Which dress for my fancy 40th?

[BonneMamanIsMyJam]

Hello!

I’m turning 40 next month and my husband has a surprise ‘fancy’ (apparently) night organised.

I’d like to buy a beautiful dress I will wear lots of times again, and am torn between these 2. Is the red too short? Is the black too Christmassy?

help!

FWIW I am 5 foot 7, size 10.

Option 1:
https://saloniworld.com/products/rina-b-dress-in-brandy-red

option 2:
https://saloniworld.com/products/camille-velvet-embellished-bows-dress

I that you’re mostly right that the black will date, as it’s very ‘now’, so if I’m spending that amount of money I’m better off getting something with more longevity.

thanks for the Coast suggestion, I think as a one-off I was hoping to go non high street.

I think I’ve concluded I would like long sleeves, black or red, and fun.

They're both nice dresses but the black one doesn't feel very partyish to me. The black one is very safe.

If you were going out for a lovely lunch during the day, then absolutely the black one would be perfect, but if it's a fancy evening party then I think the red would be nicer. It's a fab colour and a lot more fun I think.

It's your 40th and it's a party! If you can't wear a short red dress for for your 40th birthday party, when can you? I also disagree with the PP who said it looked cheap - when you click on the picture of it being worn by the model, it doesn't look cheap at all and you can tell when you zoom in that it's a quality fabric. Yes, it's short, but the long sleeves and the high neckline give it some class and the detailing is actually quite high-fashion!

To be honest, if you're 5'7" and a size 10 you'll look fab in anything but I'd go with the red.

(PS I personally find Coast very boring, safe and a tiny bit frumpy!)

I love the black one but I am an old goth! Prefer the red one in the green as in red it seems very love islander to me. In the green it's gorgeous

Neither scream fancy but out of the two the red has a more party vibe.

I would have a look at fenwick and liberty they have a nice range of designers.

the red one does not look like £550 and I think you can do better than the black one…

Oh, and if you like the black velvet classy vibe of the black one, but the more partyish length of the red one ... they do a short version of the black one which is lovely and a lot more versatile:

https://saloniworld.com/products/camille-bows-mini-dress-in-black-1

I'd choose the red one. The black one looks like something out of the 1700s and looks ageing.

It reminds me of Mrs Doubtfire when Miranda asks her which dress to wear for her date and Mrs Doubtfire picks a horrible long black one 🤣

Both are awful op

Im in the minority.. I love the black one lol.... the red one looks cheap. X

The red one is much nicer, the black one is frumpy.

There are better dresses out there than the red one though.

https://www.needleandthread.com/products/celia-long-sleeve-mini-dress-emerald love this 🥰

@throwawayaway1

a lot of other people seem to think so too, not just me!

op can get so much better

https://www.allsaints.com/dw/image/v2/BHHD_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-allsaints-emea-master-catalog/default/dw9cf3112d/images/large/W002DZ/7079/W002DZ-7079-1.jpg?sw=837&sh=1046&sm=fit&q=70

https://xcdn.next.co.uk/Common/Items/Default/Default/ItemImages/3_4Ratio/SearchTP/678x904/C29708.jpg?im=Resize,width=450

https://images.selfridges.com/is/image/selfridges/R04169059_PINK_ALT10?defaultImage=R04169059_PINK_M&$PLP_ALL$

This style is lovely. You're 40 @BonneMamanIsMyJam ! Go as sexy as you like! I'm sorry but the black Saloni one is awful. Especially for the money. Crikey 😫

You’re 40 Op, not 90
go sexy

This is gorgeous, where is it from? Is that you in the pic or a model?

It was from Sandro, I'm afraid its me

@App13 you have such good legs !

@App13 If you're not a model, you should be 😍 Please tell @BonneMamanIsMyJam where this dress is from! Wear this one OP!

Gorgeous, both of them! I would say go for the red. The black one is very Claudia Winkleman and less of a party style.

@BonneMamanIsMyJam
The lady that is the o p on this thread is amazing I bet she would find you something gorgeous

Personal stylist - autumn, winter and Xmas edition http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/styleandd_beauty/4929578-personal-stylist-xmas-edition

They're very different to each other. The first one is sexy and shows off a great figure. The second one is very conservative bordering frumpy.

I would go for a dress that you feel gorgeous in, not necessarily the red one but something sexy. 40 is young!

Have you thought about renting on By Rotation or hurr?
Lots of fabulous designer dresses on there. Matches has also started a rental service.

From past experience of being enchanted by the photos of dresses like that, long, black, velvet and beautiful, they're often a disappointment in real life as they can be heavy, lacking flattering/pretty movement, and aren't that forgiving or flattering in how they hang on the body. Not always of course - depends on the dress and how it fits each person! But I've often ended up feeling really dowdy in black velvet numbers despite how beautiful they look. The red is more fun and versatile, while still being grown up and sexy.