Introducing Simply Elegant
When you walk into Simply Elegant, it’s like walking into a wonderland of sorts. As rotating mannequins dressed in colorful gowns greet customers in restored plated-glass windows, teenage girls fall under a sort of spell as Simply Elegant employees help them choose gowns to try on.
“During prom season, we make girls feel special at Simply Elegant. We have hundreds of dresses to choose from and our staff focuses on helping each girl find what she imagined herself wearing to prom,” says Tammy McClellan, owner of Simply Elegant and nearby Simply Charmed. Part of their service is in offering merchandise from several top dress companies. “We stock dresses from designers including Maggie Sottero’s Flirt Prom line, Mori Lee, Jovani, Xcite, Nightway, LeGala and Paris by Tony Bowles, Alfred Angelo, Alyce and others,” says McClellan. Beyond prom dresses, they have a large selection of dresses that girls are buying for winter formals and women are selecting gowns for black-tie fundraising events or weddings.
Most customers bring family and friends along for prom dress shopping. At Simply Elegant, guests are treated to a complimentary candy bar where they can fill up on sugary treats to pass the time as customers try on their selections. A comfortable seating area is also provided so moms and other family members can chime in their opinions on the selected dresses.
“We’re all about entertainment at Simply Elegant, so it was a natural for us to provide the community with a free fashion show to debut our new store,” said McClellan. On Jan. 31, 47 models from Hays and 22 area communities modeled prom gowns and other dresses at the Fox Pavilion in downtown Hays. Over 180 guests attended the free show. “We had a lot of great feedback from guests at the show, the models and their families. It was really a fun time and I think the girls loved being made up for the day and getting to walk across the stage.” The fashion show was filmed by Eagle Community TV and an edited version is running as an advertisement currently on Channel 14 in Hays and in WaKeeney, Ellis, Russell, and Victoria.
Opening on Jan. 10, owner McClellan wanted to test drive the market and see if there was enough interest in the Hays community and surrounding area to support a dress store. If Simply Elegant decides to remain open past prom season, expect to see changes in the merchandise offered during the off-prom season. “I can easily see us expanding to offer all kinds of special occasion attire for dances like homecoming and possibly a contemporary mother of the bride dress selection also,” says McClellan.
“We’ve sold women’s clothing at Simply Charmed for a few years now so we would bring some of our brands over to Simply Elegant. It would be the kind of shop you visit when you want to purchase something other than a pair of jeans.” “I can see us providing dress clothing that makes women feel unique, and well put together,” adds McClellan.
Simply Elegant is located at 112 W. 11th Street, next to Café Semolino in the Downtown Hays Chestnut Street District.
