Challenge: dress for Friday, lost all confidence

[saturdaydressmare]

Hi wonderful kind people

I have a school reunion (20 yr!) on Friday night, I have only just read the instructions and it's Black Tie dinner in a London hotel!! What!

I need dress recommendations quickly!

• Size 16, c section tum but suit things with a clear waist as once upon a time was an hourglass
• Needs bra so no backless, some sort of sleeve even if cap / short
• Midi or maxi or ankle grazer
• Need to feel WONDERFUL as have lost all confidence. When I last saw these people I was a size 10!
• Could spend up to £250 for something amazing
• Brown hair. Like black, navy, red but open minded.

Anyone got an ideas? Yours eternally great full,
Friday Dress Lady (yes I got the date wrong on my burner username!)

Have a look on the next website at dresses by Apricot. I'm a similar size and they do lots of empire line type dresses which means they gather just under the bust and not at the waist

No not at all - it’s very floaty and flattering

Thank you! It looks gorgeous 😍

I LOVE this one!

Phew, me too, Id expect to see my skinny vegan hippy aunt in this!

Not sure what is so bad about being a "skinny vegan aunt" but it's certainly a better look than the selection of cheap looking , failed red carpet copies, polyester monstrosities (that hideous Needle and Thread frou frou number in particular) that's been suggested.

You forgot "hippy".

@NatashaDancing Expensive polyester too! I've saved photos of the Me+Em jumpsuit, so my alter ego in a parallel universe can have it made properly in a lustrous structured silk.

https://www.ghost.co.uk/delphine-dress16-df46ca-k76

That's great

https://www.scarlettandjo.com/collections/the-red-carpet-collection
I have a lovely flattering evening dress from here

@NatashaDancing

Only in your opinion, which is clearly very different to many on this thread.

In my opinion, you're coming across as rather rude to single out the OP's suggestion like that just because someone else criticised something you preferred.

Depends if you want to look like your teacher gatecrashed.

@saturdaydressmare I hope you are having a fabulous night. What did you wear in the end?

I’ve bought it to wear to a wedding and it’s fabulous

How did you get on last night @saturdaydressmare?
Any pics? 😀

That first phase eight one is great. Plus a blow dry. You will look fab.

Took me a while to recover from a big night out!

I wore the Phase Eight and really loved it, easy to wear and got lots of nice comments. It is razzle dazzle though and I could have got away with something far simpler as most people did a less formal take on black tie.

The needle and thread were sadly felt like kid Princess fancy dress.

Thank you for your help you marvellous crack team (even if you did all disagree with each other).

What a lovely update!

Amazing. Great dress choice it's stunning. Glad you had a lovely evening x

I’m so pleased that it turned out to be nice IRL. I was supposed to be going to a black tie do myself this weekend and had planned to get it. I ended up having to cancel though but it was nice to dress shop vicariously via this thread.

I bet you looked amazing!

I know people do less formal takes these days, but in my experience, people still love to see a bit of sparkle on others, even though they might dress down themselves. Sparkles/sequins nearly always lift the spirits in a party situation, not just of the wearer but those around them I know if I'm at a party and not wearing sequins, I'm always slightly envious of those who are!