What to Wear with This Dress….

[Prangie]

This is the dress I bought yesterday. I didn’t intend to go dress shopping, and only tried it on on a whim, but I felt fabulous in it so bought it!

It’s not a proper ‘party’ dress, but I do intend to wear it to a party at the end of the month. It’s a bit different to my usual style and I am conscious of wanting to feel quite cool or quirky in it, rather than like I am wearing a sensible dress. So…. I do have some ideas, but please hit me with more! I am open to ideas!

(I am a size 8/10, fair haired, and five ft 5 - if that helps?)

I would wear boots with it. Either little suede lace up ankle boots, or knee high boots (not over the knee)

I’ve been looking at low heeled boots! I am not keen on pointy, and I live somewhere with a lot of cobbles so don’t like heels, but I’m thinking nice ankle boots of some description (preferably not just black leather) would work.

DMs

@PrangieI am exact same proportions as you and would wear with healed black suede knee high boots and my dark grey leather biker jacket which is not dissimilar to the jacket worn by the model. I’m thinking of buying that dress for myself now!

I'd wear it with these (which I'm recommending for the third time - I don't work for Clarks!).

https://www.clarks.com/en-gb/kelso-top/26320256-p

Well if you want to feel cool or quirky then you either do something other than conventional with the footwear or the rest of your look eg hair. If you put it with ankle boots then that’s quite expected. Dont get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with that. A quirky look would be sandals and ankle socks for example. ( which I would 100% wear myself but I get is not very common )

A chicer option are these boots from Anonymous. Sorry for the horrendous link

www.anoncph.co.uk/products/jasmina-50-stiletto-soft-calf-suede-leather-pomegranate?_pos=9&_sid=b4080ee10&_ss=r&_su_rec=5fZpPDYazeW09gwAaI21QnwkHZvQoipaoKdogtIhrdsmaCzajzFPPxD8CQfTWeJRTGaFzuIHDfZ--buY413UJOBFyZZK42Zd8qcCIvBW7xMOU57RmyPSG6d98ApjyEroi3pjpeXrNyKJpe4R_SyE_HMFLaMYGnJlyF70lH7SIJyzCxOnz7KJT0FT2W6T7j3PdpwHP5gMzBPpsrkHvbwnr1PQt0CqpIGfRSi-9jxKH6TSXBcSXPoLgr5BEhxtRLVWjOCRLPy5Knwxt0lb183ol5KTv7gLj4tQIjBCuFNrp_tVLnbHCLE7QY91KgZ1fgiT6hn4suvM98rdf3jbHj6dOcP7w17oUs-tAg3xkmxc9OviG7ZYpU67M73vLFpOoVM6w3lzOJDdz6tzKFN6uOZThjY0ELM&_su_rec_id=0eacbb41-26ec-412d-afad-060b7356f74e-1793551693

Thank you for the replies - I am having a peruse!

@MotherTuckinGenius Go and try it, I have a c-section shelf and it works wonders!

@Divebar2021 I think my fashion choices sometimes make people think WTF, hence me wondering more about this more normal dress.

I do want warm and comfy though!

Leather biker jacket and black mules like the model is wearing.

So, you want footwear that:

• will make a perfectly nice dress look more cool & quirky;
• isn't too high-heeled or pointy; and
• is warm & comfy?

I love Anonymous Copenhagen footwear, so love the boots that @Divebar2021 posted. And they'll be comfy - but they're also quite pricey, especially if you don't have lots of other things to wear burgundy knee-high boots with. Agree that they're elegant & chic-looking rather than quirky per se.

I liked the mules it's worn with at first glance - but they're plastic. They're also probably too pointy for your liking? Definitely would need worn with tights/socks to be warm - though I'm not sure about comfy ...

What kind of footwear is your usual thing, OP - loafers, Mary-Janes, ballerinas? And would you wear navy or burgundy footwear?

For a bit of quirkiness, what about some toning/contrasting socks with your shoes? With low-heeled Mary Janes?

You could wear an oversized kimon-ish jacket over it. Or a navy or burgundy oversized wool blazer, perhaps belted.

R.M. Willams

I have a similar dress and wear kitten heel black suede ankle boots which are just slightly pointy toe, and a black leather biker jacket.

Exactly this

Thank you for the help! I’ve now found the perfect style, unfortunately not however the perfect price - but at least I have a look to aim for!

https://ebay.io/m/rfbl8D something like the Joe browns ankle boots?

your self description sounds like me, and i like it too, am tired of the wide sack look everywhere and happy to see more flat waisted and non chunky styles this season. I do love that dress, surprised it's M&S.

But where would i wear it?
I would have worn this as a day dress in the 90's with boots and my hair tossed up in a clip. I'd probably do the same now. Would struggle to decide which coat though - not because the dress is unusual, but because we are so used to saggy care home trousers and massive prairie dresses that most coats are built around them.
I wouldnt pair it with a puffa or my seasalt raincoat, but i would honestly throw on a trench or wool coat over it. Even a slippy jumper if dry out side.

It's lovely.

Why on earth are people suggesting socks and sandals with that dress?

@ThirteenRooms my default of yesteryear would have been DM's or at least something along those lines. I bought some a few years ago revisiting my youth and my god, they were awful! I used to wear them without socks and these pair were impossible to break in. I think I must have spent more on bloody Compeed than I did on the boots in the first place, and eventually after over 18 months of trying and retrying I admitted defeat.

I do have a coat to wear with it that doesn't strictly go, but as I won't be wearing the coat once I am indoors I don't really care (it's a large vintage leopard print coat, while leather would look far better I don't want to spend a fortune and would rather spend it on footwear.)

I am now looking for some shoes along the lines of the Vivienne Westwood ones I linked, but certainly can't afford as they are £600!

There are lots of neater, quite fitted coats out there - wrap coats, belted wool trenches etc? And I think there are plenty of neater more fitted dresses & trousers etc too - not just loose/oversized clothing, IMO?

@EleanorMc67 Sorry I didn't reply to this last night - my usual footwear is either trainers, Birkenstocks or Dubarry boots! (I work with animals so don't have much call for dressier shoes so tend to spend a lot on things I would wear to death even if they don't look terribly glamorous - although I've perfected the trainers and a slip dress look!)

Liking the kimono-ish jacket idea, if I can track one down for a pittance via Vinted. If not, it doesn't matter too much as at least I have a plan B from my usual (muddy) coat!

Ooooh, and @ThirteenRooms and anyone else who likes the look of it, go and try it! I tried it mainly as I have recently lost weight so I was curious about how it'd look and it's really flattering! They have others that are along similar lines too.

These aren't a bad dupe for the VW ones? Still not terribly cheap - but very well reduced.

https://share.google/k17rQ0KSIG6Z1RZkd