Page 2 | Handsome, hardworking dresses for the cooler weather.

Vaguelyclassical · 2026-10-18T16:21:37+00:00

I'd love to diversify my cool weather wardrobe a little. I*'m looking for dresses that hit mid calf or a bit lower but are not full length (this is non-negotiable)*; I'm a little busty so variations on v necks or bodices with buttons you can unbutton are best. Long sleeves or 3/4 length sleeves; these would be day dresses. *Very very strongly prefer a gentle A line that isn't interrupted by a waist seam*. Size 14, but tallish with the weight spread reasonably evenly. Autumn/winter weight, please. (I fantasize about the perfect needlecord dress.) Can't wear yellow/orange/brown/lime green/olive drab colours. *Strong blues, teal, dark green, dark red, dark purple, and even black especially welcome!* And I'd love to pay less than £150 (per dress, that is!). (Not asking a lot, am I? 🙂) Suggestions?

EleanorMc67 · 22/10/2026 12:54

Vaguelyclassical · 22/10/2026 12:34

Read the rest of the thread for the exciting debate about usage . . . (sigh)

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To get back to your original request, @Vaguelyclassical - are you tempted by any of the recommendations ...?!!! Or still on the lookout for the perfect combination of handsome & hardworking ...

Original poster

Vaguelyclassical · 22/10/2026 12:34

Strawberryteabag · 22/10/2026 12:14

I have to agree strange choice of word, I thought this post was going to be about her attractive, hard working DH who was annoying her because he wouldn't take his coat off on holiday! 😆

Edited

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Read the rest of the thread for the exciting debate about usage . . . (sigh)

OP posts:

Strawberryteabag · 22/10/2026 12:14

BandyUrnham · 18/10/2026 22:24

Handsome is an odd adjective to use for a dress. I'd go for a shirtwaister or pinafore in plain needlecord or twill in a fairly neutral colour. Try WOMEN'S DRESSES - Community Clothing, Toast, Finisterre, etc.
Don't rule out high street shops.

I have to agree strange choice of word, I thought this post was going to be about her attractive, hard working DH who was annoying her because he wouldn't take his coat off on holiday! 😆

EleanorMc67 · 22/10/2026 12:07

Tocsin · 22/10/2026 11:53

I can’t look at a tier. It’s always a disappointment when I spy a potentially excellent dress and then see what they’ve done to the skirt …

Even the most elegantly designed just doesn’t correspond with my idea of womanhood.

Edited

Does a flounce count?! As, by its very definition, a tier is two or more ...

Or a contrast band like the bottom of the Justine Tabak skirts?

EleanorMc67 · 22/10/2026 11:59

Vaguelyclassical · 22/10/2026 11:44

@EleanorMc67 Totally agree about the unnecessary tiers/flounces. Why are designers so scared to give us a clean line? (Or is it just that it is cheaper to assemble garments from smaller bits of fabric?)

That was certainly the case with Per Una at one point. In the early 2000s all their skirts & dresses looked like they'd been assembled out of the sweepings from a clothing factory floor ... I've always disliked the brand as a result!

Don't think it's the case with Justine Tabak - as I think it's the style she became known for. I quite like a single "flounce" at the bottom of an otherwise simple garment, especially if the jacket/jumper/footwear I pair it with gives it some edge/contrast (& I also like the much-maligned puffed sleeve worn in the same way!). But triple tiers are just too much!

Tocsin · 22/10/2026 11:53

I can’t look at a tier. It’s always a disappointment when I spy a potentially excellent dress and then see what they’ve done to the skirt …

Even the most elegantly designed just doesn’t correspond with my idea of womanhood.

Original poster

Vaguelyclassical · 22/10/2026 11:44

@EleanorMc67 Totally agree about the unnecessary tiers/flounces. Why are designers so scared to give us a clean line? (Or is it just that it is cheaper to assemble garments from smaller bits of fabric?)

