Am I nuts to have splurged on this?

[Peppermintcreamz]

Have loved this Self Portrait dress for a while and saw it went 25% off today. It was reduced to €390/£335. I have no formal enough occasion coming up this year for it but I’d love to save it for the next wedding or something appropriate. I’m trying to save a bit more at the moment (for nothing specific) so I can cover it if I dip in to those. There was 1 left in my size and I couldn’t resist. If it fits should I keep it? 😅

But I thought the general consensus on S&B was that only the most shallow and vacuous among us* cared about whether something was dated?

Edited to add * that does include me to be fair.

Lovely!

this. YABU

If you love it keep it . It's not a rehearsal go for it I think it's beautiful

It's nice but looks very formal. Would you have an appropriate occasion to wear it ?

If you like it and can afford it then bugger everything else and keep it.
There are some absolutely drop dead gorgeous dresses on the website and I love his style but reading the blurb on there -
Self-Portrait was established in 2013 by Han Chong in London, with a creative vision to make beautiful design accessible to all women.
I'm afraid Han Chong is on another planet if he thinks he's designing for ALL woman as I'd want the dress, shoes, bag and a hat to match for those prices 😐

I really like it and I'm also a bit bemused by some of the references. I agree with that for me it has a vibe of Grace Kelly in Rear Window or Tippi Hedren in The Birds or Kim Novak in Vertigo (in fact pretty much any film involving Edith Head but maybe that's for another thread). I'm also pleased, op that you're not constrained by regressive ideas about what a 26 year-old should wear.

!00% this. I love a modern take on a vintage reference, especially a Dior New Look reference and (being considerably older than the OP) know from experience that vintage-styles don’t date. My go-to black tie dress is a very 1930s bias cut floor-length dress, and has served me well for more than 20 years so far. But you do have to have things to actually wear the beautiful dress to. I’d have the champagne version rather than the ice blue on my wish list, but even so am not sure where I’d actually wear it…

How rude of so many posters.. It's beautiful, @Peppermintcreamz - if you love it, then it's perfect.

if your husband becomes leader of the conservative party, it’ll come in handy

save your pennies dear

While we wait for the op’s dress to arrive and for the wannabe comedians to think up some fresh jokes, here’s a new look dress I’ve been hankering over even though a) it’s already sold b) it’s not my size and c) I hardly ever wear dresses.
https://blacksheepantiques.co.uk/collections/dresses-1/products/stunning-emerald-green-late-1940s-early-1950s-wool-dress-1?variant=54939184300408

I’m an ‘air hostess’, I would not wear this!! 😄

Nice colour but not keen on the style

Amazingly despite being 1940s that might fit me. Usually vintage clothes are too small. It's gorgeous.

[The "jokes" are tedious]

Yes they seem to get hold of a wider selection of sizes than most vintage sellers, Castle. I've never bought from them but I do keep an eye out, if only to drool. Some of their suits are quite reminiscent of the op's dress.

It looks like something the Queen Mother would have worn 🫣 How old are you?

I love the colour but it remind me of something that loathsome press secretary of Trump’s would wear.

Beautiful, classic & classy

It looks so much better when you see the video which shows the material better. The buttons are beautiful.

https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-gb/shop/product/self-portrait/clothing/midi-dresses/layered-embellished-taffeta-midi-dress/1647597350585790?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GOO%3ANAP%3AEU%3AGB%3AEX%3AENG%3ASEAU%3APLA%3ASLR%3AMXO%3ANEW%3AWN%3ASELF-PORTRAIT%3ALV0%3ALV1%3ALV2%3AXXX%3A11%3AEMPTY%3A&utm_id=20070270126&utm_term=3074457345628650545&vtp00=GOOGLE&vtp01=SEAU&vtp02=170440048268&vtp03=pla-297800002214&vtp04=g&vtp05=m&vtp06=698309456152&vtp07=pla&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoNzABhDbARIsALfY8VPPQVF_DmedMaHFpBDkwFwhvDeZ8zg-4T_npnIWN3hZqpKhQRXI8YIaArweEALw_wcB

Interestingly, @Mercurial123 that seems to be the NaP version of the dress! Much plainer buttons on the one from Self Portrait’s own site which I posted above:

https://www.self-portrait.com/products/aw24-blue-tailored-taffeta-midi-dress

The NaP version is £40 more and - I’d say - the fancy buttons make the dress a tiny bit less versatile.

No - I’m wrong! 😂 The sparkly buttons are on the OP’s original dress. But not on SP’s website version. I much prefer it without.

Looks like something Melania Trump would wear, but I am no style icon. As long as you like it that’s all that counts

Yes Princess Catherine was the first person that sprang to mind. Or her mother or Queen Camilla even!

It's gorgeous. The cut is beautiful and the pale blue is my new favourite colour. It will serve you well over many years.

Sorry, unless you’re over 50, it’s very old fashioned.

I think it’s very Melania Trump. It is extremely elegant but I feel it would look best on someone tall wearing very high heels