xmas party dress help

[chibi]

can anyone help me find a party dress

i am 36, 5'7 size 10 in monsoon/wallis, 12 in gap, 12-14 in zara if that's helpful

i have dark hair/eyes and olive skin

i want a dress that will make me look va va voom, chic and mega hott

i want to also not look like bet lynch on the prowl/a rabid cougar/she looks good considering her age

also not too too expensive please

It sounds like the world is your oyster! The rule is that if the legs are on show/short skirt, keep your top covered, and if your showing off cleavage or shoulders, make sure your legs are covered, so it's an either/or.

I'd have a prowl through TK Maxx. Grab dresses you wouldn't normally go for and take a patient and honest friend, and a pair of heels, with you.

Metallic

Here

LBD

Thank you both of you.

i think i am finding it hard to find anything appropriate because of my age - i want to be a total sex bomb but i gues decorous, my isn't she well preserved considering is the best i can do

it is probably silly anyway, i am an old married bag, it's not like i am going on the pull fge

i really really wish i had had this confidence when i was young and could get away with it. hey ho.

We WILL find you that dress! Clearly nothing so far is rocking your world, so...

What build are you?

What length do you want?

Sleeves/sleeveless?

Absolute maximum budget?

Colours?

Ok build

not an apple or hourglass or pear really, in proportion i guess.34b bra. I have a waist. I have a slightly rounded tum. Good slim legs.

I have good arms, any length of sleeve is ok

Budget: given that this outfit will probs only be worn once, it needs to be at the el cheapo end

i don't trust myself, at one point i was considering leather look skinnies, big fuckoff heels and some kind of glittery vest

I am for sure having a midlife crisis but i don't want to advertise it iyswim

I never get to dress up when i go out- it is usually nights out to the pub/cinema with chums or dh

I feel like at 36 this is my last chance as it were, i want to look amazing

chibi - I am 41. I would wear any of the dresses the goddess of fashion Tethersend linked to. The black one in particular is va-va-voom without being OTT, in fact I think it's a little safe whilst still being knock out.

40 is the new 30 is the new 20.

If you're really worried, the best thing you can do on the day is probably to go and get your hair styled so that it is looking like something out of a hair advert, all glossy and lush. Bobbi Brown cosmetics also do free lessons, one of which is tricks on how to look younger, so try and get something in on the same day and you're all set.

Good foundation wear gets more important as we get older, so it is probably worth investing in either a corset if your budget can stretch that far, or some really good hold-it-all-in spanx type knickers.

The outfit you described (skinnies, heels, top) is something I would still wear clubbing, and I've got 5 years on you.

You're only 36!

LOVE the idea of leather...

Oasis

If it's for a one-off wear, you could hire something designer?

I don't like too a high a neckline. I don't need to show cleavage, but if the neckline is high i'd rather a slash or boatneck.

I would be a gibbering unrelaxed wreck if i had to hire a dress that cost more than my mortgage full whack

i am some kind of picky woman, thanks for taking the time to help me anyway

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

I like the hybrid dresses the best, but they seem not quite party enough, the bow one looks like a dress i wear to work

I think i am having a disconnect. when i look at the dresses, they are all nice, but they say middle aged woman scrubbing up well. my disconnect is realising that i am that middle aged woman. barf.

i am going to be the middle aged woman in a jewel toned frock a bit squiffy on spritzers, on the dance floor screeching with my mates as the dj from the mobile disco plays oops up.

actually now that i have written that out it sounds fun

Ok, will up budget change tack:

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

chibi - you need to remove the equation in your head that says middle aged = sensible shoes and a nice dress from Kays Catalogue.

There really is no such thing as 'middle aged' these days.

You are still a beautiful, sexy, attractive woman. There is absolutely no reason why you can't wear a killer dress and be the most gorgeous woman at the party. You are at a point where you have the best of both worlds - still young enough to get away with it, but at a point where you have the confidence to shine.

tethersend please stop it because you are going to cost me a lot of money!

i love the helmut lang dress but it is waaaay too expensive

crap

i should google images of kate winslet. I look NOTHING like her but she is my age, we have a similar figure and she is pretty hot stuff period, not hot for her age iyswim

Hi chibi,
Have you seen the Gok Wan LBD @ Sainsburys? £45 with the hold it all in stuff already in it! Def. worth taking a look, I got one for a do I'm going to. Think it'll probably need jazzing up a bit though with a bit of sparkle. (Perhaps Gok could come and advise me )

similar to HL but a bit cheaper

the ubiquitous verity dress

too drapey?

Here?

this?

lace

I like that lace one, early.

It's lovely isn't it? Did you post a link to it further up? For some reason pc is blocking some links

No, not seen that one before. It's nice.

That would be the XXX rated links

I like the oasis one too

do you think it would turn heads this is critical

a key feature of my midlife crisis is my needy narcissism unfortunately

this dress could also be worn to dinner at a swanky restaurant, not that i ever go

eeeee

this could be a winner

That lace dress is gorgeous, definitely a head turner without being too in-yer-face.