Oh the horror! Evening dress, max pudge. Help me!

[little0miss0mac]

I have to go to a do at the end of the month. Dress code is evening dress, and it's at a swanky venue. I'm dreading it - I'm at peak winter fat (size 16) and feeling terrible about how I look. We'll be with lifelong friends of my husband and I know it shouldn't matter but I'm not looking forward to it because I'll look like the back of a bus. I am also feeling very resentful at having to buy a frock that will get worn once. Yes, I could choose not to go but on balance I think I should go.

So: any ideas where can I go looking for a dress I can try on in real life, other than the obvious John Lewis etc? I'm in London. I am menopausal with belly fat as well as a big wide bum, so somewhere that will have stock sympathetic to this - and my pathological hatred of clothes shopping full stop - would help! Budget up to £300ish if I can find something that will do for the occasional thing over the coming years. I've been looking at https://www.bombshellhq.com. Any other ideas?

I am also aware this is a very first world problem, which is making me even crosser with myself! Please help

Evening dress doesn't have to mean a dress.

I always choose to wear an evening / stylish jumpsuit. Choose a long leg so you can wear heels, makes your legs look super long and hides all the lumps and bumps

The jumpsuit idea is a great one. I used to sell recycled clothing and clearly remember a fuller figured woman trying and buying a jumpsuit from me that looked incredible. So flattering... choose a simple evening style you can wear again. Vintage evening jacket and shoes... awesome.

Rockabilly style dresses also look fabulous on fuller figures... daddyos.com, not sure what you have in the UK. You have a very good budget... so a cool retro updo as well?

Have fun!

Lots of lovely Adrianna Papell dresses on house of Fraser and John Lewis sites in the sale that will make you look a million dollars.

Try Phase Eight. They do a lot of evening dresses and I can usually find something flattering there.

I second phase 8, they tend towards flattering stuff.

I bought this thinking It would be a nice pretty jersey dress, but it's not it's crepe and outstandingly beautiful. It could easily be dressed up with gold jewellery and nice shoes.
www.phase-eight.com/product/dauphine-maxi-dress-209633408.html#navAjax=true&imageType=model&is=false&sz=60&start=60&cgid=sale-dresses&isSecondPage=false&prefn1=size&prefv1=16&pid=209633408&pos=106