Is this the right dress? And also, accessories? HELP ME FASHIONISTAS!
September 16, 2014 9:03 PM Subscribe
I have a day at the Spring Racing Carnival coming up soon for work and I think I have finally found a dress to wear - but I'm not sure if it's appropriate. Please please give me your opinion, and if it is right help me accessorize!
Ok, first things first, here's the dress
The event: I work for a small private firm as a consultant and every year, they get a few tables at the horse races and invite clients. Overall everyone is pretty conservative. This is my first time going along, and also my first time going to the races at all. I am not one who has a huge stash of these kind of clothes and am feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing.
I'm on the short side of average height and a bit chunky (L-XL size). I hate my arms so have been looking for a 3/4 sleeve knee length dress to wear. I was looking for a floral pattern, but was without luck. I like the 50s stye dresses and they tend to flatter my figure, but I can also do a wiggle dress if the material is right (I have a comparatively small waist, big hips and some junk in the trunk but average bust). I would prefer a scooped neck. In a way I'm not crazy about the butterflies up close but I do like the the colours and the print as it presents as a whole. There are plain colour versions but they tend to be bright red and such, and I like the idea of a print...
Questions:
Is this dress appropriate for the races? I was planning on getting a petticoat to go under it - would this be overkill / make me look like I was playing dress ups?
Do you have any other suggestions for dresses (trying to minimise cost but up to $150 (australian) is fine).
What about accessories? I'll need a bag, shoes, and some kind of headpiece... Should these all be the same colour? Do I just go nude with everything? What about nude shoes and head thing with a gold glomesh clutch? Also, no feathers on the headpiece - they freak me out.
Ok, I am clearly clueless. Please help me.
Ok, first things first, here's the dress
The event: I work for a small private firm as a consultant and every year, they get a few tables at the horse races and invite clients. Overall everyone is pretty conservative. This is my first time going along, and also my first time going to the races at all. I am not one who has a huge stash of these kind of clothes and am feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing.
I'm on the short side of average height and a bit chunky (L-XL size). I hate my arms so have been looking for a 3/4 sleeve knee length dress to wear. I was looking for a floral pattern, but was without luck. I like the 50s stye dresses and they tend to flatter my figure, but I can also do a wiggle dress if the material is right (I have a comparatively small waist, big hips and some junk in the trunk but average bust). I would prefer a scooped neck. In a way I'm not crazy about the butterflies up close but I do like the the colours and the print as it presents as a whole. There are plain colour versions but they tend to be bright red and such, and I like the idea of a print...
Questions:
Is this dress appropriate for the races? I was planning on getting a petticoat to go under it - would this be overkill / make me look like I was playing dress ups?
Do you have any other suggestions for dresses (trying to minimise cost but up to $150 (australian) is fine).
What about accessories? I'll need a bag, shoes, and some kind of headpiece... Should these all be the same colour? Do I just go nude with everything? What about nude shoes and head thing with a gold glomesh clutch? Also, no feathers on the headpiece - they freak me out.
Ok, I am clearly clueless. Please help me.
The dress? It's perfect for the races. Since it's a busy print I would go pretty neutral with accessories. A cocktail ring would be fun!
posted by harrietthespy at 9:10 PM on September 16, 2014
posted by harrietthespy at 9:10 PM on September 16, 2014
I think the dress is gorgeous. You didn't mention which day you're going to the races - different days have different dress codes, so it would be worth checking those out first.
Accessories should suit the dress AND suit your colouring (especially the hat because it's near your face). I think nude shoes might look a bit odd because the dress is so dark, unless you have light coloured hair.
If it was me, I would go for a hat that's small and dark blue and plain (not too frou frou) - possibly something a little bit retro to go with the style of the dress. And I'd get plain court shoes that pick up a colour from the dress - my choice would be hot pink; and for a bag again I'd go very plain in design but pick up a colour from the dress. And I wouldn't worry about any jewellery.
posted by girlgenius at 9:18 PM on September 16, 2014 [4 favorites]
Accessories should suit the dress AND suit your colouring (especially the hat because it's near your face). I think nude shoes might look a bit odd because the dress is so dark, unless you have light coloured hair.
