Help needed with extremely particular summer dress requirements.

[Hullygully]

Can anyone suggest where I might find summer dresses that are:

1. Extremely plain, verging on unnoticeable - no patterns, flounces, detailing, not too short, not too fitted (old).

1. Thin shoulder-strapped (hot weather)

1. Blue or thereabouts.

I am rubbish at shopping and clothes and desperate for help. Can't face another summer sweltering in shirts....

I like that tootired, I am considering it. I am worried I would look peculiar, I am beginning to realise it's not the clothes, it's me.

I have another question. How does one avoid looking frumpy in frocks?

Toast

Kew

Casual

Jigsaw

Any better or all too smart?

Shapeless:
Halloooo...Is there anybody in there?

It is not a tent, but only cos you have to buy the poles and pegs separately

more seriously

silk=bad?

don't think it's a very fitted shape

frumpiness comes from the shoes.

a (very annoying) posh man told me so.

Hully - I think accesories make a difference - a nice bangle/necklace.

A pretty metallic sandal/bag - something thats 'current' without being a slave to fashion.

tracey - a bit smart.

hula - am liking Gudrun.

I like East stuff too.

Look at Gudrun's lovely swimwear! Gudrun is all right.

No, hang on, am making classic mistake of thinking I will look like gorgeous young pouting model if wear gudrun's cossies.

I am the same as you Hully but my colour is black, always black. Or jeans. I keep meaning to get a dress but I would have no idea where to start, I shall be taking tips from this thread

There are some v nice websites here, if you are a normal person.

maybe you could pretend to be a normal person?

just as an experiement...

Good suggestion from Muddle .

Go mad Hully - order 5 of the things linked and try them on at home.

You may be surprised.

I worry about how 'casual' you want to look.

oo..er

I might.

Tracey - I am exceptionally casual. Well, I thought I was normal, perhaps charmingly eccentric, but it is becomingly increasingly obvious that I err on the side of creased. I do wear scarves when I need to dress up twice a year and sometimes even earrings.

Not sure if a maxi dress is what you want but this is a nice shade of blue.
or this ,but maybe a bit grey rather than blue

ok.
so here is what you do...

are you paying attention?

you choose the 5 dresses linked so far that you think would look good on a "normal person" (ie not you).

then start a new thread with links to each of them, a brief reminder of your size/shape and then get people to vote. Then order then order the 2 that most people like.

ok?

good lord. I couldn't possibly do all that.

I will have a proper look through the websites.

Part of the problem is that last year I bought a dress, sort of beigey patterned ish, just below the knee, sleeveless, and when I wore it everyone cried with laughter and said I looked like frumpy Auntie Dorothy.

I don't understand how people manage to look nice in dresses.

that is why you need mn to vote!

I'm about to send back a hideous cardigan that I foolishly bought without asking MN first.

people have linked some lovely dresses on here (ok and some hideous ones too) - just pick some!

And then we could offer advice on accessories - I'm now worrying about your footwear.

You do it.

I like the one with the four big buttons and another one that I can't remember. I'll have a look. Honest.

Footwear = flip flops or bare feet. (Not in the winter, then it's walking boots)

Do you think you need "proper" clothes and footwear when you're older?

Flip flops are good - you can get some lovely ones.

How about a flat gladiator style sandal - that would update your look

Thats it - you'll be gone now I've described you as having a 'look'.

I don't suppose you'll be surprised to hear that my flipflops are the basic rubber ones that my ds likes to nick as well when he's lost his (hence bare foot sometimes if he's got them first).

fwiw I'm also coming to terms with having to wear 'grown up' clothes.
I'm only just recovering from a fleece/jeans/tshirt rut. Still a student wannabe at heart. Although students don't look like that any more ..

Some MN fashionistas took me in hand a while back. They gave me homework and everything