Work 'event' dresses/outfits?

[Freetodowhatiwant]

I have to make a fair few public appearances through work - conferences etc and sometimes on TV. I would love a stash (well, more than my one nice dress that I always wear...) of dresses or outfits for this. Think over the knee shift dresses with a touch of glamour such as a bright colour or interesting pattern. Where is good for this sort of thing? Not jersey as I don't think it's formal enough if that makes sense.

LK Bennett

I also occasionally pick stuff up in White Company, and occasionally Boden but have to be careful there, but LK Bennett is my go-to for outfits for speaking publicly etc.

There's Hobbs but I find that caters to an older clientele.

I have found some good stuff from Whistles and also sometimes Jigsaw. And Cos. Good places to look though in my experience are department stores on-line including John Lewis - you can filter exactly what you want (eg sleeve length, colour, pattern, etc) and trawl through loads of brands.

I do a bit of this (conferences and public speaking especially, less often TV but sometimes) and try to look for things that are really smart but not too busy or recognizable.

I know this is personal opinion, but I always think Lucy Worsley does a good job of this. She does a great line in lovely shift dresses, and sometimes skirts with smart cardi and blouse. Her kind of thing isn't my usual style (I'm an academic so day-to-day usually wear smart jeans dressed up with jackets, shirts etc). But I think she has a really good colourful look, which is professional but somehow distinctive.

Diva Catwalk have some nice dresses with sleeves in bright colours. I don't wear patterns for big events as they can look funny on big screens if you are being filmed.
I like a black shift with a really nice coloured cardi (LK Bennett have some great ones with a bit of embellishment) for conference speaking as its all about how you look above the waist - and as someone who uses their hands a lot when speaking, jackets can ruck up a bit.
Or a plainer dress with a statement necklace - I have one which is silver leaves and sits on my collar bones and gets a lot of compliments.
I confess to buying a lot of dresses on ebay as they are often very lightly worn, and spending £££££ on a dress I'll wear twice a year doesn't work for me

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful. I've had a good look at Boden but I find everything I like the look of is jersey and maybe it's my terrible clothing-care skills but I find they look old and not so special very quickly. Because I'm in media and usually more casually dressed I have never really shopped in Hobbs, LK Bennett et al but I think it is about time I looked now I'm doing more public events. And now I'm 43 and can't go around in leather skirts and trainers all the time! John Lewis is a good suggestion too.

CMOT what is the sizing like at Diva Catwalk? There's a couple of nice ones in the sale but sizes are S, M, L etc. I'm a curvy 12, 5 foot 5.

www.divacatwalk.com/outlet-c20/davina-dress-p750 I

love this one but I have a red dress already and they have sold out of size M in cobalt blue which I liked the look of. However I might be kidding myself with an M and be better off with an L!

The sizing is small - I'd try a L tbh as thats what I have as a size 12, though less curvy

I have a few brightly coloured Boden dresses for work and they’re still looking good despite a lot of not very careful washing, I’d definitely give them a go. One bright green one in particular always gets complimented when I wear it

Jigsaw?

Reiss
Lk Bennett
Hobbs
Cos
Karen Millen

Phase Eight?

Like those Diva dresses

Oh yes, Reiss, Whistles, Cos, Jigsaw are also places I pick up the odd bit, although I found Cos dresses looked a bit shapeless so I never tried them on.

LKB is not bad, but honestly I feel it's way too expensive for the quality you get. Same for Reiss.

I would check winser, theory, DVF and tahari too.

The LK Bennett sales are good though. Especially the shoes.

Just marking this - on a similar quest! Have found phase 8 quite good for fitted smart jackets in the shorter style, Reiss has been good in the sale