School proms 2025: Behind the scenes at the West Sussex store that dresses hundreds of teens

For most of that time, the business has been based at 3 High Street, Worthing, having moved in there from 7 High Street, five years after the shop was set up in 1987. A staple of the Worthing retail scene, known by many residents for its stunning window displays, the store is named after founder Carolyn Keyes.

Carolyn retired a few years ago, and long-standing staff member Vicki Bowyer took the business on as the new owner, assisted by manager Zowie Abbott.

Each and every year they sell and hire dresses to around 400 girls from around 40 different high schools. Their goal is simple, to make each and every girl look and feel fabulous.

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Vicki said: “We have such a range of stock, we are full to bursting, because we love having a range of different styles. We don’t just have traditional, princess prom dresses, we have something for alternative girls, girls who want to wear Converse or quieter girls who want something more muted. It’s not always about the sparkle. We want everyone to feel great and comfortable.”

Unlike in some previous years, Vicki said there weren’t any particular trends for 2025. She said her customers had been choosing an ‘even split’ of colours, and a wide range of styles and fabrics. In years gone buy, colours like royal blue and emerald green have been popular.

Only one of each dress design can go to each school. Carolyn and Zowie make sure of it, by keeping meticulous records of what is being hired, to who and which school they attend. You won’t even see the same dress in a different colour at the same school prom if it has come from Carolyn Keyes. Vicki and Zowie want to make sure every girl feels special, and by making sure dresses aren’t repeated they can try to make sure each girl looks unique.

They said: "People come in and can think they want one thing, and they try things on and they want something completely different.

"If people don’t have an idea of what they want, I suggest they have a look around, and there are usually styles, colours, shapes they don’t want and we start from there.

"I say to go with their gut, and we make suggestions. I usually throw in a wild card, just to see, and we build up a picture of what they like.”

To make sure the experience is special for all their customers, Vicki and Zowie prefer to do 1:1 appointments, and ask that a parent or carer accompanies any girl who is shopping for a prom dress.

That way, they can make sure their focus isn’t split between too many customers and by having a parent there they stay within budget.

Girls can hire a dress from £110, or if they choose to buy the prices start from £295. The shop has a range of about 450 dresses on the racks, with more out the back, so there is something for everyone.

Vicki added the experience of choosing a prom dress can be an emotional one: “I think leaving school is a big deal. The prom celebrates the end of an era, the end of a chapter. A lot of mums get quite teary, as it’s often the first time they see their daughter in a dress like this. And they’re seeing them as a young woman. They’re growing up into a young woman’s figure, and it’s a big change from the leggings and jumpers they often wear. There’s that moment of realisation for parents where the see their little girl isn’t a little girl any more.”

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Vicki and Zowie said they only buy the best-quality dresses from their trusted suppliers. They stock dresses from size 0 to 26, and are careful to pick a range of styles. They also do adjustments on all their dresses on site, as well as provide a cleaning service for hire dresses.

They display them, on rotation, in their famed window displays, which change weekly and reflect themes based on the time of year. When I visited this week, the red, white and blue display marked the VE Day celebrations.

Thankfully, the displays are set to stay, as the business has just signed a new 10-year lease. Its future was cast into doubt a few years ago when plans were submitted for a new creative hub on the site of the shop. But these have since been reduced, and the shop can carry on as normal.

As well as the prom market, Carolyn Keyes provides gorgeous dresses for women of all ages for formal events, holidays, parties and more.

For more information, and to book an appointment, see https://carolynkeyes.co.uk/