Help - dress needed for a ball

[Umbongoumbongo999]

I'm going to a charity ball at a fancy country house hotel next weekend. Friends have organised tickets so I really wasnt sure what to expect. I asked if it was black tie and (male) friend said suits and dresses (so I thought less formal). However I have looked at last year's photos on line and can see it is more formal. Granted, not all he men were wearing full black tie but the women are wearing evening gowns, small amount are cocktail length, majority floor length.

Now I'm a week out and really not sure what to wear. I think I'm going to need a dress. I was planning to wear this AllSaints wrap dress but now thinking it's not enough.

I don't have anything longer/fancier and haven't been to a ball since I graduated.

Can you lovely S&B ladies

• give me honest opinion on the dress

-recommend me a dress to buy -advise whether you have ever used a rental site such as Hurr and if you would recommend

I can technically afford a dress but really hadn't intended to make a big purchase for a dress I will likely only wear once. If I was to buy I would likely be looking to re-sell

Have you looked on eBay?
It's hard to tell from the picture - is the material linen? If so I'd say not formal enough. Quiz is fairly cheap for formal evening wear.

That’s quite an informal dress ans defintely not for an event where people are in cocktail dresses, it also doesn’t seem to fit you properly and is very summery.

What about something like this, it’s very low cost

www.asos.com/asos-design/asos-design-sleeveless-satin-midi-dress-in-khaki/prd/22104859?colourwayid=60373959&SearchQuery=evening+dress

I use Hurr and have found it absolutely great. I wore an outrageously expensive dress to a wedding a couple of weeks ago and got so many compliments and it only cost me £45 for four days!

It can be a bit of a risk in terms of sizing though - I try and always stick to brands where I know about it (eg needle and thread very true to size, self portrait I always size up)

If you do use Hurr I think you get something like 10% off if you download the app and rent through that, the code was something like APPYRENTING but I think they’ll send it to you when you sign up.

Thanks all, I have ordered two dresses from Asos then had a panic that if they dont fit/aren't right I will be too late to find an alternative.

I am heading to my nearest designer outlet to have a poke around. It seems all of the high street and department stores in my area have been covid collateral damage and I have long days at work for the rest of the week. Even if I end up with 3 options I can always choose the best (or least worst). If I end up with a brand I will resell if I really dont think I'll use it again.

For future plans to avoid such panics I think I will give Hurr a go. The price per wear will always be cheaper for me than investing in expensive pieces. I'm more of a dog walking wellies and mac type than a ball gown person! However I would love to have some smart casual or nice office wear pieces from Hurr or similar to rotate through and to give me a sense of what I like before I buy.