Is this dress to awful? Or is it the shoes they styled it with?

[jasminegamine]

I ordered to try on and plan to wear with black tights and black ankle boots in February and with bare legs and silver shoes in the warmer months.
Hope I will like it.

Do you like it?
How would you style it?

I'm 46 - 5'5 - size 8/10

Floral Purple Crinkle Midi Dress - Oliver Bonas

I like the trainers.

but I don't want to succumb to some prescribed 40 something uniform either.

Well you're ok as there isn't one. Or a 50, 60, 70 or 80 something uniform either.

@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle , but there is an unspoken one.

@KirstenBlest or anyone really, what is this "unspoken" uniform of which you speak?

What does it look like?
Can you post links or picture examples what it looks like?
What happens to women who don't wear the age 40+ uniform?
Do men also have an age 40+ unspoken uniform?

Intrigued.

Not my taste at all, sorry.

It can get to fuck. At 62 my style is dungarees and a multi coloured jacket.

It screams polyester, and it is. It will look like crap regardless of the shoes because it'll hang like polyester and will feel horrible to wear which will make the wearer look horrible.

@lljkk , hair needs to be cut into a bob or a pixie cut. You either need to dye it a lighter colour or embrace the grey
No mini skirts. No sleeveless. No cleavage.
Clothes need to be more expensive/classic/luxecore.
Scarves around the neck to hide the dreaded turkey neck
Shoes need to be comfortable. Brands like Hotter and Fitflops start to look like good options for your bunioned/plantar fasciitised feet

The night before your 40th birthday, you will automatically put on 2 stones around your midriff, and find yourself searching sites like Damart for elasticated waist stretchy trousers and tunics for apple shapes.

Roll on 10 years and overnight you gain the cloak of invisibility and start wearing teal and purple.

For men, the code is determined by their spouses/partners, as they pick the clothes for them, usually from M&S.

I am older than 50 and am basing this on the advice given to me by friends. The only one I listened to was 'Wear a better bra'

Well the only things I can relate to on that list are "no minis" but I didn't wear minis at any age. My clothes are more expensive because I've got more money.

Both dress and shoes are grim.

@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle , it's a jokey list but I probably adhere to some, out of choice.

If you read S&B, there definitely seems to be a mum uniform.

But I think it depends on the reason for the "uniform", surely?

If it's because it's prescribed by some invisible societal expectation, they can get to fuck.

If it's because the clothing is just more practical/convenient/suitable for that particular lifestyle, then a "uniform" is probably more understandable.

For example, before I had my DC I was always in heels. Always. The higher the better. My DC are now 14 years old and have very significant SEN so I need to be mobile and able to dash around. I don't think I've worn proper heels in years! The mum uniform I used to see at the playground was shoes that let you dash after a mobile young child/toddler, trousers/leggings so you can easily get on the floor and play, and a warm coat for waiting for them to get out of school when it's absolutely bloody freezing! Why wouldn't you wear clothes that are suitable for your current lifestyle?!

Having said that, I bloody love a maxi dress and wear them all year round so often I look very different to most 😅

I will dress how I choose. Sometimes more for comfort, other times more for clothing that I love the look of. That might mean that sometimes I wear the so-called uniform - but it's coincidental and not because I'm trying to fit in with societal expectations.

If anything, if you deliberately choose to avoid clothing that you think is a uniform simply for that reason, then you're still being manipulated by what others expect of you!

Wear what you like and what makes you feel good, and fuck whether it means you're wearing a uniform.

It makes the size 6 model look fat! I quite like the fabric but the cut and design are horrible.

PS - good choice returning the dress OP. Honestly, I can't imagine anyone looking good in this - it's like an ironic, fashion-forward take on the traditional crimplene-type dresses that older women used to wear, and it just doesn't look good on anyone. Ever.

Granny's dress in the 1970s but in a loud polyester print instead of paisley crimplene.

@SpidersAreShitheads, there's what's practical for your lifestyle, and that's a sort of uniform.
But there's the unspoken one where people of the same sort of age & demographic group wear the same sort of outfit. (e.g. breton top, jeans, trainers)

I wouldn't wear heels unless I was dressing up for an occasion but that's because I walk everywhere.

If I go to the high street I see the different uniforms. A lot of the youngsters wear puffer/hoody, joggers, big sports sock under sliders/crocs. I could do that one without buying new clothes but it might look a bit bag lady.

Vile and shapeless - looks like a sack. It seems to be the current trend and I hate it

No, no, no

Glad you are returning it

Lovely dress.

I personally find the light dress with black tights and shoes look a bit twee and prefer the styling with sneakers.

Love the dress but would prefer shorter, looks quite long on the model, I would wear with black tights and chunky boots. Got to love a bright pattern. Couldn't give a toss what material it is but given what you can get in some shops it seems but expensive for what it is?

The colours are lovely but the style is a bit early 1980s Margaret Thatcher for my liking, and it seems to be made of synthetic fabric. I actually quite like the trainers with it (and on their own).

The old ladies going into soup and a chat sessions in community centres wear stuff like this. Even the models can't style it out.

The dress looks awful, as do the trainers, it doesn't have any stand out style features, I'm 74 and wouldn't be seen dead in it. You're young and slim, be more adventurous and go for something that makes you feel great, good luck!!

I love the floral , loose fit look, with either shoes , boots or trainers. This dress is the exception . Its budget Margot Ledbetter , and that's being charitable . Send it back OP !

It looks bloody awful, even on the model who is a model it is completely shapeless and the pattern is equally bad.

I dislike it...a lot. I can't imagine it looking good with anything. A dark baggy jumper and boots might help but I still wouldn't like it. Crinkle bsbeic too!