As the most wonderful night of the year approaches, you may be looking for an outfit to dazzle the night away. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite places in the Raleigh area to help you shine for a night of wonder!

Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack

The Streets of Southpoint, 6910 Fayetteville Road, Durham, NC 27713

Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack sell everything prom-related you could ever possibly name: shoes, dresses, suits, ties, jewelry, makeup, hair accessories, perfume, cologne… you name it, Nordstrom has it! In addition, Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack offer a variety of brands, which is sure to adhere to anyone’s budget. If you are looking for a less-expensive outfit, Nordstrom Rack is the way to go. Nordstrom Rack still sells on-trend apparel, accessories and shoes at an everyday savings which can be nearly 70 percent cheaper than regular prices. However, if you are looking for the most up-to-date outfits possible for prom, Nordstrom is the way to go. 

The nearest Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack is located at Southpoint Mall in Durham. While it is a longer drive compared to some of the other stores on this list – plan to have around a thirty-minute drive to get to Southpoint Mall from the Wakefield area – your shopping experience at Nordstrom is sure to be a productive one.

Men’s Wearhouse

Triangle Town Center, 3791 Sumner Blvd STE 170, Raleigh, NC 27616

Are you looking to wear a suit to prom? Men’s Wearhouse is the way to go! Men’s Wearhouse offers a variety of suit colors and styles. If you are tired of the traditional black suit and blazer, go for a more edgy look, such as a white suit or rose-colored suit. If you’re not looking to be that edgy for prom, but you still want to spice things up, try going with a colored dress shirt or tie. Men’s Wearhouse also offers printed ties with unique designs on each if that’s something you are interested in! While Men’s Wearhouse prices typically vary on the moderate to high side, you can usually find a good sale.

The nearest Men’s Wearhouse is located at Triangle Town Center, which is roughly a 15-minute drive from Wakefield High School. If you aren’t able to make it to Triangle Town Center, there are other locations nearby at Briar Creek Commons and in Durham.

Macy’s

Triangle Town Center, 3791 Sumner Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616

Crabtree Valley Mall, 4325 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612

Another one of the many great options for affordably priced prom dresses in the Raleigh area is Macy’s, located at Crabtree Valley Mall, which is approximately 30 minutes from Wakefield High School. There is also a location at 4325 Glenwood Ave St 1202, as well as one at Triangle Town Center. With their large selections and reasonable pricing, Macy’s is a good choice for picking out just the right dress, shoes, jewelry or accessories. The store also features many changing rooms to allow people to try on the dresses before purchasing, as well as accommodating staff who will help direct people who are lost or don’t know their way around the shop. 

Macy’s also has many options. They have long dresses, short dresses, jumpsuits and even suits for the guys. This way, there is something for everyone, unlike the traditional prom shops, which sell exclusively dresses. So, before you go to trendy prom-oriented dress shops, consider taking a trip down to Macy’s at Crabtree or whatever your local mall is, and you might just find the outfit of your dreams. 

Rent the Runway

Online

If you are looking to save money by renting your prom dress instead of flat-out buying it, the online clothing lessor Rent the Runway can be a great option. Rent the Runway is an online membership service that has designer clothing with memberships starting at $69, but you do not need a membership to rent items. Additionally, this online company offers a wide variety of options for dresses, making it a great choice for those with unique interests who struggle to find just the right dress at the traditional prom stores. 

Another one of the great advantages of Rent the Runway is that the low prices make it easy for people to rent multiple dresses, try them on and wear the one they like the best. Overall, despite the fact that Rent the Runway has not always been known as a place to buy prom dresses, it is a wonderful, affordable alternative that should not be overlooked.

Uptown Cheapskate Raleigh

2161 Avent Ferry Rd STE 200, Raleigh, NC 27606

Thrift Shops are a fun, cheap and a creative way to shop for prom attire. On numerous social media platforms, thrift shopping has become a trendy activity to participate in with friends. One of the good thrift shops in Raleigh called Uptown Cheapskate Raleigh, which is 13 miles from Wakefield High School. The greatest feature of thrift shopping as a whole is how low the prices are. In a store made specifically for prom dresses, a dress can cost an average of $315. However, at a typical thrift store, the dresses cost approximately $15. Thrift stores also have miscellaneous accessories and shoes to go with your dress. 

An issue that you may come upon is not finding the dress for you; luckily, you have the ability to change how the dress looks by modifying and accessorizing your dress if you want to put your creativity to use. Oftentimes, people add sparkles, rhinestones or cut a slit into dresses bought from thrift stores. Overall, thrift shopping is a luck-of-the-draw type of game. You can never be sure what you might find in the mysterious racks of clothes, but the adventure is almost always worth it.

Windsor

Crabtree Valley Mall, 4325 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612

Windsor is an affordable option with a large selection of dresses for most formal occasions. Windsor is only available in one location in Raleigh, at the Crabtree Valley Mall, 13 miles away from Wakefield High School. Typically, when shopping for prom dresses, the stores that have these types of dresses will only have these dresses in stock. The special thing about Windsor is how in addition to dresses it has all types of different items to add to your wardrobe, such as denim, leather pants, blouses, shoes, jewelry and so much more. Although Windsor has a large variety of different clothing, accessories and shoes, they are most well known for their lower-priced dresses. The dresses at Windsor can be worn to many formal occasions such as weddings, homecomings and prom. 

Another great bonus of shopping at Windsor is the employees who are always willing to help find the best fit for their customers. The sizing can be confusing during the shopping experience, which then makes having kind employees a bonus. Most of the time, the employees are young which is great because they can relate more towards the young customers shopping for prom dresses. 

Chique Prom

Triangle Town Center, 3791 Sumner Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616

Imagine every dress you can ever dream of all in one store. Chique Prom offers over 5000 dresses from all different brands and designers that are inclusive to fit everyone’s needs. Not only is there an infinite number of prom dresses, but there are also quinceanera dresses and beautiful jewelry pieces to complement every dress. A few months ago, I was searching for my perfect dress; I thought I had made the right choice but regretted it later. The owner and employees were extremely helpful and allowed me to exchange the dress. It’s consistently busy, but even with a crowd, the employees were very personable and made the girls comfortable and confident while trying on dresses.

Chique Prom is located at Triangle Town Mall near Macy’s and is about 19 minutes from Wakefield High School. This is the only Chique Prom location but it’s definitely worth the drive to get the perfect dress!

Savvi Prom

6286 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612

Savvi Prom is an adorable shop to find one-of-a-kind dresses and tuxedos. One of my favorite parts about this shop is that the tuxedos and ties are right beside the collection of dresses, that way, you can easily find outfits that perfectly collide with one another. Not only are all of the styles beautiful, but they also have a wide range of prices which is extremely helpful when trying to find the dress or tuxedo. They have a much smaller collection of dresses than bigger stores such as Chique Prom, but looking at a smaller selection can be less overwhelming and give you a better understanding of what you’re looking for. The employees were also very accommodating and made me feel beautiful in every dress I tried on. While in the fitting room, I recognized that every person that came in was showered with support and compliments from the whole staff, creating a fun and positive atmosphere.