Urgent help styling this dress

[Tigerlilian]

Please help me style this dress for a wedding.

I'm hoping to disguise my tummy as much as possible.

Think I shouldn't really wear a white jacket and don't want to wear a black one.

Have access to most High St shops and online if they have fast delivery options.

I'm hopeless at this so any help gratefully received.

Thanks.

www.marksandspencer.com/polka-dot-midi-tea-dress/p/clp22583604

I would go for a wrap something like this https://amzn.eu/d/8tailJQ
it’s long so you would naturally hold the ends in front of you (I liked the dress in red)

Buy a red jacket

I like the blazer suggested earlier, very chic. I’d wear Spanx as well.

Thanks everyone - have ordered a few more things to try (including my usual style of trousers and shirts - but fancier 🙄).

I know I’m worrying too much - in reality nobody will be looking at me and scrutinising my outfit!

Thanks for all your help and kindness.

I’m the same size as you with a big tummy and would never consider that dress. It’s the wrong shape completely.

Perhaps something from Nobody's Child?
Nobody's Child
Nobody's Child 1
Nobody's Child 2

Or Joannie?
Joannie
Joannie

they both do dresses with very full skirts

I agree with PP, that dress isn’t a great style for a big belly. I know wrap dresses are poo-pooed on here but honestly, I have a belly and wrap dresses really disguise it. A good v-neck wrap dress keeps all the focus on your face and cleavage.

having said that, you don’t have to wear a dress If you’d feel more comfortable in a more dressed up version of the shirt and trousers you normally wear, go for that!

OP, I also like a polka dot! I tried this on in a different fabric and while I did not like the sleeves on me, I have quite fat/muscly arms and felt a bit of a unit, one thing I could say is it did disguise the tum.

https://www.next.co.uk/style/su473899/aj2358

The Anthropologie Bettina dress is similar
Bettina dress

decent support underwear goes a long way - Spanx all the way

I think you should take another look at Debenhams! Perhaps it has changed since you last shopped there but I find it has the best ‘on trend’ selection of any of the department stores, with far more fast changing fashion brands.
I’m in my 30s and I’ve been a fan for at least a decade!

If you're tall and anything less than willowy, buying dresses can be so tricky, particularly if you want something fitted in one place or another. I'm currently struggling finding something for my son's wedding.

I do like that dress op - the sleeves are definitely the feature.

Agree with the other comments about spanx or similar. If you can find a very large, plain coloured pashmina in merino wool or cashmere to compliment your dress you can play around with it. Even if it just hangs loosely it will visually cut your body in 3, drape nicely in the side profile and prevent your stomach from becoming a focal point. Agree with the other comments vis-a-vis jacket. Do not under any circumstances wear a jacket with those puff sleeves.

Also, forget about your stomach. You no doubt look lovely in your dress. Wear makeup/ accessories/ hair to compliment what you do like about yourself. That will become what people focus on. Also, don't bother trying things on without makeup, hair and accessories looking at the very least presentable. It will always make you feel like shit if you try on clothes whilst looking unwashed and bedraggled

I had some luck with Florere recently https://www.reiss.com/shop/brand-florere-0?p=6#837.5

When is the last time you shopped at Debenhams? It's owned by Boohoo so caters for a young demographic but also has all major brands karen millen. Coast, warehouse, oasis etc. It's all online now but even 20 years ago it was a store where me, my mum and my grandmother could all pick something up because of the wide range of concession stores in there

I love the pink Coast dress on the link above for a wedding.

OP, as someone who's weight is all on my stomach I can tell you that the cut on the dress linked will be really unflattering. There's some really good you tube videos showing which type of dress flatters a big stomach. I always see empire dresses recommended on MN but they always make me look twice as big. Something that fits at the waist then flares out is much more flattering, or a shift style if short

Well I scrolled through the first page of the Debenhams link- 40 and more very uninspired dresses I wouldn't ever consider wearing. There was another 700 pages- maybe something better was hidden somewhere.

OP I really like the m&s dress. Now you’ve explained the side view issue I think a wrap (plain off white or neutral like the shoes in the photo) would be perfect to disguise that. Wear it with a blazer another time to get best use out of it for different occasions. The Next alternative might be a good shout though if the m&s one doesn’t fit the bill.

After I had a baby I found floaty scarves around the neck hid all sorts of issues, but that was 15 years ago, so maybe it’d look a bit dated now. But essentially you don’t add width you just skim over stuff with the scarf. Pashminas etc are probably still quite ok for weddings? I wish scarves would come back, they were great!

She didn't ask for anything inspiring or cutting edge as you can see from the OP. She just wants a decent dress for a wedding that is flattering.
You're the poster that usually recommends dresses that look like a clown marquee aren't you?

I always dislike my sideways view and can’t be bothered with control underwear. The dress is pretty but it’s not flattering for a person with a tummy. The first nobody’s child dress is what I would choose, it’s striking and flattering. Shawl is the way to go too, I love a pretty shawl.

Please don't buy something where you then have to buy a wrap or jacket to hide bits of the dress OP. You'll just feel uncomfortable all day. There are so many dresses out there, you will find something that fits well and is flattering. John Lewis personal shopper might be a good idea to try different shapes etc. It's a free service you just have to book

The OP will need a jacket on top of that dress because of the weather - assuming that the wedding is in the UK, it's too cold for a thin dress without a cover up.

I suggested a Nobody's Child dress, which at least one other poster likes.

The black and white Nobody's Child one? That was lovely. The trouble is none of us knows the OP's age or colouring. But it's worth shooting out a few ideas, isn't it?