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.

I love both of these! I’d go for silk if you can afford it: I had a silk Hobbs dress 20 years ago which was only past the point of wearing about five years ago, so price per wear over fifteen years was actually less than the primark dresses I own. And I have two silk boden dresses that I’ve had for twelve years that I still wear every summer. They wash and wear so well, and they feel soft and cool on the skin.

oooh and that swish when you walk feels so lovely!

I prefer Dress B

OP that Hobbs dress is beautiful.

Oh sorry, you meant the specific dress My bad. 🤦‍♀️

I saw these last week in Hobbs ( instore) I liked the silk one better, though the pattern colour way wasn’t quite me. It’s a very 1930s cut, flattering , but the diamanté trim on the front from the collar bone to the top of the underarm was very odd - it didn’t seem to belong to the smart tea dress styling.

The other one was underwhelming, though, again, it might just be that it’s not my colour choice.

Hey, it’s OK. I was expecting to get lynched for suggesting the OP is too young for that style of dress

I am only 3 yrs younger but those dresses seem so old fashioned! My mum would probably choose one of those.

sorry. We all have different opinions though! I feel really immature saying the above 🫣

Ooh, the kimono style is very unusual, but I do like it!

Sale - the magic word! Thank you 🤩

One issue I have with Hobbs is that I find a lot of their clothes come up just slightly short for my liking.

Well worth knowing, thank you!

I like the Phase Eight one someone posted best.

I agree with some other posters, both dresses very dated and I think you can do better. I love the kimono pp added from Vinted. How about this from wolf and badger?

😳😳

Honestly? That looks like 70s fancy dress to me!

I realise I mangled that post and left a sentence hanging - I should learn to proofread.😅

Mainly try them on in good time to change to another dress if needed. They don’t come up massively short like some labels but just a little too short for the style and for me it spoils the look which is then just not quite right (if that makes sense ). My legs are long enough already without clothes making me look like like a broom pole. I wish women’s clothes came in multiple lengths in the way that men’s trousers often do!

I had the exact same dilemma last year. A silk Paige dress I fell in love with, or a cheaper one from Phase Eight or Hobbs. I tried on about 30 different dresses then went back & bought the silk one.

Will you wear the silk one again? The one I bought could be dressed up with heels and a jacket or dressed down with boots & a leather jacket so I felt justified.

Go & see them & try them on in person. I love Hobbs for jackets, work trousers and summer jersey dresses but found their occasion wear underwhelming (I tried almost every dress they had in the shop). Phase Eight were much nicer, the only problem I had was a lack of availability in petite but you won’t have that issue.

I’m not a fan of the ones you posted OP. I, at nearly 50, also think they’re a bit dated. I absolutely love the Phase Eight one.

Have you considered hiring?

this one is also silk and on sale

Think they are the only silk dresses in the Hobbs sale section. Might be worth a look in the outlet sections of eg LK Bennett or Me&Em for other options

The colours might not be to your taste (they are to mine) but this is a Medium which despite what Vinted say is a 12.

https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/5963940456-paige-silk-dress-size-m-brand-new-with-tags?referrer=catalog

OP, you’re roughly the same age as me and that first dress is something similar to what my mum (who was nearly 70 at the time) wore to my wedding. It’s not a dress for a 40 something.

The second one is lovely,not the silk one.

I like the silk Hobbs dress. I don't mind the Carly dress either. Seeing all the options pp are coming up with really makes you realise we like something different. Also op it's what kind of shape/fit that flatters you. I recently wore a Hobbs silk dress to an event, and pp are right about the swish. They hang beautifully.

I'd have said exactly that about the PhaseEight dress, although the vast majority of
Phase Eight is stuff I'll never be old
enough to wear and I'm 65.

Of the 2 Hobbs dresses, the second one is so "wedding guest". The first could be worn on lots of other occasions.

Those Hobbs dresses? Really? What do you think 70 year olds should wear? I don't particularly like either of them but there's no reason why a 70 year old couldn't wear them

I'm 65 and so far the only dresses posted I'd wear are the Wiggy Kit and Alemais dresses.

The first Hobbs dress is quite pretty- the second one is far too wedding dressy. The Phase Eight dress is terrible. I'll never be old enough to wear Phase Eight.

I like the cheaper one, I don’t like the expensive one at all. The cheaper one you can also get more use of as well with different jackets, shrugs or sandals. I also like it in the. pink option