Eveningwear and personal style

Maya

Cocktail attire and evening dresses are about the farthest thing from my mind right now but Vani's post got me browsing through Nordstrom's dress collection to see what I would wear in a similar situation (which I can only imagine right now of course). As I clicked through I really just felt like nothing made my heart leap. I felt like so much of it was very classic and didn't have a whole lot of personality (well, not my personality at least), which got me thinking: How do you inject some of your personal style into more formal ensembles? I just don't see any of these dresses as being especially funky or fun. Or maybe it's because I'm young and tend to be so casual most of the time that I just don't get it. Or because I simply don't have a very glamorous personality. I am not sure. Is it all up to accessories? What am I missing? As I said, this has NOTHING to do with my life right now, which might be part of the problem, but I am interested to hear everyone's input on this.

16 years ago

Dressing

13 replies

Latest reply was from Debora

cciele

Veteran

Hm, good question Maya!

I think you can go two ways with fancy dress:
- Let the dress be the statement, or
- Let the dress be the palette/canvas.

I'm a "dress as palette" girl, so for me it's all in the accessories. Here's a Polyvore I did of an outfit I wore to a dinner/auction/dance event:
http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/im.....c2l6ZQ.jpg

(The necklace, shoes, and coat weren't exactly what I wore, but close. The rest was what I own).

16 years ago

rute

Veteran

Wow.. cciele.. love your suggestion! Want everything!

Maya, You can always choose a simple dress.. lets say a LBD and spice it up with nice shoes, jewelery and a great clutch!

or a nice girly dress (this one seems young and fun):

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....9&P=1

16 years ago

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I think formal wear in your twenties is a difficult look to pull off. Just look at the celebs at premieres, they are often accused of looking too mature for their age or too informal. This has been compounded by denim becoming acceptable on the red carpet and at other functions, Cameron Diaz being the perfect example.

In the days where strict dress codes applied dressing for these events must have been allot easier.

I like Cciele prefer my dress to be a blank canvas and I'm presently on the look out for my perfect LBD. I want a dress which you can wear belted or unbelted, with high heels or flats and with a scarf or statement jewellery. For me it is my accessories and tattoos which would provide the personality.

Most cocktail dresses are so far removed from my style at present that I would feel like I was wearing fancy dress if the occasion arose, but in the future I may think differently.

I would be very interested if you crack this formula Maya.

16 years ago

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

I think a lot of conventional eveningwear lends itself to the modern classic persona (a highly scientific theory based entirely on my own experience). I love shopping for formal and semiformal dresses in classic styles, which can usually be found in abundance. Of course that happens to fit in perfectly with my style and personality. An ideal cocktail outfit for me would be a simply-styled dress in a fabulous colour with elegant, simple accessories (the wedding outfit we put together a few weeks ago was a great example, i.e. wine-coloured dress, silver bag and sandals, black scarf). I can imagine this proces wouldn't be so fun for someone who prefers a more casual or playful vibe.

16 years ago

shiny

Veteran

One limiting factor is what style flatters your figure. A lot of those fun, more youthful dresses, like the one Rute posted, look horrible on me. I don't do sleeveless or strappy numbers very well. I need more coverage and structure.

For years and years, my formula for formal wear was a simple LBD with change up of accessories. It's amazing how you can have one perfect LBD and it can stay in style for years and years, just by changing the shoes and accessories to something up-to-date.

However, recently I've gotten bored with the basic LBD for formal events, because everyone here in Boston - and I mean everyone - wears black. It's a sea of black. So if you want to stand out and express some personal style, simply wearing a dress in a gorgeous color is an easy way to do it.

Also there is the added challenge of coordinating with my DH's kilt. He loves to wear his formal kilt to any formal event. The tartan is green and blue, which he wears with a black tuxedo jacket. So black works, green works, blue works. Red totally clashes. Anything with a pattern would clash. His kilt outfit is so detailed, I find it's best if my dress is more simple and understated.

16 years ago

Vani

Veteran

I am with shiny on having to go with what fits you best. The London Times dress looks great on me and I love looking good (who doesn't? :-D) but the reason I am hesitating a tad is because it isn't really me. But then it really isn't very expensive so I wouldn't mind having one fun, girly outfit in my wardrobe. I imagine I would have to spend a lot of time looking before finding the perfect LBD. Apart from wanting to look elegant and alluring, I would also like something with personality, something more me. Which I guess, is exactly your point. But with my body and budget I find I have to make compromises. And now the search for the perfect LBD that is me, is on!

16 years ago

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Message to Shiny.

Have you asked your husband to look at the modern black kilts available
http://www.21stcenturykilts.com/black.html
this would definitely open up your wardrobe opportunities. They are very popular in Scotland at the moment among all age groups.

Niva, you have such a beautiful figure, why are we all so full of self doubt and yet see the beauty in others?

