Is this dress frumpy? Please help !!!

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I have quite a lot of nice clothes for everyday wear but don’t have anything that is particularly “dressy”. Part of the reason is that I don’t really go out much, except to work or the occasional casual dinner, etc. I would like to get a slightly more dressy outfit to wear to e.g. my work Christmas drinks. I am in London so it’s more of a casual vibe anyway.

I am 50, short and very slim. No bust to speak of sadly.

I was looking at this dress, as it’s available in petite and I think the bright red would suit me, but I am just not sure if it’s really me:
https://www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/elise-velvet-midi-dress-red/sty-d0810-red

maybe could look good with chunky boots?

Alternatively I was looking at the silver faux leather skirt from Wyse but I think that looks better styled more casually with a black top - but it’s an option…
https://www.wyselondon.com/collections/leather-etc/products/lateisha-faux-leather-skirt-silver

this dress is also gorgeous I think but I suspect it would swamp me!
https://www.wyselondon.com/collections/dresses/products/ari-smocked-dress-leopard?variant=40487396999257

I do look a bit like a younger and skinnier version of the older model (who I think is the co-owner of the brand )!

thanks in advance!

Shortening a leather skirt will be a lot tricker than you imagine. You need to find someone with a sewing machine that can do leather, you can’t use pins, etc

@Mirabai , it depends if the leather has a 'raw' edge, it won't be tricky other than to measure and trim. If it's hemmed or hemmed and lined it will be.

You could ask the dressmaker to make an Obi belt something like in the below link with the cut off leather

https://rococo.ie/shop/rococoblackobibelt/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgK2qBhCHARIsAGACuzlEpIwKGNJIFLp1_HBDu4ycnosq_WkGdjEb1SylrpM9tLUt-EHLmx0aAiVHEALw_wcB

Red dress!

See... I think the Topshop skirt suggestion is laughable. I'm the same height as the OP, and am slender and flat-chested. That skirt would be hanging well below my feet. I would look the absolute opposite of cool.

I would look like a child playing at dressing-up.

IME, Boden dresses can work well for flat chested women (wrap dresses being a noble exception). I've bought a few over the years, and they are not going to move mountains but have looked reliably ok. I can live with that.

Red Boden dress is absolutely stunning 😍

Personally I wouldn't get a leather skirt altered, it will prove very expensive and you would need to find a professional seamstress who specialises in leather as a lot of work involved. I think you'd be better to return it. Sorry!😞

@logintoshareyourviews I read your post about the Topshop skirt in the middle of the night, and assumed I must have misunderstood some crucial point.

Reading it again, and no - your whole point seems to be that a perfectly ordinary (and cheap) polyester skirt would be unwearable by you because it would be too long. Not a dress, not a complicated jacket, not leather, just a simple tube of fabric.

I’m about 5’3. If a skirt is too long I take it to the local alterations service. I go into a changing room and put it on. They come with eyes and pins and, in consultation with me and several mirrors, work out the best length. Then I go back and pick it up a couple of days later. I always look cool ...

I like the red dress and the skirt, the leopard one is a bit of an odd match of pattern and fabric somehow.
I think the red.. I like it but it just depends how it fits you, could look fab but if it’s a bit too long (length or in the body) could stray into “frumpy” territory.. I am short and also have this problem!
this one is a bit more structured (can’t get the red to link for some reason!)

https://www.marksandspencer.com/velvet-square-neck-midi-waisted-dress/p/clp22574224?color=BLACK#intid=pid_pg1pip48g2r11c1

or mini lengths can be good if yr petite…
https://rixolondon.com/products/golden-dress-polka-dot-black

Oh sorry just caught up - the gold skirt is lovely! With a plain black top, you can pair it with lots of shapes and textures. Fab!

red dress 100/ the others o

That M&S dress is nice - but no good if you're flat chested, as square necklines just gape where you're supposed to have breasts to fill them out a bit...

That has never dawned on me before but you are so right! I have a square-necked dress that does exactly that! Good to know