OP posts:

EleanorMc67 · 22/10/2026 02:24

Tocsin · 20/10/2026 09:47

It’s funny - I keep recommending Justine Tabak because the clothes really do look excellent: well made in the UK, with a generous amount of wonderful weighty fabric, in strong colours. But they’re so far from my own style it makes me feel rather regretful. I know I would feel compelled to compliment anyone I saw wearing any of those dresses.

The dresses are often tiered, which is a bit too milk-maid for my taste. Though I love the use of Liberty fabric. I prefer her skirts - especially the really full silk or striped linen ones.

Handsome, hardworking dresses for the cooler weather.

oviraptor21 · 21/10/2026 16:50

BandyUrnham · 19/10/2026 10:13

@FlowerBin , You might love different adjectives but in this context words like handsome and delicious don't really help.

@Nosdacariad , I wasn't critiquing the OP's use of English. The English isn't perfect but it's pretty good.

They helped me.

Maybe it helps that I'm also a fan of good Victorian novels 🤷🏼‍♀️

CinderellaParker · 21/10/2026 09:45

Tocsin · 21/10/2026 09:15

I wasn’t familiar with Sahara, though I’ve seen it mentioned here often, so I had a look. And now I’m puzzled because several of their dresses resemble the things I see on the Plumo site. But the Sahara site is so unbelievably depressing. I’d never want to spend any time there looking for clothes, even if their things were my style. (They’re not, so I guess it doesn’t matter what I think anyway!)

I quite often wander around Plumo online, and - although they don’t credit the brands and designers they sell - occasionally discover new to me designers through them.

I wouldn't say I find it depressing but I can see what you mean. It doesn't help that this winter they've photographed a lot of darker colour clothes against dark backgrounds. I often find the Plumo models look awfully depressed rather than than happy to be wearing their lovely clothes. Maybe that's the trend these days?

The Sahara boutiques are nice and their staff in the Edinburgh one couldn't be nicer. I'm planning a trip next week to see if I can find something for my son's wedding in January and I know they'll be both helpful and tolerant of me trying on half the shop and dithering!

Tocsin · 21/10/2026 09:15

I wasn’t familiar with Sahara, though I’ve seen it mentioned here often, so I had a look. And now I’m puzzled because several of their dresses resemble the things I see on the Plumo site. But the Sahara site is so unbelievably depressing. I’d never want to spend any time there looking for clothes, even if their things were my style. (They’re not, so I guess it doesn’t matter what I think anyway!)

I quite often wander around Plumo online, and - although they don’t credit the brands and designers they sell - occasionally discover new to me designers through them.

CinderellaParker · 21/10/2026 08:07

This seems to meet many of your requirements. I’m considering it myself. Needlecord, right colours, pockets!

Layered Geometric Fine Cord Flared Dress

The Sahara Layered Geometric Fine Cord Flared Dress showcases a screen-printed pattern of cobalt, ultramarine, and inky blue. Pure cotton needlecord gives the geometric blocks a softly ridged texture, while gathering falls from the high waist into a fu...

https://saharalondon.com/products/layered-geometric-fine-cord-flared-dress-sahara-aw26

Tocsin · 21/10/2026 06:10

👍

Morebouncetotheounce · 21/10/2026 00:21

Tocsin · 20/10/2026 08:46

Are you familiar with Justine Tabak, @Morebouncetotheounce?

https://justinetabak.co.uk/collections/dresses

Oh, some are lovely! Thank you (eyes credit card speculatively....)

FlowerBin · 20/10/2026 20:20

EleanorMc67 · 20/10/2026 01:26

But the OP merely says that she is "a little busty"?

So she wants V-necks or necklines that can be unbuttoned. Her key requirement seems to be the overall shape of the dress - "a gentle A-line that isn't interrupted by a waist seam". Which means no fit & flare or wrap dress styles?

Like the OP I'm also tall & "a little busty", though I'm also larger than her at a size 16. And the shape of this dress - & the Kate Barton ones that the OP really likes - is one that I like rather a lot. The A-line shape of the dress below the bust skims over the waistline, stomach & hips in a neat fashion, without being overly voluminous.

