Can't do floral frocks

[MaudesMum]

My dress sense tends towards the minimalist and stripped back, which works fine for work and casual, but seems much harder to do for weddings and posh parties. I went to a wedding last year in a plain blue dress from Cos, and felt distinctly under-dressed, but I also wouldn't have felt comfortable in the little jacket & floral frock look that most women of my age (50-something) seemed to be in. There's another wedding-like event coming up at the start of April, and I haven't got anything to wear. Any ideas about brands, or directions to go in, much appreciated!

Wear what you like and what looks good on you 😘

Reiss if can afford it

My advice? Go as you, not a generic wedding guest.. Stick to the COS dresses (I love COS). Big bright necklace/shoes/bag etc. to make it more awesome. The people I always think look great at weddings are NOT wearing floral frocks and shoes they can't walk in.

Bit of a generalisation to say most 50 something age women wear floral. It's not true up my way, and if they do, they rock it.

www.jaeger.co.uk/tuck-detail-fit-and-flare-dress-8d730c

I need to add that I've got nothing against florals in principle - it just makes me feel like I'm in drag as I'm stocky and short-haired and not v. girly generally. Really like the idea of big bold accessories, though! And that Jaeger dress would be great if I didn't have big chunky upper arms. And will have a look at Reiss..

Tbh I find dressing for weddings challenging too. Luckily the invites have dropped off over the years.
I'd stick to what you know looks good on you. Cos is cool 😎

I never wear florals - they just look silly and wrong on me. Acceptable prints for me are animal, stripes, and polka dots, but I have found myself drawn occasionally to bold botanical type prints - last year I got a great dress that had a bamboo print. Might any of those be an option if you don’t want plain? I buy from Cos, Whistles, Other Stories, Topshop, Warehouse, sometimes Zara, but admittedly tend not to go to many weddings or fancy events.

I sympathise and I've been thinking about this myself as I've got a similar dilemma later this year. There's a certain kind of occasion dress marketed at middle aged women and it can look great but, if it's not your style, the options feel a bit limited. I would definitely stick to your own style and yes, Cos and perhaps check out Me & Em and Whistles once the new stuff comes out.

I've also been thinking about wedding outfits I've liked on other women and trying to work out why. For example, Victoria Beckham at Harry and Meghan's wedding: I know a lot of people didn't think it was weddingy enough but I thought she looked great. One of her own dresses so unaffordable, but I'm taking from it the simplicity and, although I wouldn't wear heels myself, the shoes.

Or Amal Clooney: not that I could wear yellow but a single, bold colour that's flattering - that's something I could do.

I thought Sarah Murdoch looked stunning at Jerry and Rupert's wedding. In fact I wish Jerry had worn it. However I'm in childhood fantasy dress territory here so I know I have to be careful.

And lastly one of my favourite wedding pics, in which Bianca completely upstages Mick, which was no mean feat. Obviously I wouldn't do white or a neckline to my navel but again, it's the simplicity that draws me.

Of course you might hate all of them but the point is, if you think about your own personal favourites, it might give you some clues.

Last wedding I attended, last summer, was full of older ladies in floral cocktail frocks with little jackets and nude shoes. Come to think of it, almost every woman in the room except the bride wore a riff on that look. It seems to be the current code, but it gets dull.

Good pictures. Bianca wore tailored suits brilliantly. Fangirl.

I’d go plain well cut dress and if you need to wear a jacket look for one that’s patterned, but not floral.
Stand out bag and shoes.

How about a trouser suit?

There's no reason at all why you should wear a little floral frock. And no reason why you shouldn't wear something severely minimalist. Plenty of designers make clothing suitable for a wedding but also beautifully structured and individual.

On the whole I wouldn't personally find Cos fabrics quite celebratory enough - but I'm sure a plain trouser suit with well chosen accessories would look fine.

I agree re: floral frocks - I intentionally didn't want to fall in line with MIL and SIL at a recent family wedding - I wore monochrome Vivienne Westwood (heavily discounted sale item) and coloured shoes, plus no fascinator.

Go cos + amazing bold shoes. Looks great

It might be as simple as changing fabrics. COS has some beautiful silk dresses that would feel more weddingy. Try Finery as well, or Arket. Or Jigsaw silk dresses, I've got a gorgeous silk kimono dress from there that I love (couple of years old now).

Thank you everyone - that's given me a lot of ideas. Nipped into Arket and Cos earlier this week - nothing quite right but there's time for more to come in. I'm also excited to realise that Vivienne Westwood goes up to size 16 - its always been an ambition to have a brilliantly tailored jacket or shirt of hers...