If it was me, I would go for a hat that's small and dark blue and plain (not too frou frou) - possibly something a little bit retro to go with the style of the dress. And I'd get plain court shoes that pick up a colour from the dress - my choice would be hot pink; and for a bag again I'd go very plain in design but pick up a colour from the dress. And I wouldn't worry about any jewellery.
posted by girlgenius at 9:18 PM on September 16, 2014 [4 favorites]
You will definitely Win, Show AND Place in that dress!!
I'd go with black accessories, or accessories any one of the colors on the dress.
posted by goml at 9:21 PM on September 16, 2014
I'd go with black accessories, or accessories any one of the colors on the dress.
posted by goml at 9:21 PM on September 16, 2014
What a gorgeous dress! It's a shape that flatters nearly all body types and the beautiful colors of the print are happy without it being too themed or dated.
Petticoat: As long as the petticoat is shorter than the length of the skirt, it won't look like you're playing dressup, and in fact a petticoat is needed to really make the dress behave the way it's intended. I also personally find petticoats very comfortable and comforting - they really help a dress keep its shape without depending on undergarments meant to minimize or suck in any part of my body, and it's like a built in cushion and insulation (which will actually help keep you cool in hot weather, too.)
I think skin tone shoes would be a little off because the dress is so dark and shoes will help anchor the overall outfit. So go with black, navy, or one of the bright colors of the pattern. (Red shoes would be a kick, but you could go green, pink, or teal. Don't worry about matching - there's enough distance between the skirt and your shoes that it's not really a consideration.)
Jewelry - since the neckline is high, don't do a necklace. If you like to wear rings, a cocktail ring (again, of any color, or clear) is nice. Since you want to wear a hat, don't do earrings. A simple bracelet (if wearing a ring, wear the bracelet on the other hand) would work, too. You can mix your metallics, so if you have any other accessories with metallic bits, don't be concerned about gold/silver/bronze or anything like that.
Hats are tricky. Since you're not used to dressing for these occasions, keep it simple and subdued. Choose a color that works with your hair - navy and black work with everything, but if you're blond you might want to avoid red or yellow, and if you're a redhead you might want to try a green, and if you're brunette a lighter color will make a louder statement. Again, any color from the pattern, and don't worry about matching because there's distance between the fabric of the dress and your head.
For bags, make sure that it's big enough to hold what you need to bring! Gold would be fine, especially since there's yellow in the print, but black or navy would be a safer choice in terms of the likelihood of you using it again. Since the print of the dress is busy, your accessories (including the bag) should be solid and simple. (Unless you're really into pattern mixing, which I would certainly not begrudge you if you are, but the text of your question points otherwise.)
Dress code and conservative audience is one thing, but personal comfort is another. Don't, for example, feel overly pressured to wear heels, or carry a uselessly teensy bag, or undergarments that restrict your breathing, or any of that BS. That dress is beautiful on its own and you can go as simple with it or as wildly colorful as what makes you comfortable.
posted by Mizu at 10:10 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Petticoat: As long as the petticoat is shorter than the length of the skirt, it won't look like you're playing dressup, and in fact a petticoat is needed to really make the dress behave the way it's intended. I also personally find petticoats very comfortable and comforting - they really help a dress keep its shape without depending on undergarments meant to minimize or suck in any part of my body, and it's like a built in cushion and insulation (which will actually help keep you cool in hot weather, too.)
I think skin tone shoes would be a little off because the dress is so dark and shoes will help anchor the overall outfit. So go with black, navy, or one of the bright colors of the pattern. (Red shoes would be a kick, but you could go green, pink, or teal. Don't worry about matching - there's enough distance between the skirt and your shoes that it's not really a consideration.)
Jewelry - since the neckline is high, don't do a necklace. If you like to wear rings, a cocktail ring (again, of any color, or clear) is nice. Since you want to wear a hat, don't do earrings. A simple bracelet (if wearing a ring, wear the bracelet on the other hand) would work, too. You can mix your metallics, so if you have any other accessories with metallic bits, don't be concerned about gold/silver/bronze or anything like that.
