. This is rare with authorized retailers who have agreed to pricing guidelines, but it happens.

Again, compare prices. Know what the dress should cost before you commit. Who to Contact When Something Goes Wrong

This is where a lot of confusion happens, and we want to be clear about it.

Jovani is a manufacturer. We design and produce dresses. We sell to authorized retailers. The retailer then sells to you.

When you buy a dress, your relationship is with the retailer. They inspected the dress when it arrived. They accepted it into their inventory. They sold it to you. If something is wrong, they are your first call.

Why This Matters

The retailer can examine your dress. They can see if there is a defect or if something happened during storage or shipping. They can offer solutions: exchange, repair, store credit. They know their inventory and can often fix the problem quickly.

When customers call us directly, we want to help, but we cannot do what the retailer can do. We did not sell you the dress. We do not have your purchase record. We cannot process your exchange.

What If the Retailer Will Not Help

This rarely happens with authorized retailers, but if you feel you are not getting a fair resolution, then reach out to us. We can connect with the retailer on your behalf. But start with the store. That is where your transaction happened, and that is where the solution usually is.

Check Jovani.com First

This is simple but important: our website is updated daily with new colors, new styles, and current availability. Retailer websites may not update as frequently. They might not show a color option we just added or a new style that arrived this week.

Before you assume we do not make what you are looking for, check jovani.com directly.

We also see people search for Jovani and accidentally land on other sites that sponsor the search results. They browse, do not find what they want, and conclude we do not have it. Make sure you are actually on jovani.com before you give up.

What Julie Wants You to Know

Julie DuRocher is our designer. She has been creating Jovani dresses for years and cares deeply about quality. If she could tell every shopper one thing, it would be this:

We put real effort into every dress. The beading is checked by hand. The fabric is selected for how it moves and how it photographs. The construction is examined at multiple stages before a dress leaves our facility. This is not fast fashion. This is craftsmanship.

Julie personally oversees how dresses are made. She checks on the workers, reviews their techniques, and inspects finished pieces before they ship. When beading is involved, someone examines every section to make sure stones are secure and patterns are correct. When fabric is cut, it is checked against the original design specifications. These steps take time, but they are why a Jovani dress holds up through a long night of dancing and photographs beautifully in different lighting.

She publishes guides and blog posts to help shoppers understand what they are buying. She is preparing video content to answer common questions and show the process behind the dresses. Her goal is for customers to educate themselves before making a decision, so they understand why quality matters and how to recognize it.

Julie hopes customers notice the difference when they put on the dress. But she also knows that to notice the difference, you have to experience the real thing, not a counterfeit knockoff that stole our photos.

That is why buying from authorized retailers matters. Not because we want to control where you shop. Because we want you to actually get the dress we designed.

Your Next Step

Finding your prom dress should be exciting, not stressful. The problems we described in this guide are real, but they are avoidable. Shop with authorized retailers. Use measurements instead of guessing sizes. Ask about alterations upfront. Start earlier than you think you need to.

If you are ready to start looking, find authorized Jovani retailers near you. Walk in with your measurements. Show them styles you like on your phone. Try on a few options. Ask questions. The right store will help you find a dress that makes you feel amazing on prom night.

That is what we have been working toward since 1983.