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Style and beauty

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Original poster

Opinions on this dress please

99 replies

Makemeover3 · 07/05/2023 15:27

I tried this dress on earlier. I liked it but probably didn’t love it. What do you think?

I don’t really want to buy clothes that don’t make me feel great but I’m so desperate for new clothes I’m getting a bit fed up!

OP posts:

Thread gallery

Spookysnake · 08/05/2023 15:14

SoonToBeinSpotlight · 08/05/2023 15:07

I'm not saying that people are being bullying.... but that the lens we are bringing is a pretty female-socialised lens of dissecting every possible shortcoming and, I believe, also ideas about how female bodies should be displayed.

Why is it too short? OP looks like she has lovely legs and what's wrong with short? Why is it too tight on the bust? There is a tapered cut, but I don't see any strain on the material. Would we feel the same if OP's bust was smaller? OP has a lovely small waist, but lots of the dress recommendations have been loose tent style. (Having a similar body shape, I know these aren't very flattering, though good for hiding).,.. someone even suggested the style is too young for her. Who says what style we women are allowed to wear at what age? And now, implying that anybody who could possibly like how OP looks must be lying to be polite?!!

It just feels a bit like our beauty standards are so attuned to modely type bodies, and to judging....I think someone reading all these comments would conclude that OP wearing this dress was a major mistake and she basically shouldn't. While I think she looks great.

I'm not saying if I saw three or four choices of dress on OP it might or might not be my favourite.... or if OP said 'I'm trying to go for specific look (sophisticated....sedate.....jazzy.....trendy or whatever) then the dress might not be right for a specific look..... but our ability to categorically judge negatively / dissect each other (and ourselves) is one of the really tough things, I think, about being a woman in our society.

Oh for fuck's sake, the dress is too short because its proportions are unflattering, not because the very gorgeous OP can't show off her legs! Same with the bodice. It's nothing to do with body standards; it's the dress that's wrong, not the OP. You're bringing sociology to a fashion fight. OP didn't ask for opinions on her body, and no one has said anything other than positive things about her shape.

Stravaig · 08/05/2023 15:15

You can see the buttons straining to pull open on the bust and waistband!

Even allowing for diversity of taste, it is astounding how far perception of size, shape, weight and garment fit is diverging from factual reality.

NatashaDancing · 08/05/2023 15:32

Why is it too tight on the bust? There is a tapered cut, but I don't see any strain on the material.

You can clearly see the buttons straining. The only significance the OP's but has is that if it were smaller the buttons wouldn't be straining or if the dress was a size larger it wouldn't be straining. Taste in clothes is hugely subjective but the strain on the buttons on that dress is not subjective.

The dress is "too short" because the proportions of the dress are wrong. The black broderie dress is shorter but it's proportions , as a design, are much better.

NatashaDancing · 08/05/2023 15:32

Oh fgs "OP's bust....

Spirographcity · 08/05/2023 19:09

Makemeover3 · 08/05/2023 13:24

@KirstenBlest I’m glad you’ve said I’m not busty I was starting to feel like Pam An over here which I am definitely not 😂

Sorry OP I didn't think you were busty, just that the style of dress didn't suit someone who isn't flat chested. I didn't mean to be rude or mean. I just think another style would suit you better.

As someone said puffed sleeves aren't flattering on most people.

I do think you've got a lovely figure.

Original poster

Makemeover3 · 08/05/2023 19:20

Spirographcity · 08/05/2023 19:09

Sorry OP I didn't think you were busty, just that the style of dress didn't suit someone who isn't flat chested. I didn't mean to be rude or mean. I just think another style would suit you better.

As someone said puffed sleeves aren't flattering on most people.

I do think you've got a lovely figure.

Show quote history

Oh I didn’t take offence I was just surprised that anyone thought I may have been blessed in that department 😂so absolutely no need to apologise.

I wouldn’t normally go for puffed sleeves but thought I’d try something different. Unfortunately can’t seem to find anything that flatters me!

OP posts:

KirstenBlest · 08/05/2023 19:25

@Spirographcity , sorry, I'm probably a bit touchy. Someone told me I was busty I took it to mean my boobs are huge.
I hope she meant that I was quite normal but not flat chested.

CoffeeBeansGalore · 08/05/2023 19:48

This one from Joe Browns may suit you. I think the model has similar colouring.

Oblomov23 · 08/05/2023 19:48

I like it. I think it looks good across the bust.

