Fashion And Family

nigeledelshain
Dec 10, 2025
5 min read

WALKING INTO GIANA Rose Couture one is immediately enthralled by the thousands of dazzling gowns, stylish clothing, and smiling faces of the owners and staff. It’s the ideal store to go to whether you’re invited to a special formal occasion or are looking for a casual outfit.

Seven years ago, Fran Adragna and Julia McCormick, a mother and daughter from Upper Makefield Township, decided to open this family-owned shop in Yardley. From the moment they debuted, they were successful with shoppers because of their hands-on customer service and impressive curated collections.

CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH

Adragna always loved fashion and dreamed of opening a dress store. She grew up in the restaurant industry with her parents and eventually married her husband who’s also in the restaurant industry. They had three daughters who shared their mother’s love of clothes and dressing up.

McCormick, the oldest daughter, had been working at a corporate job after college when one day on her lunch break, she passed a store for rent in Yardley. She immediately envisioned what the location could be and started working on a business plan for a prom dress store.

“The business plan was 30 pages long,” she says. “I did all my research on prom stores in the area and around the country, designers, brands, and all the strengths we could bring to the area. I presented it to my mom and asked her if she wanted to be business partners.”

Adragna recalls that day vividly. “Julia reached out and said, ‘Mom, remember that dream you always had? How about we do it?’ She covered all the bases in her business plan, and my husband was very supportive of it, so he helped us get it started.”

Every business needs a strong name, and McCormick had a list of potential ones with the word “rose” in them because she loves florals and rose gold. Eventually, they decided on Giana Rose Couture, named after McCormick’s youngest sister.

“I was in high school at the time, and my sister casually texted me, ‘Can I name the store after you?’” Giana Rose Adragna says. “I was very excited. I worked full-time there for a few years and still do on weekends during prom season. Every time I walk into a room, someone will say, ‘Did you know this is the Giana Rose?’ It’s really cool.”

AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS

The original idea of the joint venture was to be a small-scale prom store, so the owners ordered 50 gowns to start. When vendors asked them how many dresses they expected to sell the first year, they assumed 200. The store’s grand opening was on Oct. 31, 2018, and sales took off right away. They ended up selling 1,200 dresses.

“The community was super supportive,” McCormick says. “I remember a weekend in January 2016 that was so busy I realized we needed to hire more employees. Then we realized we needed more dresses, so we ordered 200 dresses over the phone. That’s when I noticed this was way bigger than I thought it would be.”

Wanting a larger online presence, McCormick reached out to her other sister, Ally Adragna, who graduated with a degree in photojournalism, and asked her to join the team. Together, they launched an online store and increased their social media brand to help grow their customer base.

“Ally is crucial to the store because she has her photography background, so she does all our images and social media and made the business grow exponentially,” McCormick says. “When she came on, that’s when things really started blowing up.”

Growth continued with an expansion in 2021, and eventually Fran Adragna and her husband bought the building.

DRESS-UP TIME

When it comes to selecting the styles they sell, the mother-daughter team attends runway shows and buys from sales representatives who present racks of clothing so that they can see and feel the fabrics in person.

“Since we are all very hands-on and work at the store all the time, when we go to fashion shows, we take into consideration the feedback we hear from customers—that’s always in the back of our mind,” says Ally Adragna, social media manager. “We always try to keep the clothes fun and timeless.”

Giana Rose Couture has something for everyone, including ready-to-wear options in its casual boutique section and off-the-rack dresses for last-minute events. When it comes to selecting a floor-length gown for a formal affair, such as a mother-of-the-bride or prom dress, customers must make an appointment, where they get a private dressing room and personal stylist.

“Mother of” dresses for weddings and bat and bar mitzvah collections have grown immensely at Giana Rose Couture over the past two years. For these types of gowns, the owners recommended choosing a dress six to eight months ahead of an event because production time takes longer. The store offers sizes ranging from 2 to 22—not just sample sizes—and aims to give mothers a five-star experience.

“We have people coming in and asking for ‘mother of’ dresses because they are frustrated with the selection out there that’s more matronly,” Fran Adragna says. “We’ve made it our mission to curate a youthful yet elegant and classy look where they can feel beautiful.”

For prom season, the owners say the best selection of dresses is in January, even if the dance isn’t until spring. On a typical winter weekend, their 18 fitting rooms are filled with 80 appointments on Saturdays and Sundays.

“Prom season is a rush because you get to walk around and see the girls in gorgeous dresses,” Fran Adragna says. “I love meeting the moms, I love working with the girls. If a pretty dress puts a smile on their face, it’s so satisfying.”

STYLING INTO THE FUTURE

The Adragna family’s roots are in Upper Makefield Township. McCormick loved growing up next to farmland, taking long walks and bike rides in the area, and having everyone always be so welcoming. She says their hometown was a huge customer base when they started the business, and that continues to be true today.

The family has some exciting changes ahead with McCormick expecting her first child, a girl, and Ally Adragna moving to Florida with her fiancé—she will still work remotely and possibly look into opening another location near her new hometown.

Giana Rose Couture just celebrated its seventh anniversary, which is a major milestone in the retail business that signifies longevity, resilience, and growth. “It’s bigger and better than I could have ever imagined,” Fran Adragna says.

She and McCormick are thrilled with what they have achieved so far and plan to continue to dress women for years to come.

“I have extreme gratitude,” McCormick says. “I’m so grateful for the people in this area and the community we’ve built. I love every day here.”