Another winter wedding (guest) dress one...

[JessiCake]

Can I canvas opinions on this...?

www.johnlewis.com/store/gerard-darel-martha-dress/p2899604?navAction=jump&colour=Black

First off, black is OK for weddings these days, right? My mother (who will be at the wedding too) is slightly horrified but in all honesty though I love my mother dearly I don't think she's the person to take style advice from!!

I would/will be wearing it beneath a very glam and bright-coloured coat for a) warmth and b) to make it a bit more 'wedding'-y than just a plainish black dress.

With black heels, I suppose (need to allow room in my budget for a pair as I don't actually own ANY black heels at all these days) and black bag. Gold jewellery. A blow-dry. A happy smile.

Is it nice? Smart enough? Wedding-appropriate enough?

fwiw I am 41 and about a size 10/12.

It's a bit short for a wedding isn't it? Re the black issue I think it's generally ok but a lot of people still don't do it. From what I understand, so long as you don't look like you are attending a funeral it's good.

I like it. I've just been to a wedding and there were loads of guests wearing black.

ttbb thank you! Do you think it's a tad short... hmmm I guess I have been leaning towards shortish hems as I don't want too much hem poking out from beneath my coat which falls about 2 inches above my knee... hadn't really thought about hem length of the dress being too short.

Will have a look for a few more options.

Thanks!

On a second look you may be right about short, I think it's hard to tell from the pic and I thought it was closer to her knee than it may be.

That said, it's not short AND tight which I wouldn't feel comfortable in.

Thanks violet, I'm going to go with black no matter what, i think, as I have this bright coat and it needs to be paired with black I think. Though burgundy would also look good but haven't found anything I like.

www.theoutnet.com/en-GB/Shop/Product/APC/Belted-plisse-silk-dress/958380

This is another option I absolutely love - am btanching out from what I said about needing black!

It's pricier but I woulnd't need to buy shoes as I have navy heels that would work with it, plus I have a bag.

I adore it but is it too drab for a wedding? I worry that navy is even less of a wedding-worthy colour than black as it can look so officey.

Also I guess it's still on the short side, though the high neck and skim-fit hopefully off-set that.

These dresses are not too short for a wedding! There's never been any convention about shortness, and pretty much every wedding I've ever been to, people wear short bright nice dresses!

These two are nice but in a dark, hide yourself type of way perhaps!

Ha, summerswallow, I rather like dark and hiding myself

tbf the coat I will be wearing is very very bold, hence the need for a low-key dress.

I also want something very versatile I can wear for lots more occaisons. My budget is limited for clothes in general so I don't want to pay out for a dress I will only get to wear once (don't get invited to many weddings these days...) I would rather pay more and get something I can wear lots and lots.

I don't think either dress is really appropriate for a wedding. A funeral perhaps! I actually quite like the second dress but I'd wear it to work rather than a wedding.

You focus seems to be finding a dress to work with your coat rather than finding a dress as such. Maybe you can share some more details/photo(?) of the coat and that might help us make suggestions?

Thanks Hundred, appreciate the honest feedback!!

Will try to find a link to coat but don't know if I can find one... it's a very bright mustardy-gold colour with a round collar. Sounds vile but I promise it's lovely!! Mustard is probably a bad description as it's nowhere near as muted as mustard, nor as brown-toned. But if I say just 'gold' it will imply metallic which it's not at all. Dark daffodil??!

I'm keen on matching it to burgundy but can't find anything I like at all.

It's probably not so much that I want to match the coat to the dress so much as, as I say, I really want to find a dress that will work for far more occasions than just a wedding. I get invited to weddings about once every 5 years, maximum, these days, and in all honesty after this one I don't think there are any on the horizon.

I liked the first once because I thought it would also be good for work-type Xmas parties/dinners.

Do you dislike the couple? The first dress is muh, shapeless and non descript, the second is a smart dress but not wedding appropriate at all. Honestly, they're miserable choices!