16 years ago

Maya

Veteran

The question of body type really hits home with me. The kind of dresses that would flatter me are the very va-va-voom bombshell types with plunging necklines and hip-hugging skirts. This is SO the opposite of my personality that it actually makes me laugh just thinking about it. Unfortunately I think Michelle is right: there is no room for fun or playfulness or personality with formal wear. I would rather get a funky dress from Mod Cloth than dress for the Oscars, quite frankly.

Of course, a lot of it depends on the degree of formality. On the less formal end, I could definitely see myself wearing something like this (bearing in mind it would be longer on me than on the model):

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....3&P=1

LOVE this (neckline and waist tie aside):

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....3&P=2

Ironically, when I switch from the "hourglass" dresses on Nordies to the "straight" dresses I find more "me" options, like this sack dress:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....3&P=2

Which would, of course, be awful on me. But I love the idea of wearing something like that with a big old chunk of a shoe, like the examples here:

http://youlookfab.com/2007/11/.....t-dresses/

I think this is partially why I never "got" the concept of prom when I was a teenager. The idea of wearing a prom dress did absolutely NOTHING for me. I'm actually relieved that I don't have to think about this right now because I would really resent having to spend so much money on a dress that I would almost inevitably not love.

Using a dress as a blank canvas sounds appealing, but in the end, even the accessories have to have the right formality, which still makes it a bummer. I don't like evening bags and clutches, and I hate wearing dressy heels. Formal dressing, it seems, will always be something I tolerate rather than enjoy.

Once it gets REALLY formal, I'm totally lost. Wearing anything floor length does not appeal to me in any way shape or form.

16 years ago

bella

(website)

Veteran

As far as I understand, we are not talking about affordability here. We are just talking in the very abstract sense what would be a youthful, funky formal look. In this case, I think some of the young celebrities might give us inspiration. I always like Natalie Portman's style for example:
http://www.thefashiontime.com/.....cannes.jpg

Blake Lively sometimes has good taste:
http://images.google.com/imgre.....l%26um%3D1
http://jadorefashionblog.files.....ively1.jpg

16 years ago

Steph

Veteran

Maya, I wouldn't agree that there is no room for fun or playfulness or personality with formal wear. I love shopping for formal wear because I love looking for the perfect color (your entire dress is that color or pattern, after all, so it becomes so much more important and such a focal point in the way it wouldn't if it were a more casual outfit comprised of separates), a great fit and details that make a difference. My boyfriend recently said about one of my cocktail dresses (actually, this one: http://www.thisnext.com/item/8.....tton-Dress), that it was more than just an item of clothing--it was a piece of intricate construction. I am a definite hourglass with a larger chest and smaller waist, and I really enjoy trying on different styles of dresses--I enjoy the challenge of finding the right one.

Also, because a lot of dresses can be similar, I love the challenge of finding one that is unique, or one that has some interesting or fun detail that I like. I think it's difficult to enjoy dress shopping when you have a limited time and a specific occasion--invariably for me, I can't find anything that really speaks to me when I have a specific event. I'm more likely to just see something I love and purchase it randomly, knowing that I'll have reason to wear it at some point. Now I have a collection of a number of cocktail/evening dresses I love, and they are all different colors and have different necklines and skirt types. So I think it's possible to have fun while dress shopping, although I can understand that not everyone would find it enjoyable.

16 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Maya! You can absolutely have a fun formal gown! If you were my client, I’d pop you in “an era” . I think era dressing is extremely fun. We went to a very lavish wedding in Chicago two years ago and Greg and I dressed like 1920’s gangsters (I was a flapper wife on my gangster hubby’s arm). It was brilliant.

So back to you, I’d choose the early 60’s. I’m excited about it already.

16 years ago

Maya

Veteran

You know I love the 60's Angie. I always feel like I'm just built better for the 50's, which is an era I absolutely adore on others, but somehow it just doesn't feel very "me." Too many curves and too much tailoring! I love geometry and androgyny, but how do accomplish that in formal wear? I have no idea. This is what I think of when I think of 50's (though obviously these are all basically costumes):

http://daddyos.com/retro/retroldy.html

Your gangster getup sounds too fun! I'm sure when the time comes, YLF will get me sorted on this.

16 years ago

Debora

Veteran

Maya, what an interesting topic. I think you are at a wonderful age to have some fun with your formal wear. My daughter is your age and she wore this sequined sheath to a black tie awards dinner at Tavern on the Green about a year and a half ago:

http://youlookfab.com/2007/11/.....arty-look/

She wore the French Connection sequined sheath in the bottom row. She liked the 1960's vibe and didn't want to appear too stuffy because of her age (she was 23 at the time). Perhaps that was what Angie was getting at when she mentioned era dressing.

Incidentally , this is how I discovered YLF. She was describing her dress to me and Angie's post came up during my google search. I've been a fan of YLF ever since!

16 years ago

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