Henley Regatta - Need a dress and only have Friday this week to get one, at the Bull Ring in Bham.

[ClearFruit]

Hi all.

Just as the title says really. I need an outfit for this Weekend at the Regatta.

I have never been and don't have a clue, though I have checked the dress code.

I have a day off on Friday so will go to the Bull Ring which is the nearest decent shopping destination to me.

I am 5'9'' and a size 10-12. Has anyone been or does anybody have any ideas?

TIA.

I have been - am going tomorrow and Wednesday but never made it to the weekend 😫. I've got 2 dresses this year, the first one for tomorrow when the forecast is 32 degrees is an old maxi shirt dress from asos believe it or not. For Wednesday its a jasper conran. Most women will wear midi or maxi dress with a blazer style jacket over for cooler weather. Are you in one of the enclosures? As stewards enclosure is smarter, regatta enclosure is a bit more varied

Hi @Mammamiammamia

Thanks. We are at Remenham Farm, which I believe is near the start line.

I was hoping I could wear a maxi as I love them. I have one from Hobbs, but it's a bit knackered now! Will look for a blazer or wrap too.

I hope you have a great time!

I am going on Thursday, mainly to take my son as we are both getting in to rowing. I didn't realise there was an expectation to dress nicely really. I was just advised to wear comfy shoes as well are there to watch the rowing and will be up and down the course a lot. Will have to ponder clothing options!

Was hopping back on to say comfy shoes! Also a hat- sounds daft but i forgot mine once and was completely frazzled by the end of the day

There is a published dress code, hence my mild panic! Have a lovely time with your Son.

OMG yes, I had totally forgotten! THANK YOU!

Are you in an enclosure? Stewards and the Leander club are smart.

it's basically a pretty day dress or equivalent, comfy shoes and a hat (for the sun). It's not Ascot style dressing up.

I would definitely try Hobbs (Grand Central not Bull Ring), Phase Eight and Selfridges.

Just been in and out of M&S in the Bull Ring and there are a fair few maxis in there (same height as you but wider...). Also TK if you have time to spend working through the racks, and Monsoon in Grand Central appears a little less fussy of maxi this year.

hobbs or monsoon are brill for smart dresses, go for it

No enclosure, I don't think so anyway. Remenham Farm riverbank. Near the start line, I believe,

Isn’t there a Selfridges in the city centre? Surely that’s the best place to try?

Why not scour the website in advance and then check which pieces they’ll have in store on the day you visit? There may well be a personal shopping option, can’t remember.

(I used to quite like the Harvey Nichols in the Mailbox - but I haven’t stepped into a HN anywhere for more than a decade so no idea of their current state.)

@ClearFruit

you could order into Next for trying on?

Could you get to Solihull and do the John Lewis personal shopper service (it’s free). Takes the pressure off a bit? Or if not agree to start with Hobbs and monsoon in grand central and then head into the bullring for other options (Zara etc)

Great idea, I didn't know that was an option at all! Thank you :)

Just asked my DD who is off there tomorrow and she said even if not in an enclosure guests are advised to dress up, doesn’t need to be below the knee though - enjoy

They have lots of lovely menswear but their womenswear is very limited in Birmingham. I much prefer Leeds HN but a lot of it is VERY pricey. My daughter likes their streetwear. Manchester carries a brand called Club Monaco which is more reasonable but not really the kind of outfit OP is looking for.

Selfridges have more of a range of brands at different price points.

I seem to remember the advent of almost an entire floor of Club Monaco in Manchester was the point at which I realised HN and I were no longer in sync.

It’s a shame - I practically lived in the Knightsbridge branch in the early 80s. And I was very fond of the Forth Floor cafe in Edinburgh for a while. Ho hum, everything changes …

On the river bank? Anything comfortable will do, though dress up if you want to.

Really? I've bought quite a bit of Club Monaco from there in the past few years. Affordable basics like a fitted top in a lovely teal colour, a well fitting navy blazer and couple of weeks ago a lovely silk blouse.

The other brand I like is Paige (the dresses) but they are too expensive to justify most of the time.

Yeah, but no, but …

There are a million places I can go to for ‘affordable basics’, @Comefromaway - they are definitely not what I’ve ever wanted from HN. (In my very early twenties they still had Jean Muir frocks in the Knightsbridge branch!)

Pre, during and post university I regularly used to spend at least half a day there, trying on every beautiful thing. In terms of late 20th century style that shop pretty much brought me up. Even after it stopped being my main source of inspiration (and a miraculous wardrobe builder during the sales) it was still a welcome pit stop in any relevant city. But then the branches I found myself in turned to mausoleums. And as I knew it as a concrete store i forgot about it once I turned to internet shopping.

We’ve had a complicated relationship!

I can echo this, smart casual is fine. Have fun!

I think you are overthinking this. Look at their Insta.

Ooh does that make it different, if we are on the riverbank? My Partner is wearing chinos and a blazer, shirt and tie. He's been advised to by the organiser (It is a birthday celebration).

Growing up in Stoke-on-Trent I never had access to department stores other than Debenhams!

As for affordable basics, I had tried on dozens of fitted tops and lots of blazers before I found the CM ones. I had also searched lots of places for a nice silk blouse.