Is it mad to spend £94 on this dress?

[Summerdaysdriftingaway]

I desperately need a wardrobe update but have v specific requirements/preferences. Has to be petite, prefer long sleeves (all the way to the wrist), high neckline, good fit. This dress ticks all the boxes but is £94! I’ve never spent that much on a dress before and I’m not sure I can justify it to myself, although I can afford it.

However I would really love a shirt dress and this is the only one I’ve come across which I like and ticks the boxes.

I saw something online about a Primark dress which is similar (I think) and only £12.

I stand corrected. It is £13 ...

www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/13-primark-dress-12300-shoppers-18975639

If you like it and can afford it then why not?

Depending on the item, I'd usually say if something ticks all the boxes and you need it now then it's a no brainer... you will wear it lots so if you're comfortable spending that on one item then it's worth it to you.

However, with that dress I'd probably wait for it to go into the sale as it's not the kind of thing that will sell out first - I think a few department stores stock fenn wright manson (JL, debenhams?) and you can keep an eye on their prices.

Also, and I do this a lot, you are getting ahead of yourself! Unless you've tried it on and you know it is actually perfect, you like the fabric etc, then you can't say it ticks all the boxes :) you could order it now and try it, then send it back and reorder when the price goes down, unless you absolutely love it then I'd say sod it, perfect items don't come along often and you should pay full price.

Clear as mud I hope

If you can afford it go for it. I'm frugal so would wait for it to pop on eBay/depop/vinted

Buy it. I bet you've not spent money on so many other things this year.

It’s a beautiful dress! Just make sure you wear a slip and good bra.

As a tall person, I have a similar but opposite problem to you, so if I found a dress that ticked all the boxes I might be prepared to pay a bit more.

If you can afford it, think you’ll get a lot of wear out it and no ones going hungry to pay for it, then go for it.

@BlairWaldorfLovesShopping it’s already half price! Original price £189 😱

This one?, OP?

It's "nice", and very nicely reduced. Not cutting edge fashion-wise, so won't look dated next Spring. I would personally hesitate over the fabric; cupro and viscose would turn me into a sweaty mess - but you're probably more elegantly constituted.

Swap the fabric belt for a good leather one.

D'you want alternative options?

Hmm... I think it's absolutely fine to spend money on a good quality dress (assuming you can afford to) But my rule is that I have to really love it. So if you really love it then I would order it, but do so with a view to trying it on and possibly returning it if you don't fall in love with it.

It's much easier to shop this way in person, but I appreciate that covid has buggered that up, for now.

It's lovely but looks a bit crumpled in persephone's link.

Go for it!

There’s a huge difference in cut and quality on higher priced items (generally speaking, of course) and you can see that when worn, so it’s worth paying more. I no longer pay pennies for dresses (unless I find a true bargain piece in great fabric that looks expensive) as it’s a false economy.

Buy it and try it on, if it isn’t perfect you can return it.

I’m wondering how well that would wash? It’s nice though.

Yes @PersephonePromotesEquanimity that’s the one.

Yes I’d be interested in alternatives but it needs to be petite sizing as otherwise the waist hits in the wrong place.

The Primark dress looks great but I don’t think they do petite sizes. I might still try it on just in case.

I’ve just tried on the FWM dress I posted about (had ordered it but not gotten around to trying). It looks fine but probably not worth £94 for me. Maybe it needs an iron first.

Even if I can afford it I try to be sensible with money and I have a few clothing items to buy at the moment. It all adds up very quickly!

Assess price per wear. If you wear it once a week for a year, then it's about €2 per wear.

It seems to only come in Petite? That's a shame, I would have bought it otherwise.

@MandalaYogaTapestry I’d be very surprised if they hadn’t also made a non-petite version! But perhaps it’s already sold out

@PersephonePromotesEquanimity why do you recommend swapping a fabric belt for a leather one? I’m intrigued.

Okay ... This is the first thing I saw. Adding straight away as it's the last day of their sale - apparently.

Equally, if not more versatile, as it would also look good over jeans and can be layered over a jumper. More fashionable. No pre-determined waist. Cotton. Ticks your boxes but no idea of your preferences ...

Question: do you actually need a dress, specifically? (As separates might be easier to fit from mainstream sizes.) Also, what do you need it for? Work, socialising (...), something else?

[quote Summerdaysdriftingaway]@BlairWaldorfLovesShopping it’s already half price! Original price £189 😱[/quote]
Sorry OP I totally missed this! Then I would definitely order it and see if it's love :)

Leather belt vs fabric belt is personal preference depending on the look you want, but a leather belt can elevate an outfit by adding interest and looking more expensive. Fabric ones can often look cheap and unintentional. I do both personally, it just gives a dress a different look.

Its not my style and it seems expensive to me but as I'm only 4ft 10' I know how hard it is to get things to fit. A lot of things I have to disregard due to length. Even buying skskinny inny jeans is hard as a lot of petite sizes are still too big. So I would buy it as it ticks so many boxes.

Skinny jeans

Depends how much money you have?

@Seatime I actually live by this motto. I bought Ugg slippers for £85 but wear everyday for 2-3 years so when you calculate cost per wear.........