Invited to very fancy party and nothing to wear!

[custardlover]

A very fancy and couturey fashiony party; guests will be wearing CHANEL but my speed (and budget) is a lot more like Boden. What would you do? I wonder if there is something chic I should target on Vinted or Vestaire (or somewhere else?)? Rixo maybe?

And absolutely I could just wear something in my wardrobe but it would be great to hear any inspiration!

@GarlicSomething thats gorgeous! Perfect imho for a fancy party and a snip at only £87.

I'm going by terms used at vintage fashion fairs & vintage shops that I visit.

Most of them (including a couple that I've been going to since I was a student 35 or so years ago!) do now stock pieces from the 80s/90s/2000s, though are selective in what they'll choose to sell.

The terminology does matter depending on what age you are, in that to someone who's 25, & didn't wear 90s slip dresses first time around like I did (as they weren't born!!), everything that was made 20 years ago or more is vintage - they don't/won't/can't differentiate?

And retro has a different meaning - it means something new that is mimicking something old. So, yes, that dress WAS retro in the 90s when it was made - but it's now 2026 & it's become vintage ...

Rehashing ideas & styles from past eras is nothing new & will continue as long as there's a fashion industry. 1970s styles (which I assume you would consider "true vintage"?) aped lots of 30s & 40s clothing, but also harked back to all the lacy romantic Edwardian/Victorian eras. So some of it was also retro at the time.

What my goddaughter considers to be the vintage clothing of today will eventually become "true vintage" to her as she gets older, & she'll scorn the clothing of the 2020s being called vintage - just as @GarlicSomething has pointed out regarding the vintage clothes of her youth! (And mine!)

Firstly, thank you so much to the stylish and impressive experts for sharing their passion and eye with me. I confess that while I love clothes, I still feel that there is a secret language of (usually high) fashion I haven't yet fully understood but I do enjoy.

A key piece of intel I was avoiding sharing for outing reasons but will now as it does seem pertinent is that the party is hosted by CHANEL hence the expectation that will be the pervading aesthetic. As that is wildly out of my comfort zone and budget, I will a) abstain from Dior (ha!) and b) I think going down a British brand with elegance but perhaps some edge is a great steer. I'll be back once I have immersed myself!

Is this elegant or novelty?

https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/p/sandro-paris-asymmetric-maxi-dress-000000000007954793

what about this with some black heels? simple and elegant.. Also, im not no fashion expert but could bling an outfit up slightly by adding jewellery too... have a look in sales in Harrods, found that in cocktail dresses section.

https://www.flannels.com/vivienne-westwood-womens-viv-hebo-mini-dress-653149#colcode=65314903

found this also in evening dresses section.

I love the shapes of VW, especially the drunken tailoring and the bustiers, but this is sadly far too short for my mid-life legs.

How's this? I can't work out whether it could be chic with a twist or a massive sequiny pain

https://www.vestiairecollective.com/women-clothing/dresses/self-portrait/black-polyester-self-portrait-dress-21060041.shtml

I always do a search of clothing images on Vestiare, Vinted etc if there are no shots of it from the brand's website.

I quite liked the look of it on your link, & still do on this website. I like the shape & the colour. It could be a little bit shiny though?

https://hire.girlmeetsdress.com/products/twist-leaf-sequin-dress

I like it, too. I'm watching Chanel AW at the moment. I love it! This is unusual for me. I split my sides watching their 'cruise' collection, and normally find Chanel a bit boring and/or irrelevant. The cruise show wasn't boring, it was just bonkers - but now I see where he was going with it. Still way too many gold buttons for my liking, but that's Chanel.

If you'd like to acknowledge the house esprit rather than paddling your own canoe, forget about clean lines and neat little block-colour dresses. It's multi layers, colours, textures, FRINGES and embellishments all the way! A lot of this is what Brits have been doing for some time anyway, so it should come easily. Waists are dropped - to the thigh, in many cases - or visually elided to give a similar column effect (but with shorter layers over) and the main feature is movement, lots of it. Jackets are curved.

It's so joyful! I mean, the models look miserable as always. But the clothes - they're practically singing. Oh ... and those strange, draped fringed and/or fluffy and/or flowery shoes that have been appearing in couture shows for three years now? Still here 😆 That part isn't recommended, though - you couldn't actually walk anywhere in them.