Help Style My Mum

[DiscoMirrorBall]

We are going on a cruise in June with my Mum. She’s 70, 5ft 2. Size 20 and has a big bum. Consequently, she doesn’t own many formal dresses.

I’m tall, so am clueless on petite dresses. What style will help cover lumps and bumps, and importantly not take all the material clinging to her hips and bum.

Where are the best places to look? What styles? Budget under £100, ideal if closer to £50 as she likely won’t wear it again and could do with two dresses.

Try a John Lewis, I i filtered for Maxi, size 20 and found these
I found this at John Lewis & Partners. What do you think?  https://www.johnlewis.com/scarlett-jo-isabelle-plain-maxi-dress/p110706727?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&sshare=jlappioss_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

I found this at John Lewis & Partners. What do you think?  https://www.johnlewis.com/jolie-moi-gina-mirrored-mesh-maxi-dress-navy-multi/p112666289?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&sshare=jlappioss_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

Both come in several colours

I'm 2 months short of 66, 5' 2" and a 14 on a good day, 16 on a bad. If were looking for something dressy on a budget of £100 I'd look at Joannie. You'd definitely get one dress under £100 and 2 for the £150-£180 mark.

Or Sister Jane, where you'd get one in that price range. Size XL in Sister Jane is an 18 but their sizes are generous.

Yes I know these brands are always mentioned but I think in that price range they're streets ahead of anything else.

You say she likely won't wear it again. I suppose if what you and she have in mind is the sort of Andrea Pappell / Gina Baconni "cruise and occasion wear" it might never be worn again. That sort of thing isn't not my thing at all. I couldn't bear buying something nice to wear only once- whether I was paying £100 or £1000.

If I knew I was never going to go to anything ever again which required that level of occasion wear I'd buy a nice new dress with the intention that when its newness had worn off I'd wear to go to lunch or dinner on my birthday/ your birthday/ Mother's Day/ Christmas Day/ any half plausible excuse to wear my nice dress day. If you're mother is going on a cruise there surely must be other occasions she can wear it?

Joannie
Sister Jane

and importantly not take all the material clinging to her hips and bum

Wear M and S full non static slip under whatever she picks.

Could you maybe get her a skirt and then buy a few evening tops to wear with it? She might wear the tops again with existing trousers in her wardrobe.

Joe Brown has some lovely dresses that would float over a big bum!😁
I know they only go up to an 18 on their website but they go up to a 30 on JD Williams.
(only thought of them coz I just bought a lovely JB maxi dress that somebody sold as 'worn once on a cruise'.....their loss, I plan to swan around in the summer wearing it to walk the dogs or go to Tesco!!LOL😆).

Rina66 has a good idea. Buy black palazzo type trousers or a long skirt and get some long sparkly tops to go with them. Lots of people wear this sort of thing on cruises.

@Alltheburpees @Defiantlynot41 @IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle @Rina66 @henlake7

Thank you so much! These are all fabulous suggestions and we are going to look through them together to kit her out. Ideally she will find things she can wear again - she doesn’t get out as often as she used to!

My mother-in-law cruised a lot, she wore black trousers and a dressy top. She cruised into her 80s