Wedding guest dress - splash out on silk or stick to budget?

[PopsicleSchtick]

I have two weddings to attend this summer (a cousin’s and a friend’s) - both similar in style (country hotel) but with completely different guest lists, so thankfully I only need one dress for both!

I’ve fallen in love with dress A from Hobbs. It’s definitely over budget, but it’s also pure silk, and part of me is thinking “You get what you pay for”.

https://www.johnlewis.com/hobbs-ann-floral-pure-silk-dress-multi/p113606997

However, £350 is a hell of a lot. So I’m also looking at dress B - also from Hobbs, but viscose, so significantly cheaper. I don’t think the quality will be quite as great, but on the other hand, anything from Hobbs isn’t going to be your standard Primani viscose:

www.johnlewis.com/hobbs-carly-floral-dress-blue-multi/p113526626

What would you do? Also open to other suggestions! I’m tall (5ft 10) and a size 12, with dark hair; I find bolder colours and prints tend to suit me.

Oops, forgot photos:

Ooh, tricky one! The first dress is absolutely stunning and looks expensive; the second is pretty but doesn't look like it should cost £180. How much does a £350 spend eat into your budget? Would it leave you short for day-to-day things, or can you afford it quite easily (or somewhere in between)? I think if you've fallen in love with it then dress A is the one, and if you really can't justify the expense then I'd look elsewhere rather than spend what is still quite a lot of money on the less nice version.

I would go for the cheaper one, judging by the number of dresses I have bought for weddings and never worn again. Although I agree that I would find a similar dress that's cheaper than £180.

I have seen the fiest one and it is amazing
If you can afford it I would 100% go for it.

However if it leaves you tight go for the 2nd one.

How old are you? The expensive one looks for an older person imo.
Also silk production is awfully cruel. Both very good reasons for going for the cheaper one.

Both of these are lovely. I would go for the silk one as it will be more comfortable, will last, looks more expensive, etc. However, the other one is pretty too, just not as nice imo (and I wouldn’t pay that for polyester myself).

How old are you? I think those dresses are for a more mature person rather than a young person.

Have you thought about hiring a designer dress instead?

https://www.hurrcollective.com/

I’ll be 46 by the time of the wedding.

Order both then decide
I find Hobbs quite short for tall women and dress one looks like a flattering length.
Both are very pretty.

https://www.phase-eight.com/product/tahnia-floral-dress-10002040000.html#navAjax=true&is=true&cgid=wedding-guest&sz=60&start=0&isSecondPage=false&prefn1=clothingType&prefv1=Dresses&prefn2=size&prefv2=10&pid=10002040000&pos=50

Sorry for the horrible link! How about this?

Well … I love silk dresses, but I don’t like that one, or the cheaper one, and the way they’re styled on the website is heinously dated and awful. (I’m in my 60s and haven’t bought anything from Hobbs this century.)

This

Wiggy Kit dress

is a hundred times more contemporary and zingy. (The front can be tied for a more modest look than in the first photo!)

If you still have a bit of time, you could wait for

Alemais dresses

to go on sale in all the places that stock them. Again, beautiful fabrics - silk or linen - but with more pizzazz and a 21st c feel to them.

I'm now browsing wedding guest dresses and hoping someone will invite me to a wedding soon 😂

If you can afford it I'd go for the silk one, but the only real way to decide is either order both or get to a shop and try them both on. I love that shade of blue but personally prefer the pattern on the silk one.

Ooh, that’s beautiful! Will definitely add to the list of possibilities.

If you still have a bit of time, you could wait for
Alemais dresses
to go on sale in all the places that stock them. Again, beautiful fabrics - silk or linen - but with more pizzazz and a 21st c feel to them.

Erm… “Wow” is the only word I can use for those. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether that’s a good wow!

You need to go to a Hobbs and try them on.

Take a look at Moss and Spy. Made in Australia, so no sweat shops, are you would get value for money due to weak AU$ and seasons difference. They ship world wide.

https://www.mossandspy.com.au/collections/sale/products/azure-dress-blue-navy-ivory-35

I think these are dreadful.

I don't think Hobbs look dated.

Good job we don't all like the same thing 😊

I think it depends whether you think you'll have occasions where you might be able to wear the first one again. It is beautiful but for £350 I'd have thought they'd have matched the pattern down the back... Thinking practically, silk can be a bugger to get a stain out of if you spill a canape or red wine down the front and that would worry me.

As for the dresses with "pizzazz" - hmm. Not everyone wants "pizzazz" as a wedding guest.

I also love this dress - which ticks the bold colours and prints box, and it's not expensive at all.

https://www.next.co.uk/style/su542753/aw4028#aw4028

or this one

https://www.next.co.uk/style/su656928/f62938#f62938

In the words of my mum…those dresses are very “settled” as in too old fashioned. I think you could find better

I like Hobbs but just my opinion and I'm 48, that silk dress looks like something I wouldn't wear for another 20 years.
The Phase Eight dress posted is lovely.

I've never owned anything silk that was "wearable". Maybe it's me, but it so difficult to care for that I end up barely wearing it, so I'd go for the cheaper one.

I like the blue floaty Next one that’s been posted - it’s lovely
The Hobbs ones are “antwacky” (… IYKYK 😂)

@Youvebeenframed the "antwacky" comment places you firmly on Merseyside - DH is from that neck of the woods and I had never ever heard that expression until I met him! I think I first heard it used in relation to a shop called Ethel Austin - which again I had never encountered until meeting him.

But anyway, antwacky or old-fashioned is not necessarily bad.