Oh and if it makes any difference at all, I am a very very VERY minor guest at this wedding, it's the daughter of an old friend of my mum's so I will be very much an also-ran! If it was my best friend's wedding for example I might well go more 'showy' but I'll be sat in a dark corner somewhere with the third cousins and the unwanted uncle so thought playing it safe/down with the dress made sense!

My style is pretty low-key anyway tbh (bright yellow coat aside!) so I would never feel comfortable in eg a patterned, floral, pastel, more 'traditional' wedding-guest-type dress anyhow.

Reiss has some lovely classic dresses.

www.reiss.com/womens/dresses/

Does this link give you any new ideas? I know some of them are totally unsuitable but there might be something you like here:

www.zalando.co.uk/burgundy-dresses/

Bombardier don't dislike them at all!! She's nice, I've never even met him. Haven't seen her for 10 years but she's a sweetheart!!

I did say in my OP I would be wearing this all with a happy smile!!

It's just my style, honestly, to wear very plain clothes and then accessorise them up. I don't think they're miserable, are they??!

Plus, I'd be wearing them with a BRIGHT YELLOW COAT for most of the proceedings, apart from when sitting down to eat...

I quite like a couple of those Reiss ones, Bombardier, thank you v much for linking, will take a closer look.

Hundred, thank you too, will check out that link now!

I think the first dress is lovely and the length is perfect. The second dress I do think is a bit like funeral attire sorry!

www.zalando.co.uk/ilse-jacobsen-cocktail-dress--party-dress-wine-tasting-il121c014-g11.html

Anybody like this (thanks for the zalando link!!)? Is velvet vile or lovely...? Can never decide! I love the colour and it's my usual nice plain shape... I like the sleeve length too

I quite like it. It's classic enough to get a few years wear out of it - and velvet is everywhere this season (although a stylist did tell me last week that it's the 3rd season velvet has been in so it's so over really.....but this was in Shoreditch and she was talking about velvet trainers).

Or you could consider blue? (such as this link). Or even grey?

www.coast-stores.com/p/nancy-shift-dress/1865022

Hundred - thank you again - I adore that cobalt blue colour-wise but would never in a million years go off the shoulder like that - I have rugby-player shoulders and a horrible mole on one shoulder that I cover up at all costs and...well, that's about it really!!

Love the colour though!!

I like the first one but think it's expensive for what it is. Also I wouldn't wear black to a wedding.

Really do not like the second one at all

They’re not miserable choices op! They don’t scream wedding to me, but why do they have to? Bright or floral dresses aren’t for everyone even though they are more “weddingy” Your options are fine op

It's pretty and I don't think it's short at all. Model likely to be a tall girl anyway.

You're very welcome JessiCake. I know what you mean about shoulders. I used to be a rower and still have the shoulders and lats to prove it

Is there too out there? Just wondering if the colours might tie in with your coat?

www.houseoffraser.co.uk/women/yumi-floral-garden-short-sleeve-shift-dress/d770050.pd#277449764

Thanks painbox and madeye...

thing is I really really don't 'do' dresses in general ever, so even putting on a dress is getting 'dressed up' for me! I'm v tall and angular so florals/ditsy prints and 'pretty' dresses make me look and feel absolutely ridiculous. I also can't do prom-type styles as they just don't work on my figure (or with my personality), shirt/cocoon dresses tend to be too casual for an event like this, which leaves me with shifts and I don't feel comfortable in anything too body-con within that... so I have to go for a fairly 'plain' shape.

It'll be cold so I do really need some kind of a sleeve for when I take my coat off, which already leads to more monastic-looking choices than something strapless or string-strap (which I owuld never wear anyway due to aforementioned shoulder hatred!)

I just dress in a very stark/plain way in general I suppose - the yellow coat is an outlier! - and it honestly wouldn't be worth me spending a single penny on something I would feell weird in AND never wear again.

I actually like that a lot, Hundred, just not on me iyswim!! The shape is nice and the sleeves good. Nice shade of blue too. I just don't think I can do florals... gorgeous dress but not for me!

Sorry as you're being really fab with all these suggestions!!