Mother of the Groom in 8 weeks!

[ihaveafavouritecat]

Please help me! My son is getting married in 8 weeks and I haven’t a clue what to wear. So far I’ve ordered three dresses online (Coast, Lavish Alice and Florere) and have sent them all back. Earlier this week I had a personal stylist appointment at John Lewis, bought 3 items (Hobbs dress, Reiss dress and Phase Eight jumpsuit), but not sure any of them are right. Also ordered a jumpsuit from Me+Em, not yet received. I don’t know if that will be right either, I know it will need shortening about 6 inches!
I’m 5’3, 9st 6, have lost 7 stone over last 3 years. Blue eyes, brown hair/blond highlights. i think the colours that suit me best are greens/golds/sandy but not at all rigid except that pastel colours make me look washed out.
There’s a register office wedding service and then the bigger wedding ‘do’ 3 days later, so I need two outfits! Budget about £400ish for both. I just feel so much of what I’m seeing is so ‘bland’ and ordinary, I want to feel a bit more cool and funky but still smart of course.
Would really appreciate some help or suggestions of makers/brands I’m not aware of… thanks in advance.

I really like this dress - I mean, look at those sleeves! And the colour is soft but warm. It looks expensive. A pity that the sleeveless ones I linked come in the shorter version but this one doesn't! But, it can be altered. I would definitely give it a try.

@ihaveafavouritecat - your analytical exercise (which I think @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie suggested?) was clearly very helpful to you & you "got" what was right/wrong about things.

I think it would probably be useful to trawl through the thread again & do the same with all the suggested outfits? As you can use the same assessment for those to say 1) yes, order it, or 2) absolutely no. And there may be 3) maybe & it's worth a try? As what it looks like on the website isn't always true to reality?

Saying all that, I'd looked at quite a few more things last night (I'm a night owl, if you hadn't guessed already!). And I think there may be some options that fit quite well with your newly refined brief?

Btw, did the Boden order arrive? Was it just the two May velvet dresses?

The Me & Em jumpsuit really suits you but it’s very low cut, although it doesn’t seem as low as the pics on the website- have you pinned it somehow?

What is interesting to me about the pics of you wearing it is that your body language has transformed! You can tell that you love it.

This and the original Reiss brown one (although I agree it would be better in a different colour) are my favourites by far!

Not this one. She has posted it again near the end of p17. Jumpsuit looks gorgeous! 🤩

Apologies OP, I thought there was an evening reception when you mentioned 2 outfits.

@ihaveafavouritecat the Me&Em jumpsuit is fab. I’m the person who is the same height as you and I said never let being short determine your look. I get all my clothes altered. You carry yourself like an Amazonian when you wear that jumpsuit. You ooze confidence and style.

Please, please wear that. You can wear it forever. And well done on finding something that is truly you for the occasion.

Hi @EleanorMc67. Still waiting for my Boden order! I had a message today to say there was an issue/delay with the delivery. About time a biz like Boden stopped using a delivery agent like Evri. Yes, two velvet dresses ordered, one in beetroot one in sapphire. Ordered 2 x size 10 so we’ll see.
yes I’m a night owl too and I may well go back and review all the links shared, using the checklist. If none of them seem right, at least now I’ll understand better, why I feel that way. I think there may be (what I perceive to be) a lot of shapeless dressing gowns in there!

i love this feedback - thank you @Iloveshihtzus ! ☺️

You really suit the brown one and the jumpsuit although neither for mother of groom. The others are as another poster said, awful.

On reflection the jumpsuit would be lovely with a more striking silver belt & silver accessories

Thanks @Janus I’ve never set foot in a tanning salon, but I could try doing it for myself at home. I’m sure you’re right, a bit of a glow could help. Those photos were taken today just after a shower, so hair a mess and no make up - no colour whatsoever. I can fix that.

also noting the remarks about needing a better bra. Yup, post serious weight loss boobs are not great, but it’s been a price worth paying. I can hopefully fix that too.

This is such interesting feedback @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie. Thank you.
l noticed that there are 3 x hook and eyes at the centre front, so I can only assume they must have been open in the model, I just left them closed as that was how it came.
so interesting to me though that you see a difference in my posture wearing this. I’ll still need to find an injection of confidence to wear this on the day if that’s what I decide but I guess I won’t be the only person grappling with those feelings on the day! 🥹

Thank you @bridgetreilly !

If you've never done it at home either, give a gradual tanning body moisturiser a go. Nivea, Dove etc all do them. Better to try a fair-medium first!

Still to arrive for consideration are 2 x velvet dresses from Boden, 3 x dresses from Florere due tomorrow, one from (at risk of upsetting some of you!) Gina Bacconi and 2 from Jolie Moi… and I’ll revisit all your kind suggestions too. Thanks so much to you all. Once the outfits are nailed, if you can bear it, we can talk hair and make up and accessories, cos I don’t know much about those either! 🤣

OP, if you're considering the long-sleeved plissé dress from Joseph, what about this one in a similar shade that I'd also posted? It comes in a petite/shorter version, so hopefully no alterations required!

Really well reduced to from £545 to £218, with lovely sleeves & nicely finished zip details etc. (It does also come in cocoa ... which I like as it reads closer to black! But not sure that it's suitable for this occasion.)

I think this one, which also comes in petite, is beautifully simple in the soft warm pink option (posting the cream to show it being worn). And I also really like the teal one, again in petite. Sadly both are full price so quite a way over budget!

https://joseph-fashion.com/products/aura-silk-satin-dress-beige-jf0099342264

https://joseph-fashion.com/products/bea-silk-stripe-dress-blue-jf0101360324?variant=47769283035348

For bra fitting, try Perfect Fit in Keynsham. I was amazed how wrong I’d been about my size and how much better I looked wearing the correct size.

It looks so great on you.

I don’t usually really get the MN obsession with Me&Em, but seeing your pics has made me think they really must be doing something right!

And you get a faux fur jacket for outdoor photos, but inside, it will be warm!

What an awful dress. Like a scrunch bum at the front!

I'm very fond of a "shapeless dressing gown" myself, especially in silks/velvets/satins - & did post a couple before you made the decision to go "neat"!

Which I think is the right decision, btw - maybe once you're used to your new shape you can have a bit of fun experimenting with various looks, your hairstyle etc - maybe get a colour analysis done properly etc. But I think now is a time to wear something you feel totally great in & aren't fretting about during the event.

Still prefer you in the early solid red one.
Jump suit is fine but the colour disappears.

I absolutely love the jump suit and think you look stunning in it! Love it so much I fancy it for myself! I think it’s perfect for MOG

The jumpsuit is gorgeous on you @ihaveafavouritecat
Plain colours suit you better.
The patterned dresses you initially posted did nothing for you.
In fact they detracted from your fab figure and hair - your face was camouflaged but is probably fab too 😀
Please tell me how you lost all that weight ?
Amazing achievement ! 👏🏻