Dithering about this dress. Would you buy and if so how/where would you wear it?

[Failingbettereverytime]

Boden Pussy Bow dresss I really love this and I have a £25 voucher which would take the price down to £64 buy I gave nothing big upcoming that would justify the purchase. On the other hand having lost 5 stone recently and sold most of my wardrobe on Vinted I don't have a lot of smart options left as I've focused on replacing my everyday clothes. So would it be versatile enough to style for daytime use and if so how. I am 5 ft 5 size 12 and can't do heels.

No, it’ll be way too long on you. Needs to be worn by a taller person. Sorry.

I agree.

Polyester = a no. I love the colour and the top half would be a lovely blouse. But it's simply too long the way the model wears it. And gathers at the waistline like that need an ironing board flat stomach to even start to look flattering.

I'd like to see it on a curvier model

I like it - I've actually posted a link to it before. But then I love maxi dresses, 70s style, & pussy bows ... however, I hadn't spotted that it was polyester, which is disappointing.

I'm the same height as the model (though haven't been the same size for many years!). And I think, as she's wearing a Long, that's why it looks slightly ill-proportioned on her. I am just not quite tall enough to need a Long in Boden, Wyse etc, & the waist of the dress sits slightly too low-down on her, as it probably would on me.

Don't know if you noticed, but the outfit suggestions on the website show it with both loafers & flat pumps. Though I have to say I don't think the former would go at all, & I wouldn't wear a maxi with flats in winter, unless they had some sort of chunky sole to stop the hem trailing on the ground!

I don't think the boots shown with it on the model work either. To me, the dress style would work best with either platform-type sandals or 70s stack-heel boots. The latter is what I wear with midi dresses & would wear with this. But they are heels (albeit low-ish & supportive) so wouldn't suit your purposes, OP ... And I also think it would work better as a midi-dress for what you want to wear it for? Maybe you should order it in both petite & regular to see how it looks? But if it's the latter that suits better, I think that shortening it to midi/midaxi would be best.

Or ... get it for going out in, if you still love it after trying on - & buy a different one as a day dress!

Hello there @EleanorMc67 !

I agree, I think it could be worn with flair. It has movement and I love a pussy bow. I rather like it.

I wouldn't go too short or I think it will lose fluidity.

£90 for a plastic dress and you’re seriously considering it? We really must demand better from clothing brands. If we continue to splash that kind of cash on pure tat, they’ll continue to churn it out.

It's a lot of money for a polyester dress.

I actually don't like it. I think maybe if the waist, collar and cuffs were in contrast and the waist was at the waist, then perhaps, but it does nothing for me.

I think you can choose better for that price.

It's going to highlight every lump and bump, leave your hair full of static and cling to your thighs when you walk. It's also giving religious cult vibes. It's a no from me. What were Boden thinking?

Drab colour, too long and too much fabric. A definite no from me.

Order it, if you still love it on, then buy it! I absolutely love the colour.

Oh OP if you love it and have a voucher but it just to make yourself happy! I love the dress! Are you a family that dresses up for Christmas? It’s perfect for the party season! And actually…..sod it…..why can’t you wear it Christmas Day even if you aren’t a family that dresses up!! If it makes you feel good wear it!!

I wouldn't wear it, and the fact it's reduced and still available in all sizes suggests it's not been popular

I like the colour, but that’s it. The cut is very unflattering. It doesn’t even look good on the model.

Its hideous. Like something out of a cult.
Get some nice jeans and a cheery top.

It’s an unequivocal no from me.
Celebrate your figure. Don’t hide it with an ankle-length hemline and a pussy bow up to your chin. Fat face has some lovely dresses with fitted tops.

I slightly misread your OP, @Failingbettereverytime - and see now that you’re looking for the ‘slightly smarter’ element of your new wardrobe. But honestly, as a retired person, you’re going to look really weirdly outdated and overdressed turning up at the cinema in a frock like this. It’s just not what people wear. Even for theatre and restaurant trips you want more relaxed looking clothes.

(I do get it; it took me years and years after I left my serious profession to find a version of myself that was in step with a more casual world.)

It's lovely. I think it looks a bit droopy on the model because she's extremely slim, it would look very different on a body with more shape.

Hello! Yes, I'd say a generous calf-length, so that the proportions are closer to 1/3 top, 2/3rds bottom (the waistline being higher up will help there too). Though it might be that the OP can find a dress better suited to her needs, without having to chop several inches off it!

I'm a bit perplexed by some of the comments though ... I expected (& sort of agree with) the polyester disapproval. And personal dislike of the colour/pussybows is fair enough. But why is it necessary to only be able to "celebrate your figure" through wearing fitted clothing? And why would wearing "nice jeans & a cheery* top" be a good alternative for someone who's posted a link to a maxi dress? That's like recommending a Labrador to someone asking about the calmest cat breed!!

*Also, what is a "cheery" top???

OP there are some lovely tartan skirts around right now which might give you a transition from your work wear.
The Boden dress is actually very formal looking and I'm struggling to think of an occasion where it would be my first choice. I'm not much of a dress person, the few dresses I own are for hot weather or special occasions.
If you can't imagine the dress that you'd like now you've finished work, is it a sign that you don't actually want to wear any more dresses for a while?

I agree that many clothing brands are, these days, getting away with poorer quality in cut & fabric, & over-use of synthetics for mostly economical reasons.

However, I think that polyester at cheaper prices is much worse, as there's so bloody much of it & it's of the poorest quality possible! So it's much more likely to be considered disposable/wear more poorly/end up in landfill.

I do try to be environmentally conscious when buying clothing (firstly by mainly shopping secondhand). That's not always natural fibres though - eg eco-friendly viscose is a better choice for many reasons than ordinary, non-organic cotton. Polyester, when it's of a higher quality, is a very resilient material. I try to make that as much of a plus point as possible, by wearing the polyester clothing that I do own (all secondhand, some properly vintage) a lot. That includes quite a few 1970s polyester dresses & maxi skirts - when polyester came as Crimplene, Dacron & Terylene ...!!! There's also Diolen, which Bernat Klein used in the 70s - it is tougher than fibreglass! My pieces by him all look brand new, 50-60 years on ...

A Christmas jumper maybe!

Yes, I like that sort of fluid dress and think it could be accessorised to be much more stylish than many of the other recommendations on here.

Try it on in a shop first. Or be willing to send it back if it’s not right. Sometimes these dresses made of t-shirt jersey look much better in photos than real life.

Not keen. It looks really frumpy and old fashioned.