I've bought this dress but it's pricey. Should I keep it?

[sarahh96]

I've bought this dress. (Not me wearing it). Nothing really special about it but it is cotton.
The trouble is it's £80. Is that pricey for it?
It's comfy to wear (big and baggy so covers all lumps and bumps etc) but the price is grating on me.
I can't seem to find anything similar anywhere else, and believe me, I've looked.
So, send back or keep?

I got this in black from Hollisters for £49. It’s a bit more structured than yours. I’m a size 14 (5’7”) and bought a Large, but I fitted well in the Medium as well. I didn’t know how it would wash, I was worried it would shrink. It doesn’t look like it has, but I haven’t worn it yet after the wash. It has a thin underskirt for half the length and the fabric feels nice.

Sorry, forgot to add it.

Is it crinkle cotton? If so I have a dress from Arket of the same fabric which is so useful for travelling / holidays. I really like the style and the length is lovely. Please down downgrade to some cheapo fast fashion version… it will never look as nice as that one. The tiered ones are also not as nice. I did fleetingly see something similar in M&S but I didn’t stop to look at it and query if it would have the same quality / length ( but here it is anyway )

https://www.marksandspencer.com/linen-rich-square-neck-midi-cami-dress/p/clp60577411?prevPage=srp#intid=plpnav_pid_pg1pip48g2r10c2

You see…. £45 doesn’t get you 100% cotton. Keep the one you have

I agree about cost per wear. If it is what you were looking for and you can't find anything that does the job, then buy it and wear it a lot. It's a very versatile dress. You can wear it as a day dress, or dress it up for the evening. Probably even wear it with a long tee under it on cooler days.

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That dress is polyester and has only a passing resemblance to the OP's dress.

I agree.

OP - I don't think you'll find one in cotton and of that quality for cheaper. Only you know if this matters to you or if you need to save money at the moment etc.

Is the quality good? If so, and it's something you would wear regularly, keep it.

If you love it, and will wear it a lot, then keep it. Life is too short to worry about the price of things you really like.

@LadyWithLapdog here are the details of the white dress you are comparing to the OP’s. There’s a reason why yours is cheaper.

If you can afford it, then I'd say keep it (assuming the quality is good and it isn't expensively priced because of the brand name). You'll wear it every summer and bring plain you can wear lots of different accessories to make it look different.

Also, have a look at fatface (when they have sales). I bought a black cotton summer dress last year for about £45 that I've worn loads. Not everything in there is good but they do sometimes have a complete gem!

Oh well, I thought it looked nicer as it has more shape and interest than the OPs and it’s a longer length. The fabric feels nice, but whatever. I’d been looking for this style for a while, it’s the right one for me.

Such a shame the website you bought the dress from doesn’t work on my (perfectly up to date) iphone - so I can’t comment on it directly, @sarahh96.

As a general thing I tend to buy the best I can afford - or Zara. If I found a dress I liked and enjoyed wearing, I wouldn’t actively look for an inferior and cheaper version.

I think £1.33 per wear is a lot of money actually. I’d want the dress to have paid for itself by the end of whichever season I bought it.

I wouldn’t personally pay that for that.

Until you accidentally lean up against the newly bleached counter top
or you rip it on the gatepost going out
or the colour fades
or your arms look too fat the year after
or you lose lots of weight and thing looks ridiculous on ( and second hand you’ll be lucky to get £15 for it)

Where are you going to wear it?

Re fading, I occasionally dye black cotton dresses/tops to get more use out of them.

It’s a sun dress …

She’s hardly going to wear it to her interview for a position as a High Court judge. Or to give a NATO speech on nuclear proliferation. I guess at a stretch it might do for launching her sculpture installation at the Venice Biennale.

Holidays? Barbecues? School sports day? Presumably one would choose a cheaper version for … weekly shop at Tesco, gardening, playing with children in the garden, etc?

If its good quality and you'll wear it then I'd keep it.

But then I'm the sort of person who doesn't have huge amounts of clothes so it would be worn a lot, and I'd still be wearing it years from now and getting my moneys worth!

Massively overpriced! I'd send it back and get a much cheaper version.
Next are doing some nice ones.
I got this....



I've changed my mind OP. If you like it and are happy in it, you should keep it.
It's not going to date particularly so you can use it for a few years.

Thanks all. Great advice and recommendations. I'll pop over to Next later and have a rummage through their stock. If there's nothing equivalent, I'll keep it.
I'm in danger of becoming obsessed with finding another, cheaper one now.
I'll get masses of wear out of it anyway so maybe cost per wear will be worth it.
Side note: wanted a denim jacket to go with it, bought one, looks awful on me. I must be the only person in the world they don't suit but that's another story

There was no need for sarcasm.
I completely understand what this dress for. It usually helps me to think where I’m going to wear something in a near future to make a decision hence my question which was aimed to OP.