Hats are tricky. Since you're not used to dressing for these occasions, keep it simple and subdued. Choose a color that works with your hair - navy and black work with everything, but if you're blond you might want to avoid red or yellow, and if you're a redhead you might want to try a green, and if you're brunette a lighter color will make a louder statement. Again, any color from the pattern, and don't worry about matching because there's distance between the fabric of the dress and your head.
For bags, make sure that it's big enough to hold what you need to bring! Gold would be fine, especially since there's yellow in the print, but black or navy would be a safer choice in terms of the likelihood of you using it again. Since the print of the dress is busy, your accessories (including the bag) should be solid and simple. (Unless you're really into pattern mixing, which I would certainly not begrudge you if you are, but the text of your question points otherwise.)
Dress code and conservative audience is one thing, but personal comfort is another. Don't, for example, feel overly pressured to wear heels, or carry a uselessly teensy bag, or undergarments that restrict your breathing, or any of that BS. That dress is beautiful on its own and you can go as simple with it or as wildly colorful as what makes you comfortable.
posted by Mizu at 10:10 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's totally appropriate for the races and super cute but I would keep the weather in mind. I know you don't like your arms but if that fabric is thick and if it's a warm day you could really overheat. Maybe look for something with a looser cut and lighter fabric?
posted by Wantok at 10:10 PM on September 16, 2014
posted by Wantok at 10:10 PM on September 16, 2014
My only worry about that dress would be that you might overheat? The fabric looks like heavy cotton, and it's fully lined as well. I hear you about the upper arms; my solution in these situations is to wear a sleeveless dress and a light wrap or bolero.
Other suggestions for dresses: Modcloth and ASOS. Modcloth has better dresses, but because ASOS has a local returns centre, it's much easier/cheaper to send things back. Locally, the best place for budget-conscious retro-style dresses seems to be Dangerfield, though the quality is pretty meh. You could also look at the plus-size retailer City Chic if you fit into their XS, which I think is about an AU 14. They do a lot of these kinds of what I think of as nice day dresses, and though, again, some of their stuff is poor quality, some of it is very nice. (And the weirdest part is that they'll charge you the same amount for both.) I'm about to wear a gorgeous dress of theirs to a daytime wedding.
My other suggestion would be to see if there's a hipster craft market happening in Melbourne soon. (One is The Finders Keepers, but it's not until mid-October.) There's always a lot of dresses at those, both genuine vintage and local companies making retro-style stuff.
Fascinators can be crazy expensive, but I recently discovered Target sells some nice ones in the $12-25 range. Or, if you're the crafty type, you can make your own. Lincraft has a little section that sells headbands, tulle bits, ribbon roses, feathers, etc, precisely for this purpose.
posted by Georgina at 11:13 PM on September 16, 2014
Other suggestions for dresses: Modcloth and ASOS. Modcloth has better dresses, but because ASOS has a local returns centre, it's much easier/cheaper to send things back. Locally, the best place for budget-conscious retro-style dresses seems to be Dangerfield, though the quality is pretty meh. You could also look at the plus-size retailer City Chic if you fit into their XS, which I think is about an AU 14. They do a lot of these kinds of what I think of as nice day dresses, and though, again, some of their stuff is poor quality, some of it is very nice. (And the weirdest part is that they'll charge you the same amount for both.) I'm about to wear a gorgeous dress of theirs to a daytime wedding.
My other suggestion would be to see if there's a hipster craft market happening in Melbourne soon. (One is The Finders Keepers, but it's not until mid-October.) There's always a lot of dresses at those, both genuine vintage and local companies making retro-style stuff.
Fascinators can be crazy expensive, but I recently discovered Target sells some nice ones in the $12-25 range. Or, if you're the crafty type, you can make your own. Lincraft has a little section that sells headbands, tulle bits, ribbon roses, feathers, etc, precisely for this purpose.
posted by Georgina at 11:13 PM on September 16, 2014
Eshakti might also be a good place to look; I've had good luck so far with their dresses, which tend to be 50s-inspired, potentially with interesting prints, and often have customizeable sleeve lengths and necklines!
posted by ChuraChura at 5:31 AM on September 17, 2014
posted by ChuraChura at 5:31 AM on September 17, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nothing too obvious at 9:06 PM on September 16, 2014