Help me find the perfect evening dress....

[FloatOn]

Hi all,

I'm a long term lurker on this topic, I have had a search through previous similar topics but I cant find anything that will suit me!

I'm an inverted triangle shape (with no hips!) and a mum tum. I'm a size 12/14 on top, 10 on the bottom, and I just cant find an evening dress for a black tie do that will make me feel confidence and classy.

Wrap dresses just don't suit me, they seem to extenuate my belly, can any of you stylish ladies help please!

Would be helpful if you could indicate a budget, @FloatOn. Also whether you care about being fashionable or will only buy from shops that were at their best in the 80s.

And are you likely to return to your thread to comment on the items posters have expended time and energy in finding, or is this the first and last we will hear from you?

If you are within reach of a John Lewis shop, why not book an appointment with one of their personal stylists, it's a free service. You can explain what you need, and they will come up with suitable possibilities. Have a look on the website for more about it.

Thanks @AdaColeman unfortunately I'm in Northern Ireland so we don't have a John Lewis, but it's a good shout, I'll have a look on some of the other big stores websites and see if they do something similar.

Suprise not sure why you got so angry about a request for help, apologies that it took me half an hour to respond, I don't think that's unreasonable.
Also what's the craic with the 80's reference? Sorry for wasting your time....

Budget up to £160, don't really care about fashionable just something that will make me feel good...

Oh dear - again I forgot the in my post! No anger felt or deliberately implied, I can assure you.

I asked the questions I asked to get a better idea of what might be helpful and what might be a waste of time.

(Also as a long time lurker I assumed you would recognise the things I referred to as being all too common on S&B threads!)

Hey there @FloatOn
I see that Brown Thomas in Dublin also offer Personal Shopping, but more interestingly for you, they also offer Personal Shopping by video link.
That might be fun to try!

Even if you don't buy any of the garments they suggest, it could give you inspiration for styles and shapes to look out for when shopping yourself.

Lucky you to be in NI, I've had some grand times there.

No worries Suprise, hard to tell tone from posts sometimes, yeah I've saw plenty of threads like that...

Thanks Ada, probably cant make it to Dublin but I'll have a look at the virtual assistant, that's probably more my thing, not sure I have the confidence to rock up to a real person. I looked at a personal shopper in one of the stores in Belfast but hovered over the book me button and chickened out! I wouldn't even know what to wear to the appointment!

I would like glam/classy, long evening dress that hides the belly and makes me feel good, and look like a size 6 waif (yes I know that's impossible but I can dream!)

This is above budget and you might hate it - but the structure would balance out your larger top / smaller hips build.

https://www.stories.com/en_gbp/clothing/dresses/midi-dresses/product.ruffle-trimmed-midi-dress-black.1175845001.html

I’m not convinced the model would have chosen this for her real life - but I imagine it would be lovely with a contrasting skin tone. (It’s ok for me to say this!)

This one

I found this at John Lewis & Partners. What do you think?  https://www.johnlewis.com/true-decadence-tulle-maxi-dress-black/p109215202?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&sshare=jlappioss_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

@SurpriseSparDay I saw that in a try on video yesterday, there's some nice stuff at & other stories this season (quite OTT for them though?) (Not my Instagram). The dress looks nice on ☺️
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx4vXESMlDE/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Ooh saxendi that's lovely, I really like it, though not sure if I have the confidence to pull it off?

I cant open your link from work suprise IT are blocking it, I have a look when I get home...

It’s surprisingly similar to the one @Saxendi suggested - at least from the waist down!

I hadnt considered ruffles, that would probably balance out the builder shoulders/bird legs!

This one is gorgeous and would look fantastic on an inverted triangle! The bottom will help balance out the larger top half, and the deep V will draw the eye downwards slimming and elongating the top.

While the previous link is similar, the sleeves are puffed which isn't ideal for an inverted triangle. That one would be a case of trying on to see if the bottom half outweighs the top half to keep it in balance.

Basically you want to avoid anything with a wide boat neck, cap sleeves, Angel / puffed sleeves, or anything that adds bulk / draws attention to your top half in a way that makes it look wider / larger. Look for dresses that have detail on the bottom either by layers, embellishments, patterns, etc

Ooh - @anon2022anon, that Insta video is helpful! It does look rather fun to wear.

(Also love the gold brocade skirt. Not for dressing up, just to swish about in on a normal day, worn with a big jumper and boots.)

Sorry @FloatOn, will stop spamming your thread now!

You could do something like this  https://www.johnlewis.com/phase-eight-collection-8-vanessa-beaded-belt-maxi-dress-chartreuse/p109348656
style wise (I know it's above your budget and the colour may not be right), but although the neckline is still high, it creates narrow lines and the skirt is fuller. One shoulder is also a good option provided the bottom is full because you can highlight your shoulders and top half without adding extra bulk and balance the bottom with a full skirt.

Thanks Etam, that's really helpful.