pinstripe dress

[tethersend]

I want need one.

For work.

I like the unusual cut of Vivienne Westwood, but don't have a budget to match, so am looking for perhaps a pinstripe shift dress? Although I would prefer sleeves but I think that may be too tall an order.

I need a size 18, or 16 if there is stretch in the fabric.

Any ideas?

Budget of £60.

Anyone?

A bit asymmetric though I never know what the fabric is going to be like with Debenhams, could be good, could be awful in real life. But no sleeves.

In the sale! Short sleeved They have a 16 but no idea how much stretch is in the fabric.

I can't see the pinstripe in the photo but they claim it is. Could be cheapo fabric again though.

Short sleeve, wool and nicer fabrics, available in 18 but over budget

Pinstripe was quite hard to find actually. I've been obsessed with tweed or check and there is way more choice in those types of pattern than there seems to be in pinstripe just now.

How about the one on Cyb's thread in Warehouse. Asymmetric and pinstriped.

Not sure about sizes but it's here

The first debenhams one is great, but out of stock ; don't think the oasis one will fit; don't like second debenhams one; can't afford house of fraser .

Gah. Thanks for trying though. Cheapo fabric is fine with me BTW

mokeysmama, that dress is lovely but out of stock in a 16- don't think it would fit anyway

Again, thanks for trying! Any other suggestions greatly received...

What is your budget?

I've had a couple of dresses made recently by a local seamstress. I bought the fabric, she did the fitting and refitting.

It cost me about £50 all in.

Ooooh, sounds interesting, Devil. Budget is £60.

How long did it take?

Whereabouts are you?

i'm in N London - but look in your yellow pages for seamstresses.

Or local uni / college websites for students that want jobs.

I buy fabric from ebay.

Mine took around a week - one a few days more as it had to be taken out at second fitting.

I'm in East London...

...will have a look.

Suggestions still welcome though!

Does it HAVE to be pinstripe, Tethersend?

Where abouts are you in East London tether? Some great seamstresses on Green Street.

Hmmm... preferably pinstripe... but.. what have you in mind, Norkily?

I'm in Bethnal Green, monkeysmama; where's Green Street?

Well, there's lots of choice in checks (traditional, men's suits kind of things like Prince of Wales checks etc)

For example, a teeny bit over budget but nice. They have 16s and I've tried it on and am comfortably in a 10 there whereas normally I'm more close to a 12 so 16 might work? It looks really nice on.

Looked at this in store yesterday it's much darker than the picture, kind of dogstooth style tweedy, more black than grey. The detailing on the back of the skirt is lovely though. Available in 16 and 18

Bit too casual? Out of stock in your size but then I saw something really similar in an independent cheap dress shop yesterday so you can probably find them elsewhere

Not quite checked even but the texture of the fabric is nice? More of the shape you like though not asymmetric

This is more of a blue grey in real life but has a nice hitch-up asymmetric thing and available in your size?

Way over budget but nice, no? I am like Phil & Kirstie, I can't help showing you things you can't afford!

Any of that of any interest?

Wah! Norkily, I can't see the first link (goes to homepage) and the last over-budget one takes me to the MN talk topics, which I'm sure is not what you meant

I do like that M&S one though, especially if it comes up darker- I am ginger strawberry blonde, do you think the grey would look ok?

Thanks again

Oh no!

Right, the first Hobbs link is the dress called Seymour dress - there are two patterns, one very large b&w check which is too dear but the other is a grey check and is reduced to £79. Honestly very nice on when I tried it but still over budget. I can't get a link to the individual dress but it is on the page that you get when you link I think (otherwise it's on page 3 of the "casual dress" section.

Last link should have been this but looking at it again I don't think it's maybe what you're looking for. But it's nice.

The M&S one is much darker in real life, much more like a black/white tiny little check thing (this probably has a technical style name that I don't know). I think it would look nice with your ginger hair. Worth looking, it was a nice shape I thought. I have a different M&S work dress that I totally love and it's machine washable which is a huge bonus.

Too plain?

With sleeves but tulip skirts always make my thighs look big

That Phase eight (over budget, of course) one is gorgeous.

You are indeed the Phil and Kirstie of MN. I want it. I didn't know I did, but it puts all the others in the shade.

How much do you get for kidneys these days anyway?

Lol Tethersend, it's lovely isn't it?

I was coveting a Phase Eight dress a few months ago, went to try it on (despite it being over budget, Phil & Kirstie styleee) and found that it really didn't suit me on at all (had a cowl neck that just didn't sit right on my chest and looked odd). So that dealt with that, no more temptation.

Therefore my helpful advice is to go to Phase Eight immediately and try on the out of budget dress. It might look awful on and then you can move on from it.

If it looks marvellous on, then you may need to trade in some Christmas presents to up your budget.

Or... when is your birthday?

You did cleverly manage to save £50 on your coat after all

P.S. I told you you didn't want pinstripe

You there Tethersend?

Still here... just that I can't harvest my own internal organs in order to get the dress. (That £50 you saved me went on shoes I'm afraid )

Am still going to try it on though

Will keep you posted

Try it on. Then maybe you could do one of those perfectly reasonable money-raising things, like offering one of your children to be named after a multinational company as a source of advertising or something?

Tethersend, any news? Did you try it on? Do you still have both kidneys?