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 😂😭

Totally get your concern.

But, unless it's a black tie wedding, then yes of course wear the lilac. With the gold heels, definitely. And as PP's have said...wear what you like, it's all in the styling. Sounds like the lilac colour will complement your skin tone and hair beautifully too.

There's a lovely red polkadot one on the Seasalt online sale........

@Lentilweaver

if you want chiffon/floaty but not polyester try Rixo. They do beautiful lightweight floaty dresses in silk. I've got my eye on one for being MOB next year.

@nancy75

you seem to have very set ideas about what you will/won't wear. I think you need to get out of your comfort zone and try some different looks.

I was like you until a few years ago. It took a combination of a couple of John Lewis styling appointments plus a subscription to Stitchfix to get me trying on different things and realising how stuck in a style rut I had become. I now have a whole new look and am much more confident.

sadly Stirchfix is no longer available but if you could get to a JL for a personal shopping session it could be very useful. There is no charge and no obligation to buy. And it's an easy way to shop - you discuss your event/preferences/size/budget and then sit in your private dressing room with a cup of tea and the stylist brings you racks of clothes to try on.

You are joking! It’s like a red puffball, Santa’s sack on legs! Only an extremely skinny woman could look anything in it. Most women would look ridiculous! OP is short and round - she doesn’t want to look like a space hopper on legs!

Have you ever looked at eloquii?

I have some of their dresses and love them. Most of the ones I've bought have been from Vinted, but you can buy from this website I think: onestopplus.co.uk/

I'm 5'4" and size 14.

The top half is fitted so it doesn't make you look fat at all. It's liked flared jeans - balances you out.

Best bit to this dress is that it's never been in fashion and therefore never fallen out of fashion. It's just a slightly different style.

You don't have to love it though. I feel happy and look good wearing this dress regardless!

Does purple suit you? But if not, plenty of size 22 dresses on this website … www.kitandkaboodal.com/en-eu/products/isabella-cotton-pocket-dress-purple

Here are some more …
www.kitandkaboodal.com/en-eu/collections/dresses?sort_by=manual&filter.v.m.custom.grouped_size=Fits+UK+8+to+22&filter.v.m.custom.grouped_size=Fits+UK+8+to+24

Has anyone mentioned the Joanie x Celia Birtwell collab yet?

I've just seen it and it's fantastic. Vintage, sleeves, plus sizes... might fit the bill?

Kemi Telford does fabulous dresses that can be dressed up or down.

Very unforgiving neckline!

Hi
I am similarly sized to you but 20. I had to find something for mother of bride and am definately not a MOB type! EAST are fantastic for floaty forgiving styles and have a sale at the moment. The designs tend to be timeless , pretty and ageless. i ended up with a GHOST dress for that wedding .

gb.marinarinaldi.com/p-3221134106001-ancora-water?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAoneyS_lW1A0Lora_55E9ZqitsyGp&gclsrc=ds

Very weird vibe to come on here and slag off a dress in extreme detail when another poster has already said they own it (and throw in a dig at the OP's bod for good measure!) MN is wild sometimes.

The OP described herself as short and round! That dress would not have suited her. . Everyone is going to have opinions about dresses, that’s the point of a discussion.

I was referring to 'a spacehopper on legs'.

Anything in here? Monsoon do loads of different styles, all these available in a 22
Page 5 | Dresses | Women's Dresses | Monsoon UK

Ok but as a short, round size 22 nothing really is going to disguise these facts. As she said herself, a pattern makes her look like a sofa.

The features she likes are her olive skin and dark hair. That red looks sensational on the right skin tone. There's lots of others on that site the Op might not have come across as well.

Mind you I am more than happy if no one else but me has one. 😁

OP might have laughed at that! If it offended then I’m sorry.

I think that you can wear anything at all to an evening reception. Just look at your favourite shops and buy the thing you love most. I think you would look great in a mini dress, either sequinned or tasseled, but if you prefer something woodblock and boho, just go for it. Have fun!

I think that if you wear that lilac/purple dress out shopping you probably wear quite formal clothing anyway. So do I, and I might well wear that out for lunch or out shopping as well, but that mainly means I don't feel I have to jump up as many smartness levels for formal events. I think that it would be fine for a wedding, and if you own it and it fits you and you like it that's 3 wins already.

I'd probably make sure my bag and shoes matched and put on bracelet/best necklace etc with it for a wedding but I don't think that it would be out of place at all.

https://www.evans.co.uk/yours-london-curve-green-abstract-print-wrap-maxi-dress-p

how about this Op? The greens would really suit your colouring

I'd wear something in this style in linen

https://www.toa.st/products/garment-dyed-linen-v-neck-dress-rooibos-red

and dress it up with chunky accessories:

https://saharalondon.com/collections/jewellery?numericMenu%5Blocations_inventory.71578091753%5D=1%3A

Or this, but they are out of your size:

https://www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/flare-linen-short-dress-multi-wildflower-daisy/sty-d0977-mul