Lulu's! The only place I will online shop.

https://www.lulus.com/

We've had the best luck at Bloomingdales in Tysons

Nordstrom's, Macy's, Bloomies... I've seen prom dresses there recently. Pretty much all major department stores have prom sections right now.

David's Bridal

http://www.davidsbridal.com/dresses/all-dresses?gclid=CKaN4YeUwdMCFZI1aQodPjgHjQ&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=COuu1IiUwdMCFQs4TwodXMQAng#dbi

Lord and Taylor

Bridal boutiques often have formal gowns.

.., I meant buy online above, sorry!

i like the dress sections of saks and L&T in friendship heights. selection is usually ok. its understandable if you don't want to buy several dresses and have her try them on at home and send back the rejects- that has worked best for me.

OP here, thanks for the suggestions... does anyone know of any boutiques or stores that would have prom dresses? I'm worried about my DD not being able to try on the dress before purchasing it.

I attend a fair number of evening events where formal attire is required (job related). I hate to shop, and through trial and error I've found Dillard's to have the widest selection online. Things go on sale regularly as well. May be too matronly for a teen, but FWIW... check them out. http://www.dillards.com/

Look on eBay or Poshmark - you could find something worn once that is different than what all the girls will be wearing. Also check out some of the local consignment stores, even Lord & Taylor has a nice long gown selection.

I wish I had these sites when I was a teen. I spent $400 just to have the same dress as 20 other girls.

My daughter is a senior in high school and wants to look nice for prom, but we haven't really started looking for dresses yet (I know, we're behind). She hasn't given me a lot to go on -- "a long dress that's a little unique but not too out of the box" -- and I'm not sure where to look. Any recommendations? I've looked on Rent the Runway but she hasn't been particularly enthused by the dresses I've shown her. Her prom is in early June. Thanks in advance!