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As someone with HH boobs, that blue dress is one of the few I would be happy to wear.

Original poster

Vaguelyclassical · 20/10/2026 18:19

EleanorMc67 · 20/10/2026 14:18

A Victorian English studies professor ...? 😁

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What happens in Beowulf to Virginia Woolf, stays in Beowulf to Virginia Woolf . . . . 🙂

OP posts:

Original poster

Vaguelyclassical · 20/10/2026 18:16

Arlanymor · 20/10/2026 14:16

I hope you don't think I was being rude, because I really wasn't - clothing that stands up to being outdoors in all weathers is different to that which you'd wear for a hard day at work in usual office attire. It was a genuine question.

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Oh I totally understand!

OP posts:

Tulipvase · 20/10/2026 17:05

HeinousBeaker · 20/10/2026 14:10

I have precisely this issue. I’m not particularly busty but I don’t think anybody needs to see my bra and I don’t always want something underneath. I don’t know if it is because I am short and they cut for a longer body but It’s a shame because I like their styles.

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I too am short, so this may explain it.

EleanorMc67 · 20/10/2026 14:18

Vaguelyclassical · 20/10/2026 14:13

If I dared to reveal my actual profession, I would increase the irony level on this thread exponentially.

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A Victorian English studies professor ...? 😁

Arlanymor · 20/10/2026 14:16

Vaguelyclassical · 20/10/2026 14:13

If I dared to reveal my actual profession, I would increase the irony level on this thread exponentially.

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I hope you don't think I was being rude, because I really wasn't - clothing that stands up to being outdoors in all weathers is different to that which you'd wear for a hard day at work in usual office attire. It was a genuine question.

Original poster

Vaguelyclassical · 20/10/2026 14:13

EleanorMc67 · 20/10/2026 13:49

Agree that someone might want clarification on that - though having a "hardworking" item in your wardrobe is fairly common parlance too. It was the turn it took after that, implying that the OP's use of English was sub-standard (when it's anything but) that was rather unpleasant.

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If I dared to reveal my actual profession, I would increase the irony level on this thread exponentially.

OP posts:

HeinousBeaker · 20/10/2026 14:10

Tulipvase · 19/10/2026 19:24

I also like nobody’s child dresses but I do find them a bit too booby for my liking. But I work in a school so am possibly over cautious.

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I have precisely this issue. I’m not particularly busty but I don’t think anybody needs to see my bra and I don’t always want something underneath. I don’t know if it is because I am short and they cut for a longer body but It’s a shame because I like their styles.

Arlanymor · 20/10/2026 14:01

EleanorMc67 · 20/10/2026 14:01

Likewise! I have to go on a site visit this afternoon to a nearby garden - & it's peeing it down here! And then catch the train to Glasgow to see Ezra Furman play - so I think it might be a hardwearing AND hardworking Bryn dress with chunky boots that covers both requirements!

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Totally! I completely empathise!

EleanorMc67 · 20/10/2026 14:01

Arlanymor · 20/10/2026 13:50

Totally agree that was unpleasant. I work outside often in my role, hence my asking the question! And sometimes I have to be in dresses!

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Likewise! I have to go on a site visit this afternoon to a nearby garden - & it's peeing it down here! And then catch the train to Glasgow to see Ezra Furman play - so I think it might be a hardwearing AND hardworking Bryn dress with chunky boots that covers both requirements!

EleanorMc67 · 20/10/2026 13:58

@Vaguelyclassical - if you tried & liked the Bryn dress from Toast (though try on in store/order, so you're able to return if it doesn't fit/suit), then you could look for older versions in your colours online? Though they do tend to be patterned rather than plain ... not always floral though, often geometric. Some of the brighter/cooler older colourways attached ... I have the blue & cream leaf one, which is a viscose crepe & easy to layer in cooler weather.