Help! Parisian wedding.

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My DBro is getting married in Paris to wonderful and impossibly gorgeous French SIL. I love them both but they and all their friends are very image conscious. I always feel like a giant pale galumphing hippo when I am over there and unfortunately I can't hide this time. There is no way I won't stand out like a sore thumb among their slender tanned petite friends so I am thinking instead try to go very fashion forward (which they will all recognise and appreciate, SIL reads French Vogue cover to cover every month). Like some kind of mad jumpsuit or giant Villanelle pink tulle dress or something.

Unfortunately very fashion forward seems to be made for sample size people and I'm 5'6", 11st, short waist, big bust and wobbly belly but good legs and relatively good arms. Looking through fashion editorials for ideas has terrified me (like this - eek: www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2019/may/05/rainbow-warrior-bold-colours-for-spring)

Any suggestions? Budget up to £800 for the whole outfit.

My usual style is more along the lines of cigarette trousers, striped top, blazer and converse...

I agree you need to go classic and understated. This will achieve a much better result than going overboard trying to compensate.

If you need quick advice I definitely second the recommendation to visit the Parisienne thread (I can’t remember the exact title, something with wearing pink or not wearing pink, I think). There are some very helpful posters on there who will be able to give you a hand in finding something. I think I would go navy jumpsuit. I bought a lovely one from Warehouse recently (not the best quality, I know, but I’m trying not to overspend right now!). Looks chic and elegant, very flattering.

This is the one I bought:

www.johnlewis.com/warehouse-tie-waist-jumpsuit/navy/p3981443

I’m sure something similar would be lovely and look fabulous.

Otherwise I’d go with a beautiful floral dress, something from Phase 8, probably, because they tend to fit me well and I do like their styling and patterns.

I actually meant to say you could go classic and understated but with a bit of a twist, or a big, bold statement to it. Not sure how you would achieve this but maybe an ostentatious hat or bag or fabulous shoes?

Sorry for the multiple posts...definitely agree that whatever you choose needs to be you - you need to feel comfortable and confident in it.

Good luck!

No - classic and understated is not the way to go. I live in central Paris and go to plenty of ceremonies!

Be yourself. Nothing, however glamorous or forward thinking (I don’t even know what that means ) is going to feel or look elegant if you’re not comfortable in it, quite the opposite.

Ohhhh how about a proper statement jacket? Something just ‘out there’ and eccentric enough to make you stand out?

The dress that Ellllle posted in beautiful. Try that. Please don’t wear the toast dresses.

It would be very strange indeed to wear black to a Parisian wedding.

Oh yes Vivienne Westwood is exactly the thing I’m thinking of. That dress is gorgeous. But you could even maybe go a bit more Westwood, IYKWIM, if you wish to make a statement.

I love that Vivienne Westwood dress so much.

My MiL, SMiL and SiL are French and all three wore black to my wedding - MiL and SMiL both wore black trouser suits. So either they all hate me or it's perfectly fine to wear black ...

I don’t know about black, though? In my head I’m picturing a gold or olive green silk dress, or jacket. That’s what I’d wear, I think. Maybe a kimono! Ohhh I want to dress up.

Don't wear the toast dresses!!!

Parisians really like British, more eccentric (eccentric when compared to wearing black and grey the whole time), bolder style. Don't do "contouring" make up, though. It's seen as face-painting & v garish - as if you have a lot to hide! Go for Fresh faced, natural, with lipstick.

But basically, whatever you do, do it well. The fit of your outfit I would say is the main thing. There is no point trying to look like a French person, because you're not! And I say this as a Brit who is far from fat but the French clothes are styled to be so tiny, for essentially doll-sized women, that I can never fit into them (UK 10/12, 5'8). I TOWER over most women(And men!) here - now I quite enjoy it! And I just dress to suit my shape. Always get lots of compliments for my "so-british" style.

It is fucking freezing here right now, by the way. Hope it brightens up!

Another backer for the Vivienne Westwood, by the way. If you wore the toast dresses, the Parisians would look at you as if you,'d just come in from the farm. They would do nothing for your shape (and everyone would think so)

I'm actually glad that everyone is telling me different and contradictory things - it's very validating considering my own confusion/indecision

I love the Westwood dress but the curse of net a porter strikes again and it's not available in a UK 12. No fear on the makeup front though, I couldn't contour to save my life - I tend to go for a strong red lip and some mascara anyway.

I guess I'm not comfortable in my own skin because of that extra stone of flab around my waistline since the DCs, I know it and everyone knows it, so my plan was to try and hide in some eccentric way behind a super fashion forward outfit.

I've just found these as well - too boring?
A bit of Le Smoking style?
More Le Pyjama than Le Smoking...
Love a bit of Klein Blue
With a bright red lip and heels

I like the first two. Third and fourth I think are a bit MOB (last one in particular).

A good Spanx-style underlayer works wonders for me - I’m a size bigger than I prefer (on the bigger side of 12) and it’s not my size so much but the resultant less-than-firm silhouette that actually bugs me more than anything, so I find that being that little bit more streamlined on the tummy and hips makes me feel way more confident in myself. I do not go for the ‘trying to fit myself into a smaller size by squashing myself into it like a sausage’ strategy as I hate it when your fat spills over on top and down the bottom of the shaping layer, but I just use it to smooth things down nicely so I can wear the size of clothes I actually am. It makes the most of my hourglass figure.

I like all of those options, barring the third one. I’d probably go for one of the first two, but that’s because I don’t feel my waist is small enough to carry off that last dress.

Vivienne W is always great for British eccentricity and is flattering on fuller figures. So how about any of these?

www.viviennewestwood.com/en/women/clothing/dresses/amnesia-dress-chinese-peony-print-grey-S26CT0639S49683001S.html

www.viviennewestwood.com/en/women/clothing/dresses/vian-dress-terracotta-terracotta-1101003610860H201.html

www.viviennewestwood.com/en/women/clothing/dresses/grand-fond-dress-navy-navy-S26CT0638S497010524.html

Verite thanks! I will see what they look like in the flesh. Maybe I should get them for my mum, we are the same size and shape and having the same problems with outfits!!

Nin totally agree!! You sound like you're the same size as I am. Do you have any recommendations for said underlayer? I have tried some before but they seem to roll down at the first opportunity...

Verite I especially like that last one but is it just my failure of imagination...I cannot envisage at all how all those folds around the bust in those dresses would look like with my 32Gs inside them. Will all the lovely folds and drapes still even be there? (Am I making any sense?)

Or

www.net-a-porter.com/gb/en/product/1110793/vivienne_westwood/draped-plaid-linen-dress

I just got mine from M&S. It works well - as I said, I’m not looking for it to work miracles, I just like my dress or jumpsuit or whatever not to show too many lumps and bumps. I go for the ones that allow you to wear your own bra under it, as I find it verrry difficult to fit my boobs into generic cup sizes on shapewear.

To be honest I’m not sure. But vw is normally incredibly flattering on the bust so it has hopefully been made so that it still falls beautifully.

What about this one
www.houseoffraser.co.uk/brand/biba/biba-crane-foil-jumpsuit-654859#colcode=65485903

Verite1's Vivienne Westwood dresses are amazing!