So those who wear day dresses often...

[steben]

I am keen to wear more dresses, have been rotating a couple of knitted day ones recently but am getting a bit bored. Am a curvy, busty 14 with a toddler - anyone in same boat and manage to pull off the ultra feminine stylish day dress and where are yours from?

I also buy 2nd hand/as new off ebay as wear vests underneath- have a search that comes up and into my inbox every day.

I pretty much only wear dresses; Great Plains, Hobbs, Jigsaw, Ness and random bargain dresses from local boutiques.

I love dresses as they make life so simple - undies, dress, shoes and a cardi - sorted

I have several of the French Connection jersey dresses linked. They are very versatile and flattering.

French connection, great plains, phase eight, new look, warehouse all good.

Dorothy Perkins are really good for dresses.

Hope I am a winter dress-wearer - it's thick tights with knee-length boots for me. Sometimes tights with leggings on top ... once your boots are on, nobody can really tell! I have a black pair and a brown pair of boots this year, and both have thermal linings.

Going BRRR at all those short sleeves - I wear mine with poloneck tops and cosy cardis!

If you wear long socks or leg warmers under you boots your legs stay warm.

I find that knee-length boots with thick winter tights (I especially love cashmere ones ? well, cashmere mix, I'm not made of money ? and a good thick pair of knee-length socks, with maybe a second thinner pair over, keep me pretty warm. Wearing a long winter coat when outdoors helps, too, and generally when I'm indoors it isn't that cold.

Saw on FB that French Connection have 20% off SS12 stuff at the moment - STYLIST20

Isabella Oliver and Reiss are worth a look too.

Dresses are the BEST

• you are presentable in seconds (my mantra = pants shoes dress has stood me in good stead since I was 2. Plus bra at 12-plus, hem).
• they always look smarter than any other combo inc. easywear and are often more comfortable

• make you look taller and thinner.

- they give v good value. Retailers discount them a lot in sales, proving the oft-quoted theory that the bestselling items (not so discounted) are not the flattering ones.

• employers and men like them for some reason. Handy.

Where to go...? If you want to look like you got dressed in this century, Cos. Cheap-ish, everything washes, goes to 70 per cent off in sale (now on). Allsaints does a good jersey drape selection and some fine maxis.

If you want to rock the trad look, Primark do bastardly good midi and 40s style dresses right now for 15-17 quid. Wait a month or two for the cotton ones that will cover summer for a tenner.

DON'T BUY WRAP DRESSES. Diane von Satan, the notorious knicker-exposing demon of womankind, is no friend to the true dress-wearer. If you must, always go a size up and you can defeat this foul fiend and her legion of evil jersey-tweaking goblins.

For wraps, you also inevitably need a presentable vest, which can be hard to find in the mornings.

Amen Cory

at cory

Another vote for cos, also white co, anglomania ( in the sales!),isabella oliver 365

...Diane von Satan?

I justbought this

www.hm.com/gb/product/99099?article=99099-A

in H&M,bought it home to try thinking I bet it looks crap on me but actually it looks bloody lovely,even dd 12 told me it looked great high praise indead coming from her and it does not or feel cheap like some of their jersey dresses do in there

Is the polyester sweaty or OK?

(...H&M's computer models with pastede on heads sure are unsettling)

sonic were you asking me?

If so then no it does not feel like the super clingy sweaty poly type,well I hope it won't anyway

I fell in love with it and have a straight up and down shape and have a dreadful time finding dresses that flatter

I also bought this

www.boden.co.uk/en-GB/Clearance/Womens-Dresses/Knee-Length-Dresses/WH283/Womens-Brighton-Dress.html?NavGroupID=4

was dubious but strangely drawn to it and this too looks great,have bought some bright blue tights to wear with it and put ,currently,tan calf length boots with it and will put birks on with it in spring/summer

Yes sorry Quiet I asked you. 100% polyester (which the HM dress is made of) generally feels way too sweaty on me.
The Boden dress looks v nice.

To those who wear wrap dresses, what do you wear underneath them? They look like a clothing accident waiting to happen!

Polyester is sweaty

COS?

I just had a look at cos and by some of it is all I can say

I don't get COS. It all looks like prison/shop/lab uniforms to me.

I'm possibly just being an old gimmer though.

I was just wanting to check I was looking at the right thing for COS as I also thought it was prison garb!