Help me find a wedding dress - non trad. ?

[JaneS]

Hello,

I posted on chat yesterday as I was in a hurry before a trip into London to find a dress. I have looked in the bridal shops and I can't stand the dresses there. Even the beautiful ones make me feel stiff and as if I'm wearing fancy dress.

I would love to find a beautiful dress for an August wedding. I am about a size 12, olive skin and dark hair, 5'5, about a D cup. My shoes will make me around 5'11.

I would really appreciate links to beautiful dresses, and tips on where to shop - though I've already been recommended Browns, Matches, and the big London department stores.

I am coming round to the idea of a short, white dress, but ideally I would like something ballgown-y or evening dress style.

Any suggestions or tips for what I should look for would be appreciated!

I think that the NoaNoa and the 'Madame Butterfly' Jenny Packham are too unstructured and too 'straight'. I go in and out a lot (big hips), so something curvy would be good.

Sorry - I am not very good at describing what I want but I've never posted on this section before.

Ok, how about you describe what actually suits you in dresses?

Like V-neck, cap sleeves, white or cream, train or not.

Do you need something with arms? ruling out that first Jenny Packham dress which is just like a silk beaded maxi

Not a wedding dress but nice And good?

I bought a ghost dress of a similar shape but shorter and it's very flattering to those of us with curves and hips.

The Jenny Packham 'Lisette' looks good on someone with curves and it is easy to get extra material added to the boob area.

I would have loved to wear many of these from NaP.

Mine was from Browns Brides but I wish I had access to NaP dresses as it was all a bit rushed and so many are made to order.

This is lovely

here?

cheaper here

Gorgeous

Ritva Westenius on Connaught Street. Absolutely divine.

www.ritvawestenius.com

Something like this??

Yes Laurie - I feel a fool, I should describe what suits me.

Thing is, I used to be a size 8 with b cup boobs and haven't worn a really formal dress since then. I did have a wonderful mermaid-y number that hugged my bum and plunged at the front, but I don't know what would work now!

For cocktail dress type things I tend to go for empire line or 40s style. Can't wear high necklines, like showing some cleavage. I don't really fancy an empire-line wedding dress as people have already made so many jokes about me being pregnant! I don't need it to have sleeves and quite like showing off my shoulders as they balance out my child-bearing hips. Have a bit of a tum! Er ... that's pretty exhaustive I think! Don't mind white/cream, but it's not the best colour on me.

Orm - I love that Ghost dress. Will check it out. Thanks

I really do want to try it on so Net a Porter doesn't work for me unless I can find it elsewhere - I have looked in several NaP suppliers' shops and nada.

Jackie, I love that!

Tether - not so keen on the colour of the McQueen (sorry!), and, oddly enough although I love the Westwood, my mate has bought it for a big party we're going to!

Lots of good suggestions, thanks so much. Hope you don't mind me being picky about it all.

something like the 'Lucy'

How short is short?

Would this be too long?

Oh wow - both of those are beautiful!

ticktock - that would be very fitting - lucy is my real name!

with - that looks lovely.

Thanks, I will check out all the suggestions and, hopefully, come back in a few weeks with pics.

By the way, my shoes (which I've already bought), are here:

www.gina.com/client/theshop/productsview1.aspx?pageno=6&productid=2062&categoryid=1

Or how about one of these

Some nice one's here.

Blimey! Very nice but how how how do you walk in those?

So you definitely don't want white then?

Gorgeous shoes, did you get them in the black or cream?

I would probably fall down the aisle though, the height

charles anastase dress here

another CA dress here

I am used to high heels - my first serious guy was 6'4! My GP let me in on a secret - if you swim a lot, you use the right muscles so you don't damage your legs. And I walk around barefoot if I'm not in heels.

ticktock - the shoes are in black as I preferred them, but the nice lady in Gina says I can swap then for cream if I chance my mind.

Orm, since I have the black shoes, I have thought that perhaps a short white dress could be rather nice and chic (given the contrast). But it would have to be a chic, cocktail dress type of thing. I love romantic dresses in general, but billowy white wedding dresses aren't for me. I don't like that late-Victorian symbolism, that if you are rich you can afford a white dress you'll never wear again, and this symbolizes virginity - that creeps me out!

maxmara dress here

browns have got some fabulous dresses-

here

here

here

Blinks, I don't know why, but that site you've linked to gives me an 'invalid address' message and suggests it's a fake address.

the first one would look HOT with your shoes

The second one is trad with a quirky twist