Do I say yes to this dress?

[SansaClegane]

So, I fell in love with this Boden dress and managed to get it in the sale. It's just arrived and now I'm not sure if it actually suits me So please, style gurus of MN, can you give me your verdict?

Here's the link to the dress on the website:
www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/womens-dresses/day-dresses/ww088-spt/womens-navy-dot-violet-dress

And I'm trying to attach photos of me in the dress!

torrentialrain that made me laugh! I'm neither though * whispers* I'm in my mid thirties...

They are actually my wedding shoes, but I do still wear them on occasion (like other weddings!). They were the first shoes I could think of when trying on the dress, though all the replies here have given me much better ideas!
I like the idea of strappy sandals/heels but the occasion for which I bought this dress is a moderately posh afternoon tea in London, with a bit of shopping and sightseeing thrown in, so I'm likely to be walking around a lot and will need something reasonably comfortable.

Navy or ted shoes

You look fab

I like it, although IMO it might fit better around the chest area. I wonder if it's a bra thing.

It's beautiful, you look lovely.

Definitely keep it, 100%

My mistake I just assumed it was for a wedding! Must pay attention. Also my post was abysmally worded.

Yep can see why you wouldn't want to to be teetering on dainty heels for a day like that (which sounds lovely by the way).

Defo keep the dress it more than just suits you, you look fab in it.

Once more, thanks for all your lovely comments! I feel fat and frumpy most of the time, this has really bolstered my confidence.

Lweji I think you are right, I tried it on again today couldn't help myself and tried a different bra and it looked much better up top; a bit more defined if that makes sense.

torrentialrain no worries! I'm so looking forward to it - a whole day out, in civilised company (read: no children), and I get to wear a nice dress

I'm going to disagree with most - I think the bust area looks a bit off, like it's squashing you in a bit. I have this issue with dresses too. Otherwise, it looks lovely, but it could do with an extra couple of inches around the bust. You have a gorgeous figure though.

Sorry OP, it's a nice dress but I don't think it fits you properly. You look a bit squashed in on the bust area, as selfcontrol says - I always used to have this too, til bf shrank my boobs! The squashing-ness is amplified by the ruching below it, too.
Going up a size might help? You have a fantastic figure and deserve a dress that fits it properly, not one that gives you a squooshed monoboob!

I'd wear a little red cardi and red ballet flats to dress it down for shopping / afternoon tea. heels to dress it up, probably Navy or bright green or any lovely colour TBH with matching bag.

I think the dress looks lovely, but not the shoes. If you need comfort, how about some wedge heeled tie up espadrille type things (not describing those v well!).

I like the idea of red ballet shoes too.

I think tan or nude sandals would work much better than red ballet flats.

I'm not a fan of ballet flats anyway, as they tend to make the wearer overpronate and therefore walk oddly. But with a dress like that you want something more delicate on your feet than a bright red flipper, I reckon.

If it were me, for a semi-posh day out in London, I'd swap the dress for a size bigger to solve the squeezed-in-bust issue and team it with a faded denim jacket, a skinny tan belt and tan sandals.

Or bright block heeled sandals? Dress looks great.

Sorry OP, I'm another vote for "no", it looks like it's squashing your boobs, would be a deal-breaker for me.

I seem to be going against the grain here As most people seem to love it but I think the style, being so nipped in at the waist, and then flared out with kind of flared dart/loose pleats, isn't very flattering across the tummy.

Don't know if I explained that very well, the pleat flare bits seems to add some volume to your tummy. You probably have a lovely flat tummy but I think the dress hides that and makes it look bigger than it is

Yes but I want to hoist your boobs up by your straps. So either it's a bra issue or the high neck combined with the waist line isn't totally working.

Had another look. It is a lovely dress and you definitely don't look frumpy. Just have a play about with different bras and see which looks best.

It's quite fancy for a day shopping and sightseeing though.

Argh I feel mean! Ignore me, it's a lovely dress, you look gorgeous. Tighten your bra straps and have a fantastic time.

Lol Enid

Thanks everyone for your comments. As I said further upthread, I think I've sorted the boob issue - wore a different bra and it looks so much better! It definitely wasn't right before but with the other bra the boobs are further up and sit in the 'designated boob compartment' if that makes sense
It's always a bit tricky to accommodate my boobs as they are rather large and squishy (they did shrink from BFing but still a G cup!) and if I wear the wrong bra it shows. However I don't like sizing up to fit the bust as then the waist will be way too big.
Due to having had three 10lb babies (and three caesareans), my stomach is sadly far from flat but rather saggy! So this is definitely something I'm trying to hide!
I've been looking online for shoes, if anyone comes across anything perfect, please do share a link! Colour wise I think I'd prefer bright teal or blues/greens to red or pink as I'm ginger I have auburn hair and don't wear much red or pink!

Hi OP sorry I missed your prev comments about bra. It is a lovely dress.

I have the same challenges and I do generally have to do the sizing up thing which is a bore. For the future, have you ever looked at Pepperberry/ Bravissimo? Differently sized to accommodate bigger boobs, fits everywhere, bloody lovely though a lot of their styles seem overly keen on flaunting a large cleavage! Definitely worth a look.

Hi daft, I have bought/buy lots of bras from Bravissimo, but I've never really looked at their clothes as they didn't appeal. However it's been a few years since I last looked at them so maybe I should give it another go!
I'm still about a stone heavier than I was before my last pregnancy and I'm hoping to lose that weight and have my boobs shrink a bit more - I was an F cup then and it made choosing clothes so much more manageable. It is always tricky though, I guess that's the curse of an hourglass shape? I feel that if I don't accentuate my waist I just look like a fat blob.

Ok, just out of the shower and I tried it on again with different bras. So here goes: twirls
Bra 1 - left two pictures and bra 2 - two pics on the right

I think Bra 2 looks better - either way, you look fab: elegant and fun!!