I want formal dresses with leaves on them!
July 13, 2017 3:59 PM Subscribe
I love dresses that have lots of plant imagery on them. Incidental flowers are OK but what I really want is green leaves! Can you find good options for me?
I'd like to buy a dress that's appropriate for, say, an evening wedding on the west coast. I'd like it to have lots of greenery on it. I will also accept some flowers and/or birds, but the primary imagery on the dress needs to focus on leaves, and those leaves should be green.
Ideally, it's machine washable, and available in a small size (I usually wear a 0P). I don't have a set budget in mind per se, but I don't usually spend much on clothes. However, for the right dress I'd go pretty high.
I feel like this should be a really easy thing to find! But all the dresses I find make the flowers the focal point and what I really want is lots of pretty green leaves. Hopefully some early answers will hit the nail on the head and I can favorite them. The closest I can find to what I'm dreaming of is something like this, but the reviews make me think it won't fit me well...and it's hand wash...and I really wish there were more leaves and less flowers :)
I'd like to buy a dress that's appropriate for, say, an evening wedding on the west coast. I'd like it to have lots of greenery on it. I will also accept some flowers and/or birds, but the primary imagery on the dress needs to focus on leaves, and those leaves should be green.
Ideally, it's machine washable, and available in a small size (I usually wear a 0P). I don't have a set budget in mind per se, but I don't usually spend much on clothes. However, for the right dress I'd go pretty high.
I feel like this should be a really easy thing to find! But all the dresses I find make the flowers the focal point and what I really want is lots of pretty green leaves. Hopefully some early answers will hit the nail on the head and I can favorite them. The closest I can find to what I'm dreaming of is something like this, but the reviews make me think it won't fit me well...and it's hand wash...and I really wish there were more leaves and less flowers :)
I've been seeing a lot of dresses with palm frond patterns in stores lately--if those count as leaves, Old Navy has a cute one here, and in general if you search "palm dress" you'll get a lot of other options. 'Foliage dress' might be another good search strategy.
posted by stellaluna at 4:15 PM on July 13, 2017
posted by stellaluna at 4:15 PM on July 13, 2017
Response by poster: I guess palm fronds do count as leaves, but I should clarify that I'm not looking for something with a tropical feel.
posted by potrzebie at 4:19 PM on July 13, 2017
posted by potrzebie at 4:19 PM on July 13, 2017
Here you go. Mind the size chart, British brands tend to run small compared to typical US retailers.
posted by alygator at 4:19 PM on July 13, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by alygator at 4:19 PM on July 13, 2017 [5 favorites]
Leaf print, RW & Co. Palm Leaf, Karen Millen (out of stock, but KM has other leaf-themed clothing). Greenery dress, Etsy.
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:48 PM on July 13, 2017
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:48 PM on July 13, 2017
This dress is too casual to wear to a wedding but you might like it: Title nine dress. It has good reviews.
posted by loveandhappiness at 5:39 PM on July 13, 2017
posted by loveandhappiness at 5:39 PM on July 13, 2017
Fern print, not green but quite beautiful. More abstract, also fern printed. Floral, but with lots of leaves. Sold out at my link, but Kate Spade leaf option. Calla lily illustrations that look like leaves. Black and white illustration with photorealistic flowers and leaves. Ivy lace. Abstract illustration. Perhaps too tropical.
posted by snaw at 6:17 PM on July 13, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by snaw at 6:17 PM on July 13, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trashy Diva has several styles in a fabric they label as psychedelic ferns they could be construed as palm-esque. eShakti has a few wrap like, full length, and another wrap style but longer and they can be customized. I haven't shopped with any of these companies before but I have browsed them more than once.
posted by estronaut at 6:44 PM on July 13, 2017
posted by estronaut at 6:44 PM on July 13, 2017
Best answer: This dress from Anthropologie might work - not hand-washable, but lots of green leaves. You also might want to take a spin through eBay and search for anthropologie dresses with leaves - this is often a motif they use. I like the larksong corduroy dress from a while ago - it's sold out and it has birds, but also a lovely dark feel with green leaves.
posted by umwhat at 6:52 PM on July 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by umwhat at 6:52 PM on July 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
These are mostly green-on-white, not green-on-black like your example--so if that's what you mean by tropical feel, they may not work.
From Etsy, a tea-length banana-leaf print dress that looks formal enough for a wedding.
A slightly less formal, but cute green leaf print maxi from a Greek brand that seems to do international shipping.
This Kate Spade garden leaf dress (doesn't strike me as tropical, more spring-like) is sold out but there seem to be some available on eBay etc.
Here's a lovely green leaves on black silk print, although it's kind of pricey.
If you're willing to consider second-hand options, I second the suggestion to search eBay, Poshmark, and other resale sites for Anthropologie, Modcloth, and similar brands that do a lot of botanical motifs. You'll probably have better luck finding prints rather than embroidery/applique stuff like on your example--the embroidered stuff I'm seeing is much more flowery than leafy.
posted by karayel at 11:05 PM on July 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
From Etsy, a tea-length banana-leaf print dress that looks formal enough for a wedding.
A slightly less formal, but cute green leaf print maxi from a Greek brand that seems to do international shipping.
This Kate Spade garden leaf dress (doesn't strike me as tropical, more spring-like) is sold out but there seem to be some available on eBay etc.
Here's a lovely green leaves on black silk print, although it's kind of pricey.
If you're willing to consider second-hand options, I second the suggestion to search eBay, Poshmark, and other resale sites for Anthropologie, Modcloth, and similar brands that do a lot of botanical motifs. You'll probably have better luck finding prints rather than embroidery/applique stuff like on your example--the embroidered stuff I'm seeing is much more flowery than leafy.
posted by karayel at 11:05 PM on July 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This Dress has some foliage and flowers on it, and I think it's gorgeous for a formal event! There are many types of dresses when I look for "sheer foliage floral" like it, but now looking for that specific dress I'm failing to find the link sigh. It's sold by Zara, which seems to have quite a few embroidered foliage dresses.
posted by buttonedup at 5:17 AM on July 14, 2017
posted by buttonedup at 5:17 AM on July 14, 2017
I have this dress and love it. Super comfortable, fitted, non-wrinkle, gorgeously lightweight, flattering.
posted by dreamphone at 7:55 AM on July 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by dreamphone at 7:55 AM on July 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
These have blue leaves and aren't that formal, but Kelly Lane's current collection has a lot of leaf imagery - you might like these for every day wear. I have the Saunter dress and love it.
posted by john_snow at 8:11 AM on July 14, 2017
posted by john_snow at 8:11 AM on July 14, 2017
I've never ordered from this site but it keeps coming up on my Facebook page. This dress looks really pretty - and is so inexpensive! https://m.newchic.com/vintage-dresses-3664/p-1136954.html
posted by hazyjane at 9:39 AM on July 14, 2017
posted by hazyjane at 9:39 AM on July 14, 2017
Here are all the green dresses at eShakti (not all are patterned). Don't be put off by skirt and sleeve length in the photos — they let you specify those to your liking. if there's a fabric print or embroidery pattern that appeals, check out the customizing options. Plus you can put in your exact measurements and the make it custom.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 5:47 PM on July 14, 2017
posted by mon-ma-tron at 5:47 PM on July 14, 2017
Also, searches on eShakti for "palm" and "leaf" turn up other options (like skirts and/or tops that might pair with something you already have).
posted by mon-ma-tron at 5:54 PM on July 14, 2017
posted by mon-ma-tron at 5:54 PM on July 14, 2017
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posted by vignettist at 4:11 PM on July 13, 2017