Guest at wedding in Italy, it's going to be a scorcher!

[playingup]

Please help! Size 14 hourglass figure (huge norks 30hh smallish waist, large of hips and arse), height 5.2.

Want something cotton for the heat, not too restricting, something that nips in at the waist, not too 'booby', must be at least to the knee. I love blues and large print.

Budget about 100 quid.

The weather will be scorchio, up to 40 degrees I've been told.

Can any of you lovely people help me? Nearly killed myself shopping the other day and found nothing!

Remember when looking that pretty much everything is pictured on a 5 foot 10 model so judging length isn't particularly accurate.

I'm tempted by the French Connection dress linked to earlier for a summer wedding. You dismissed as being too short but reckon it would be fine length wise on a shorter person (i'm 5'4")

I suppose if I found the right one I could up the budget. Going over 150 though seems really excessive!! But yes, if I loved it, I would consider. I'll have to try it on and see but I kind of know it won't suit me...

I love that reiss one - what about some of the outlet reiss dresses if you want something a bit cheaper? Not sure if this would suit you but something like this ?

www.romanoriginals.co.uk/icat/dresses#esp_cf=size&esp_filter_ESP_Rational_Colour=Blue&esp_filter_size=04%7C14&esp_viewall=y

Anything here?

Bee, you're right about the length looking shorter on a taller model. I need to bear that in mind. Although that linked dress is lovely, I'm not keen on yellow. Sorry!

Or here?

www.zalando.co.uk/wedding-guest-dresses/_blue_size-14/?price_to=110

Coffee, a beautiful dress. But I think I need something that fits better under the bust. So it kind of sculpts my silhouette if you see what I mean? Although would be good to try on...

www.marksandspencer.com/panelled-scuba-bodycon-dress/p/p22363823?colour=Blue

www.marksandspencer.com/cotton-rich-sleeveless-ombre-shift-dress/p/p22372751?colour=BlueMix

This is lovely and cotton too

Nothing has caught my eye with those two links. Only had a quick look, mind. Will have anther look when I get to my PC.

If you wanted it to be really fitted, you could buy a size up and get it tailored

I only need it fitted around the bust and waist, but yes tailoring is an option I didn't think of.

Argh this is very frustrating.

Do you have a decent department store near you, OP? If so, you could usefully spend a couple of hours with a personal shopper trying lots of things on. They're really good, no pressure to buy, and might help sort your thinking?

I went to a personal shopper on Sunday! It was in Debenhams,Oxford Street, 90 min appointment. And the woman didn't bring me one thing that suited. I had been so excited about the experience but was very disappointed. I don't think she understood my figure. When she saw the size of my bust / back / waist, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She couldn't decide whether I was an hourglass or a "pear with boobs" and sympathised with how difficult it must be to dress.

Meanwhile, a few more thoughts...

Jaeger silk under budget

Jaeger silk with gathered waist

Beautiful dress closer. But would make me look like a sack of spuds.

Gathered waist, not gathered enough!!

Linen

Love the stripey but it's not 'special' enough.

The problem is, I wear dresses every day, every season. I don't suit trousers or jeans, and even skirts. So its dresses all the way. A lot of the dresses linked here, I love, but would year on a day to day basis. I do look dressed up all the time but I don't know how else to dress!

So when I'm looking for something special it's really hard because I own so many dresses and because my shape is so hard to dress...

I sympathise, I had a similar experience with a personal shopper - entirely unsuccessful.

I've been searching for a dress for weeks but this year both the styles and the colours do absolutely nothing for me.

30g but size 8/10 so anything that isn't fitted well just hangs off the bust and is generally sack like in appearance.

Bee oh I feel for you. It's so frustrating.

PepperBerry should be good for the likes of us, but I always find their clothes a bit off key. And expensive to boot!

Amazingly I tried on a dress in Pepperberry recently where my boobs weren't big enough to fill it! despite it being the smallest boob size in that dress size. Generally I find their dresses are all too long for me anyway and all manmade fibres.

Christ, they are supposed to be the big bust experts, why can't they get it right?

silk prom dress

pink or blue

blurred silk