Help find the impossible frock!

[nancy75]

Going to a wedding early Sept & need help!
Wedding is posh venue, we are just going to the evening. Couple getting married are quite a bit younger than us, so most guests will be too & they dress up (in a boohoo, tight dress, high shoes kind of way)
I am rapidly approaching 50, have had various health issues (and too many cakes) and have put on a lot of weight - size 22.
Don’t do tight, can’t really wear heels & generally feel a frump!
Help me find something to wear! Olive skin, almost black hair, short & round - prefer to cover arms & legs budget up to £200 (preferable less!) General style is kind of hippy dresses with sandals/dms! Hate chiffony mother of the bride stuff. Is there any hope 😂😭

This is the dressier of the two Marina Rinaldi frocks I linked above. In case it appeals to anyone else with similar proportions to the OP.

(Quite honestly I think it would be far better than pretty much all the beachside party or golf dinner and dance dresses suggested - but we’re all different!)

It would look particularly grand and important with a Really Good Black Leather Belt with a decorative silver buckle. And some impressive (real looking, not costume) jewellery. And it would carry you through autumn and winter, rather than immediately being stored until next summer.

I really don’t like the material of the Brittany dress - I hate the chiffony stuff

@BetsyRegards bents are not my friend! Most of my weight is around my middle & it’s also too short for me to be comfortable

*belts!!

The amount of time I’ve spent looking at dresses, I could have taught myself to make my own 😂

Do you ever wear knee high boots, @nancy75? If you’re not comfortable showing your legs, they would mean you wouldn’t always have to wear voluminous long dresses.

No to knee high boots, I wear shorter dresses in winter with tights - but not for an early Sept wedding

Plisse Sparkle Wrap Maxi Dress in Midnight Blue - Roman Originals UK

There are loads of dresses here if any of them interest you:

https://www.scarlettandjo.com/collections/plus-size-dresses?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAABh_Mv663EZcDNv93wLbWgIho9y1X&gclid=CjwKCAjw2dG1BhB4EiwA998cqP_xZXQLsxeKZPR-0I6HqWqZlBs4XLuvhLt0NnwH74anFuLuDjP97hoCXKgQAvD_BwE

I think your rules are too rigid, if you rule too many out at first glance, then there will be none left. Could you go back to the drawing board?

What must it have.

What type of dresses do you wear now? Could you get something new that is similar and accessorise the shit out of it.

Looking at your comments you seem to be really wanting something red, I'm guessing this is a colour that suits you and you're comfortable in? Have you looked at Quiz curve range? It's really affordable too.

If you have the purple dress I'd definitely wear that. It's lovely. The red shoes would not match at all though, the gold version would be perfect

The purple dress is one of the better ones, IMO.

I have a similar dress from Monsoon which I would definitely wear to a wedding. (Not with those shoes though!)

https://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/p/mj699?optionSize=XL+20%2F22

I have this hat to go with it.

https://www.phase-eight.com/product/straw-bow-boater-706288101.html

Apologies if someone has already suggested this
joanieclothing.com/dawn-oporter-x-joanie-sunrise-psychedelic-print-midaxi-dress-citrus.html

Remembering how the OP describes herself, I don’t think this dress is the one!

When I was young & twiggy I’d have worn the Joanne dress - now I’d look like a mobile sofa😂 it’s too much pattern & too much dress. Probably would have been better with not so much sleeve

That’s not even nice on the model.

What kind of dresses do you normally wear?

OP, I wore this dress to a wedding recently - it’s the first time I have worn a pattern of any description in YEARS. It is a beautiful dress to wear and the cut gave me a lovely silhouette. I received compliments galore and I felt great in it. Usually I wear plain black or plain Navy. I really recommend this dress

That’s lovely

I love these dresses. Cotton, beautifully finished . I've done a weddings in several of them and the red will do Christmas and Valentines too! I'm 5' 3".

metamorphoza.com/collections/dresses-1/products/striped-asymmetric-sleeveless-dress?_pos=1&_fid=cd51f0021&_ss=c&variant=48466923454802

Or with sleeves

https://metamorphoza.com/collections/dresses-1/products/oversize-shirt-dress

That is one ugly dress!

What! It's fabulous.
Beautiful red cotton, lots of swish.
I swank around imperiously in mine. Also very forgiving if you eat too much at a wedding buffet.

I really like that @Marchintospring