Nottinghamshire &amp; Derbyshire


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/02/sq-conscious-closet-rails.jpg" alt="sarah and lisa from conscious closet southwell look through rails of prom dresses" class="wp-image-8089" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/02/sq-conscious-closet-rails.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/02/sq-conscious-closet-rails-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/02/sq-conscious-closet-rails-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/02/sq-conscious-closet-rails-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/02/sq-conscious-closet-rails-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Tucked away above a quiet Southwell street, lies <a href="https://nottsderbyshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/conscious-closet-prom-dresses-southwell-nottinghamshire/">Conscious Closet</a>’s occasion wear and prom dress pop-up shop. Set up by style mavens Sarah Rockley and Lisa Holland, two friends who love fashion but loathe waste, the shop offers two-hour prom dress appointments to help girls find their dream dress.</p>



<p>With long careers in the fashion industry behind them, the pair have expertly curated a collection of beautiful dresses in sizes 6-16 to suit all tastes and budgets, including rental and pre-loved options.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe">THE VIBE</h2>



<p>The pop-up is in two rooms on the first floor. One room houses rails of sparkling prom dresses, the other is where the magic happens. A changing area with leather chairs, large mirror and pretty lights, the space has wooden floors, big windows and feels calm and comfortable, with plenty of room to twirl.</p>



<p>But it’s stylists Sarah and Lisa who make this place what it is. With teen daughters of their own they know how to handle self-conscious girls with fragile egos and are warm, friendly but very professional.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-styling-session">THE STYLING SESSION</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/01/conscious-closet-prom-dress-rails-3.jpg" alt="rail of prom dresses conscious closet southwell" class="wp-image-7633" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/01/conscious-closet-prom-dress-rails-3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/01/conscious-closet-prom-dress-rails-3-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/01/conscious-closet-prom-dress-rails-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/01/conscious-closet-prom-dress-rails-3-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/01/conscious-closet-prom-dress-rails-3-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/01/conscious-closet-prom-dress-rails-3-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>With one prom in the bag and a second looming this summer, I was relieved to have help with the hunt for daughter number two’s dream dress. First time around I didn’t believe the hype (‘the good dresses go by March’) and naively assumed we’d have no trouble finding an off-the-peg size 6. Er, yeah, you should probably believe the hype.</p>



<p>This time round my middle child was adamant we should start shopping early. So, interest piqued by the promise of a pre-loved bargain, we booked in for a Conscious Closet prom appointment and emailed ahead to let them know style preferences (long and full), colours that suit (blues, greens, reds) and an idea of size and, importantly, budget (you won’t be shown anything outside it).</p>



<p>After a warm greeting and cup of tea, Sarah and Lisa showed us a manageable four dresses and asked my daughter which she’d like to try first. She’s instantly drawn to an elegant forest green number. And it’s a stunner. She looks gorgeous and everyone knows it. The stylists explain why it works on her and how the style flatters; they ask her how she feels in it, but are conscious not to weigh in with strong opinions. It’s quite a start and we all feel a little bereft when it’s time to try something else.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/consecious-closet-c8greendress.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-8484" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/consecious-closet-c8greendress.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/consecious-closet-c8greendress-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/consecious-closet-c8greendress-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/consecious-closet-c8greendress-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/consecious-closet-c8greendress-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>After that the fun really starts, with the Conscious Closet girls encouraging my daughter to step out of her comfort zone and try styles, colours and fabrics she wouldn’t normally consider. There’s a racy red number (er, a bit too racy), a tight-skirted strappy one (leaves her waddling like a penguin), a full-skirted Cinderella dress (which she adores but the silver colour washes her out) and a chic French-inspired sequin gown (way too grown-up). Some are complete steals that you’d never know are pre-loved. Some are new. It’s all great fun and my daughter is clearly relaxing with each dress and having a ball.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-dress">THE DRESS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/conscious-closet-green-dress.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-8486" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/conscious-closet-green-dress.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/conscious-closet-green-dress-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/conscious-closet-green-dress-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/conscious-closet-green-dress-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/nottsderbyshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/conscious-closet-green-dress-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Eleven dresses later (phew!) and with a much clearer idea of what suits her, she is back in the original forest green satin beauty. It’s long, full-skirted with spaghetti straps and beautiful fitted bodice that fits my daughter like a glove. The green looks stunning with her auburn hair. The only snag? This one is new, so we won’t be bagging a pre-loved bargain.</p>



<p>‘We almost knew before she arrived that this was the dress for her,’ admits Sarah. ‘And once she walked in, we were sure.’</p>



<p>Turns out this pair’s instincts are almost always right. With their years of fashion experience and innate sense of taste and style, they are exactly what a wannabe teen prom queen needs in her corner.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p>Let’s ask the prom queen. ‘It was so fun and it didn’t feel like we were there two hours. I loved Sarah and Lisa and felt I could trust their advice and judgement. I love my dress (and I love that they noted down my school and won’t sell the same dress to any of my classmates!).’</p>



<p><strong>Good for: </strong>Anyone with a teenage daughter with a prom or special party on the horizon<strong>. </strong>&nbsp;A styling session will boost their confidence and make them feel a million dollars. Equally brilliant if you have a big do looming and need the perfect pre-loved, rental or (whisper it) new gown for that cruise, ball or wow wedding outfit.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:&nbsp;</strong>Girls who aren’t at least a tinsy bit open to trying new things. Although, closed minds will be opened and even wallflowers will be coaxed into enjoying Conscious Closet’s casual styling sessions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-damage">THE DAMAGE</h2>



<p>There is a £20 booking fee to cover no shows and the 2 hour private fitting experience.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.conscious-closet.co.uk/">Conscious Closet</a>, 51 King Street (above Deans Hairdressers), Southwell,  NG25 0EH.</em></p>



<p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://nottsderbyshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/lifestyle/fashion-lifestyle/tips-pick-the-perfect-prom-dress-nottinghamshire/">Top 5 tips for picking the perfect prom dress</a>.</p>


Teen dreams! How to find the perfect prom dress

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