CoffeeBeansGalore · 08/05/2023 19:51

Closer view of the top part. I love sleeves like this. They can be really flattering

Highdaysandholidays1 · 08/05/2023 21:00

Surely if you come on Style and Beauty and ask opinions of a dress that can be returned, then frank answers are helpful? If the OP had come on and said this is my only dress, I need to go to a wedding next week, I don't have any money, is it fine, I'd have said yes. The point of the discussion isn't this dress or no dress, it's this dress or the 1000's of others out there, or separates, in what I would think might be more flattering colours and shapes. This particular dress is fine, but I'm guessing not cheap, so it's fine to give feedback on that because that was what was asked for.

I don't know anyone that wears dresses in real-life though, I know it's the 'uniform' apparently, but all my late forty-mid-fifty friends wear trousers/jeans and separates mainly, with the odd mini or shorter dress thrown in. I'm amazed everyone is out in dresses, perhaps it's just not the weather for it yet either.

I sometimes feel like Style and Beauty is a parallel universe to my friends and mine fashion!

Spirographcity · 08/05/2023 21:08

Gosh no. I bet you look lovely!

I'm a bit um largish all over for my boobs to look great 🤣.

It is just more difficult though to buy clothes as they tend to be designed for women with very small boobs. Especially this year with lots of puffy sleeves and high necked tops and dresses.

I'd love to see some fashionable stuff for young women and older women like me that aren't completely flat chested.

AbigHoleinmybucket · 08/05/2023 21:17

PissPotPourri · 07/05/2023 15:39

This would look lovely if it were a long dress. The length is not right on you, imo.

I agree, I love the colour and pattern but the length just isn't right.

tillyandmilly · 08/05/2023 22:28

Lovely flattering colour but your bust is too heavy for the pintucks under the bust - sleeves could be shorter and the length longer and a size up 👍

Mumtobabyhavoc · 08/05/2023 23:25

Feminine and very pretty on you. 😊

Molly499 · 09/05/2023 03:33

Do you live near a John Lewis store? You could book a free appointment with one of their stylists, I went to one with a friend and they can be so helpful. You give them a brief and they pick things out for you, no obligation to buy but the one my friend saw just nailed it.

Stacey Solomon has just launched her summer range at Primark, she was wearing pretty summer dresses on her instagram posts that are a similar style but look super comfortable and easy to wear.

Original poster

Makemeover3 · 09/05/2023 05:47

@Molly499 this was at a John Lewis store. I tried their personal stylist service at the end of last year and other than buying a jumper I didn’t have any success. I should probably try again with a different stylist.

OP posts:

lisanclark · 09/05/2023 07:40

The color is very nice but the dress is quite tight. Settling for a dress that you don't love is never a good idea because it will only end up collecting dust in your closet. The key to finding the perfect dress is knowing what works best for your body type and personal style.

CinnamonJellyBeans · 09/05/2023 07:47

I've seen various incarnations of that broderie dress over the last two years and they all look wrong.

Like many PP, my first thought was the length needs to be longer to balance the top half of the dress. At the moment, it gives off "busty milkmaid" vibes and is not elegant.

The longer versions on the high street seem to have puff sleeves, which, combined with the stiffer cotton fabric and the gathered waist, add bulk, and make me look big on the top and big on the bottom, giving a bulky rectangular effect, like a fridge.

So the dress needs flutter sleeves that are not bulky, a longer length and a non-gathered waist.

DaisyValentine89 · 15/11/2023 18:42

The top part really flatters you, as does the High waistline. I'm not sure about the sleeves, they look a bit unfeminine and " mens tshirt like" to me - but then I'm a puff or tight 3/4 sleeve fan, which many hate! It looks as though it sort of shortens the body visually due to being a shorter, slighly flared dress, but then I am someone who rarely shows legs and likes long flowy dresses, so again....that's purely my own personal opinion and probably quite unhelpful! You look lovely though, it's literally just my opinion on the dress itself!

GordoStevensMustache · 15/11/2023 18:45

Zombie thread!

petmad · 24/05/2024 08:14

i m sorry its awful too short for my licking too tight in the boob department i like the color thats all

TinyBag · 24/05/2024 08:20

I also have the issue with tight on the bust or baggy everywhere else, so often leave the bust buttons undone and wear a cami vest underneath

Just as an aside 😊

WhereAreWeNow · 24/05/2024 08:48

I really like the colour, fabric, and neckline. But personally I wouldn't wear it because the length makes it a bit too baby doll for me. I'd probably wear it if it was a midi or maxi. If I'm wearing a shorter skirt, I feel more balanced with a higher neckline and looser top. Especially with bare legs.
But that's just me. You look good in it OP so if you like it, go for it. Don't buy something you're not sure about though.

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