Is this not special enough/expensive enough for my son's wedding?

[flowersandmusic]

My son is getting married next year. June wedding. Someone on her recommended this dress for someone else. I went ahead and ordered it - a size smaller as that was all that was available. It has some weight to it and I love it but is it a bit cheapskate for mother of the groom. The money is not www.debenhams.com/product/jolie-moi-angel-sleeve-tiered-hem-maxi-dress_p-3e6c2c44-815f-42c7-b1db-67eae670cce8?colour=Multi&size=10&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22915808283&gbraid=0AAAAABevdS7lom0v68CypUOUtJ7wI713e&gclid=Cj0KCQjwio_RBhDMARIsAJPveNPX9QJHogyDX5JR4S_T4TALqJat6EcPACrQj2f_XntgPAeZTx04zrkaAnTFEALw_wcB

I think it's lovely. If you feel good in it you will look good in it.
There are some truly awful peolpe on here so take no notice and do you.

You must be right. But I haven’t seen it. I’m sorry because actually the tailored form fitting silhouette favours many of us in our middle years and beyond.

However as I’ve said before in my stuffy professional services firm experience and boards none of the women dress like this. Many wear tailored midi shirt dresses certainly, but trousers and smartish top more common. Jackets are seldom seen except as part of the more common trouser suit. The knee length or longer shift and jacket combo is a rarity in my personal experience.

Also as I said, at weddings I’ve been at in recent years, only the oldest grannies have been in the tailored combo whereas MOB and guests have been in midi dresses more often floaty / wrap / slightly flared skirt than straight/ form fitting.

If you look at brands such as LK Bennett, Hobbs, and Karen Millen

L K Bennett went bust earlier this year. Karen Millen closed all its shops several years ago and is online only.

I think the style is pretty OP, and the cost doesn't matter.

I'm personally not a huge fan of that type of rather busy floral print, but I wouldn't think anything negative if someone else wore it.

If you love it, I think it is a great buy.

I’m finding this really strange too. I work in the city and no one is wearing skirt suits.

For the posters banging on about polyester and how it looks cheap. For reference I have a Needle & Thread dress which is 100% polyester - check these out https://www.needleandthread.com//products/dandelion-ditsy-ankle-gown-seashell?variant=56108607078775&tw_source=google&tw_adid=799807752860&tw_campaign=23554791746&tw_kwdid=pla-312024301615&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23554791746&gbraid=0AAAAADgmke0w8C1JaVtPOX633hs7V4h9f&gclid=CjwKCAjw857RBhAgEiwAI-1yKJG7mvwHvqYv8-B3ISd4ycC8S2q6LZS-g7zLAoGWMVFx9m1LaM6ZFRoCs9AQAvD_BwE
some of you are coming across as very snobby. I can afford to pay more for a dress, however, I liked this one and I feel good in it. I don't want to wear a stuffy dress and jacket. I'm old but I'm not a pensioner just yet.

I’m a pensioner and don’t want a stuffy dress and jacket either!

You wouldn't get me in a stiff old fashioned MOTB outfit either.

I'm 64 not 94. My mother who is in the later age group is wearing exactly what some of the posters here would consider suitable for me on Saturday

Haven't RTFT, so apologies if this point has been made already:

One potential pitfall of a tailored, structured outfit is that most people buy them ready-to-wear. So not actually "tailored," except to a bog-standard set of measurements decided by the manufacturer. It's probably not going to fit you that well or look that good - unless you take it to a tailor and have it altered, which hardly anyone does. Even then, it's unlikely to be as good as something which was actually made for you.

This is one of the reasons why members of the Royal Family tend to look a lot better in that type of outfit than most people. Because their clothes have actually been made to fit, and to suit them.

In the past, people would own fewer clothes, but they'd probably fit better, because dressmaking skills and made-to-measure clothing were much more commonplace. Now we're trying to replicate that structured look with a lot of off-the-peg MOB/MOG outfits, but it doesn't necessarily end up looking that good.

So a softer silhouette can end up working a lot better. OP mentions that this particular dress fits like a glove, which in itself is something that will really elevate her look.

I think the first dress is stunning OP .
Go for that if you like it ..

Its lovely. Surely wear what you feel good in!

What kind of venue is it? Nice dress but not sure it is nice enough for a wedding

Do you really need a hat?? I'd be happy for any of my guests to wear whatever they want. Even jeans and a tshirt!! I'd rather everyone was comfortable and could enjoy the day.

I think it looks lovely too. Don’t conform to other peoples expectations. Wear what you would like. It’s not as if it’s jeans and a T-shirt! Have a lovely day.

This style is quite fashionable as far as wedding headwear goes right now, but I would caution that while some people look lovely, because they stack up quite high without much counterbalancing sideways, they do tend to lengthen a face dramatically. I was recently looking at someone in one and all I could think was of the expression "a face like a horse."

I think it can help to have a small embellishment on it, fascinator style, just to play with the width and soften the effect a little. The poppy above is a good example.

Another alternative is a more modestly sized "Alice band" style with a bit of feather etc. That can tend to have less of a distorting effect, but you need to play round with your own face shape. They can still look unfussy if you choose the right "widening" tool.

I really like a lot of the Needle and Thread dresses.

So do I and I am a pensioner!

I love it! It's perfect. I wish I could order one, all sizes are sold out. Nobody will know how much you paid for it.... I've seen incredibly expensive dresses I would not be caught dead wearing. This one is beautiful!

You go for it girl!!

Looks gorgeous, and do will you!!

Why are you asking for opinions so? Just wear the dress. No one cares.

It's a dated, not particulaly stylish dress & i wouldn't dream of wearing it to my child's wedding, but none of that matters because i am not you

I also think needle & thread dresses are nicer.

I haven’t read all the comments or bothered to look at the dress OP would like to wear, but I can’t help thinking that we worry too much about outfits not being good enough. If we like them ourselves and feel good in them, that should be all that matters.
Perhaps we should all be more like Princess Anne’. She wore an outfit she’d had for years last weekend when her son got married and whilst I’ve seen plenty of criticism about some of the outfits worn by other guests I’ve not seen one critical comment about hers or any suggestion that she should have worn something new
Her wardrobe must be vast bearing in mind how long she keeps her clothes but unless someone chose her outfit for her she must have picked what she did because she liked it and felt comfortable.

It looks perfect to me. If you like it and it fits well, you will look great.

@Doubletroubledoubled Not sure where you are looking about Princess Anne then! Her hat was awful.

However she has her own recycled style and people admire that but she’s obviously stuck in the past - I do get she doesn’t care - but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t make a bit more effort at times. People take her as she is because she works hard but no one thinks she’s got an ounce of fashion sense. When women wear modern fashion it’s more likely to attract comment and Anne is not ever going to be part of that conversation, but she wants it that way!

I don't think it's fair to say she's "not part of the conversation", whether you like her or not. According to Tatler she's "iconic" and a "glimmering beacon of British style".

https://www.tatler.com/gallery/princess-anne-best-style-moments

Just goes to show how subjective style is 😁