Are cape dresses aging?

[DorisToday]

I am looking for a cocktail dress for a special occasion, and on my online search so far, I keep being drawn to dresses with long sleeves, and cape dresses.

I think they look so elegant compared dresses with bare shoulders/chest.

I am only early thirties, and not sure why I am suddenly drawn to a mother-of-the bride style! I just seem to have gone off the look of bare shoulders.

I guess my question is - do you think of cape dresses or long-sleeved cocktail dresses as being predominantly for older women?

I am not concerned about being super trendy, but don’t want to look odd if I go with a cape dress.

Go with the coast one! I wore a coast bardot top with skirt when I was 8 months pregnant and it was very flattering and well fitted.

The coast outfit is gorgeous, the others are a bit mother of the bride. Sorry!

How about something like this? www.coast-stores.com/p/oriel-lace-bardot-dress/2005243?gclid=CjwKCAiA7vTiBRAqEiwA4NTO6yvw90dOhQ79Brx781elHRS5Y6jd0U0fZ-IOcjAXB39b9GAv3y9ggRoC8XkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Next clearance has more sizes available.

In theory that looks perfect MandyFl0ss, but it wouldn’t sit nicely over my hips, I have ‘hip-dip’ which is a thing now apparently 😀

I wore a caped phase 8 dress to my dad's funeral...it looked ace.

Really plain, lovely silhouette, just avoid beading, lacing, frills etc,you want simple lines so it has a fab shape.

I've never heard of cape dresses. Will i get a manual when I'm older helping me to find out about these things?

No manual dudsville - I don't know how I would cope if I didn't have S&B to remind me of my station in life.

I'm going to try and be the bigger person here because, if I can get past the lazy quips about cruise ships, I think the current dearth of interesting but not uber revealing cocktail dresses is a real s&b issue. Older women are at the front line (I cannot count the ways in which I would look a bugger in that cape dress) but it's interesting to see younger women are getting bored with it too.

I think the bardot top and the lacy dress both look very pretty but, if it's a special occasion and you really want something interesting, I would suggest going vintage. If you can find an old school (pre 80s) supplier there are still 1960s cocktail dresses around which look elegant and chic without exposing yards of skin. (And no, I don't think you'd be mistaken for a 70+ woman still wearing her old clothes.)

Or do what the men do and find a tux.

There is also the bra issue. Most of the nicer dresses are not going to be good without a bra. Strapless bras are not effective if you are curvaceous (I'm a 14) and yet the Bardot top style is so flattering.

I agree about the dearth of nice cocktail dresses - I think because a lot of designers are now pitching for the prom market and also at this time of year bridesmaids dresses.

I think the right cape dress would be lovely, I’m thinking the Megan Markle in early pregnancy one as an example.

But totally off brief I rather like this for a modest, cocktail type dress www.reiss.com/p/capped-sleeve-dress-womens-lore-in-dark-green/?_cclid=Google_Cj0KCQiAkfriBRD1ARIsAASKsQKh04FlxkB5Bi3NgbxBVzeqBjOykls0ytYxaMYoZ3S2ga4-M36JlEwaAslvEALw_wcB&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkfriBRD1ARIsAASKsQKh04FlxkB5Bi3NgbxBVzeqBjOykls0ytYxaMYoZ3S2ga4-M36JlEwaAslvEALw_wcB