Should I I keep this dress? Help me decide!

[pharmachameleon]

I bought this dress online from Me and Em about two weeks ago so I need to decide soon if I should keep it. I can't decide!!! I like it on me-the colours suit me and my chest area is awful (skinny, flat chested and uneven skin tone) so it's good this dress hides that area. But is it frumpy?
I really don't know any more. It's not for anywhere special, maybe wearing on holiday or out for dinner. Tell me straight if I should send it back please!

www.meandem.com/linen-blend-lace-midi-shirt-dress-belt-lilac-red-cream

Afraid I don't like it at all. Well yes, the colour is pretty. That's it though. I'd return it. Sorry.

@pharmachameleon your original dress was worn by a presenter (sorry not sure of her.name) at the Chelsea flower show and people on another fashion group I follow were raving about it.
Beautiful dress IMO

@timefornewme2023 she looks lovely in it! Looks really summery.

I would be slightly beside myself with annoyance if my new dress was seen being worn by someone on TV!

(it happened once decades ago with a new pink top I had actually saved up to buy. The very same week a model / actress / whatever celeb was involved in a scandal - and all over the gutter press in (thankfully) the blue version of my top. If she’d been wearing the pink I honestly think I’d have had to set fire to it …)

Obviously Sophie Raworth at Chelsea is much more genteel, but still …

A journalist on Newsnight Scotland had a Samantha Sung shirt waister dress bought from the same local boutique where I bought mine. It wasn't the same pattern as my dress but it was the same, very distinctive shirt dress.

That however is a different kettle of fish from yours. Serious journalist on serious late night news programme wears non high street brand bought in local independent boutique. The collective position of all concerned, including the shop owners, was patting respective backs rather than slightly beside ourselves.

Norma Major and I had the same Windsmoor navy tailored suit in the early 1990s. Norma Major wore it a lot and as, relatively speaking, it was an expensive purchase for me at the time, so did I. I didn't mind. Mrs Major seemed pleasant enough. Looking back now at photos of her she was understated but dressed pretty well. I think she was trying to support the UK clothing industry.

The suit appears a lot in photos of her. The skirt was a straight, slightly pencilled shape to just below knee length. The material was a gorgeous wool crepe.

Norma Major and my suit

It's a quite pretty dress, I'm always suspicious of anything with linen so I take a handful of fabric and scrunch it in my hand to see how much it really creases, also is it machine washable? I usually hand wash new stuff but at that price I would want to wear it for a lot of summers

@KomproMatilda oh god no! I love it if I see someone on TV wearing something I have. I sometimes have the same clothes as Alex Jones on the One Show so I now follow her on IG for ideas. I see it as a validation of my sartorial style if someone wears something I own on TV 😂
@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle I'm sure you wore that suit way better than Norma Major!

Keep it’s lush !

I see you’ve sent it back, but I think it looked gorgeous on you. Definitely buy it back if it goes in the sale.

£325 for that???

Christ I expected it to be something special for that price. I'd wear that pottering in town.

It's a bit square really.

Do you mean ‘square’ in the 1970s ‘Happy Days’ way, or something else? Haven’t heard that description for decades.

I've just seen Sophie Raworth wearing this on the Chelsea Flower Show programme!

Me too. It looked lovely on.

Didn’t realise it was the same dress as SR wore.
It looked gorgeous on.

I really loathe tiered bottoms.

Sorry no. My friend found someone local. Idk how she found that tbh. But a quick google gives several websites, which will recommended people in your area.

That would look horrendous on me- the puffy shoulders and sleeves. I’d look like a lady clown. But if you’re medium height to tall with a more regular body shape and broadish shoulders, you could carry it off.

Not a big fan of it, but if I were, I think it’s massively overpriced for what it is. If you’re unsure, I’d return it. In my experience you don’t really grow to love clothes you didn’t love from the get-go.

It is a lovely dress. It must not wow you though if you're undecided?
It's alot of money for something you're not 100% sure of.

Not frumpy but is it worth £350 to you? Depends how rich you are but even my best dresses don’t cost that so if your “not sures” do then you need to be rich!

This is just gorgeous. I love it

@Joey34 I think you posted on the wrong board -report your post and ask it to be moved, as I don't think you'll get the replies you need on Style and Beauty.

Whoops! Thanks