Another wedding guest one - middle aged with tum and big boobs.

[DingyHall2026]

Hoping for some flattering ideas from MN style gurus.

I'm going to my niece's wedding late May, UK (home counties).

Please find me some options to wear! Ideally under £80 but can stretch to £200 for the right dreas.

I'm 5ft 5, mid 40s, size 14 - smaller on bottom half with good legs but def size 14 waist, and 32-34J chest. I don't mind showing legs or cleavage, poss not both! Need to wear a bra obv so nothing difficult to dress re sleeves etc, and I'm not mad on my upper arms so would ideally have these covered. I think I'm a typical apple shape.

I get hot easily and burn easily so helping both of these good please! Obv no idea what weather will be like. Happy to get a couple of items if necessary, eg layers.

I am open on colours and patterns. I generally suit and wear jewel tones (shoulder length wavy mid brown hair with dyed auburn in it, pale skin blue eyes) and would never wear beige or camel tones, also hate wearing any pink. I prefer slightly edgy prints and designs eg animal and geometric rather than pretty or floral, I'd love to find something I can wear again! Probably not plain colours but feel free to try and persuade me.

I definitely don't want a Bombshell dress, and nothing toooo weddingy. I'd rather be a bit too casual in something I'll wear again than uber dressed up in something which will hang in my wardrobe for ever.

I've got various bags / will use DP's rucksack! And not sure on shoes yet so feel free to add some ideas, but I'm fairly comfortable finding these myself

Huge thanks! I've always wanted to do one of these myself after seeing ideas for other people.

The navy & green Frankie maxi also comes in red, but seems to be out of stock in a 14 everywhere. Though if you're chestnut/auburn with pale skin, I think the first colourway is better?

https://raishma.co.uk/products/frankie-dress

Just throwing this one into the mix as I think it would fit casual wedding & festival pretty well - & it's a really striking print. Black at weddings is totally fine in my book - especially patterned. It's viscose & silk blend too. Reduced well but not in your size on the All Saints website - but it is here.

I'd suggest trying a 16 too as it might be a wee bit floatier - though you can see the skirt is quite floaty in the second image. I also think it would be perfectly fine on your curvier figure - a decent well-fitting bra & big knicks work wonders for me!!!

https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/p/allsaints-floral-print-tiwa-maxi-dress-000000000007952653

Some of this Spanish brand Niza may be up your street. Think Wolf & Badger might be their only online stockist for the UK? This is a bit over budget but is cotton & has ruffles ...!!! It's a great tomato-ey red.

https://www.wolfandbadger.com/uk/women-long-crossover-jumpsuit-with-short-ruffle-sleeves/

Another one that's a great shape for ease while looking striking. I like the peony too but it might have too much pink in it alongside the red? But I would wear a coral pink with warm/autumn colouring?

https://religionclothing.com/products/floral-camellia-print-yellow-fiona-tunic-dress

Polyester unfortunately - but the cut is loose & if it's lightweight then it would be fine.

https://www.monsoon.co.uk/clemence-lian-floral-print-kimono-dress-blue-1000842284.html

Black Monsoon dress - but with an inky blue floral design. I like the elegance of this. In your size here, & reduced. Maybe the least festival/farmshop afterwards, though!

https://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/p/wd244

You might like some of the other prints here. Mostly a fine lightweight viscose. Not sure what the quality is like, but the prints are striking.

https://religionclothing.com/collections/dresses

A few more Religion dresses.

Are you die-in- a-ditch about a dress OP? Also an apple and for my next wedding invite I have ready a dressy blue and white spiky thistle print circle skirt (thick material so sits ‘out’) which I will wear with a crisp white button down shirt and high high heels. This sort of look:

and yup, never got past Sharon Stone at the Oscars that time. Stunning look 😍

It looked good then, & it does now.

Though shirts, including white ones, I just can't get to work well on me. I do think the cut is paramount - even the one in your photo doesn't seem to sit very well (though otherwise I like the look!).

You've reminded me though of Kemi Telford & her skirts & dresses, as the OP may like those.

This dress is just below your max budget OP, but you may like the Dutch wax prints she uses. I've bought my Kemi skirts from eBay.

https://kemitelford.com/products/aniola-v-neck-greta-dress

Another dramatic Kemi print. They're cotton & wash & wear brilliantly.

https://kemitelford.com/products/adeola-v-neck-greta-dress

Over budget, but rather fab - & you might get lucky on Vinted!!

https://kemitelford.com/products/efe-red-off-shoulder-dress-in-dutch-wax-print

Also a bit over budget, but a good shape.

https://kemitelford.com/products/the-tomi-cotton-midi-dress-soft-structure-statement-shape

Wow wow wow @EleanorMc67 !@EleanorMc67 !! So much beauty to choose from. I really like some of the religion clothing ones. The Kemi are stunning but not me I don't think, something about the boldness of the fabrics and the colours and strong lines just feels a bit like it would overwhelm me. You've picked so many I love though, I'm going to have to be disciplined but to buy 10 new dresses.

Do you work in fashion btw or somehow just have an encyclopedic knowledge of loads of shops and what they stock? Very impressive.

This does look good but I don't think it's for me. I'm not rigid on a dress, but I find them so much easier to wear than two items, one of which is bound to need an iron or a wash or have a hole appear. I love wearing dresses and jumpsuits, one thing plus underwear and off I go!

Good, I hope you find something you love! I would order several just to try on - I never pin my hopes on just one thing in case the colour is completely different/it's too short etc.

I don't work in fashion, no - though I have friends who do (& I trained as a landscape architect at art college, which was part of a university). So I'm in design - but have always loved fashion.

Yes, Kemi Telford dresses are very graphic. I think they look best on people with intense/strong/dramatic colouring. I prefer plains on my top half generally, so just have some of her skirts.

I'm the same about dresses & the ease of wearing them. Don't forget the jewellery, footwear & bag though - more important than the underwear in my book ... 😁!!!

Well that blows everything else out of the water.