Summer dress - keep or return

[mrspk]

Bought this in the John Lewis sale for hot days in the office. It's a very light viscose material. I'm not sure though now about the pattern, should I keep or return do you think?

The shape isn’t flattering for you and the pattern is both busy and drab.

Use ChatGPT to assess which colours flatter you most and avoid patterns.

I think it looks ok Op but not inspiring. I wouldn't look twice at you in either a negative or positive way, so think you can do better!

M and s have some shirt dresses in various colours/patterns 100% cotton, all different lengths.
www.marksandspencer.com/pure-cotton-printed-mini-shirt-dress/p/clp23074414#intid=pid_pg2pip48g2r6c2%7Cprodflag_Online%20Only

I think the length and shape of the dress are fine, it’s the pattern that’s a bit boring. If it was in black, it would look nice.

i agree with all the people saying viscose is a nice breathable fabric for summer. Linen is often mentioned as being amazing but it can be thick, heavy and creases easily.

Hush Liddie is very comfortable in the hot weather, I can attest:

https://www.hush-uk.com/liddie-short-sleeve-barrel-tank-dress-maroon-red/014907-3278.html?clickref=1110l45ZIUwv&app_clickref=1110l45ZIUwv&utm_source=partnerize_uk1011l2075laurenlyst&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=Comparison+Shopping+Services+%28CSS%29

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThinggrey, navy, brown aren’t black, just plain and unimaginative

It needs a belt!

I actually love the dress and think it looks lovely on you I’d definitely keep 😊 x

It can’t have been viscose.

The most flattering dress I've found is by Toast. It's the Lydia dress in 100% cotton jersey so is cool. About £140 and I've had mine for 9 years and it looks as good now as the day I bought it. It just drapes in a good way . . .

Viscose feels silky. It drapes beautifully. It's soft to wear.

I’d go for something like this https://www.anthropologie.com/en-gb/shop/the-somerset-maxi-dress-shirt-dress-edition3

Exactly. I don’t think what the poster is describing can possibly be viscose.

This shape is nice too https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E483823-000/

I thought you and MajorSamanthaCarter were exaggerating but you're right. It's a really unpleasant texture when you zoom in.

I've seen some IRL and it is tapping into some kind of horror movie I have seen as a child - or something. Makes me profoundly uncomfortable.

You want a smaller print. Those tiny busy prints are flattering on absolutely no one

Try Popsy Clothing. The cotton or the viscose ones are great. They also do a volre fabric which is nice, like a seersucker/cheesecloth type. A lot of theirs are jersey which are great for cooler weather.

It's this dress, which isn't bad for a work dress and has a lovely shape. I think the problem is that the Op needs a smaller size, hence the waist isn't clenched in and the wrap top is too baggy.

Yeah it doesn’t look any better on the model.

It's okay. It won't rock the world but for work I think it's absolutely fine. It has quite a nice shape. V neck, accentuates the waist. I much prefer it to a maxi dress.

Keep. Great for hot weather in the office

Bit too casual for the workplace.

Viscose is a cellulose fibre made from wood pulp or bamboo. It is very much a man-made fibre but is 50% more absorbent than natural fibres, and therefore shouldn’t make the wearer especially hot or sweaty. It is totally different to polyester, nylon or acrylic.

It involves processing to turn the raw material into cloth, but so does cotton, linen and silk. The material itself is naturally grown, not created. It also uses less water than cotton and the woods used can be grown on poor quality soil unsuitable for food production, unlike cotton.