Help me edit my dress orphanage!

Hi, ladies. I was hoping some of you would help me edit the dress orphanage currently running out of my closet;)

Up until the end of 2008, I worked for a fashion supplier in London. We designed and manufactured clothing that ended up in high street shops (that's British for "mainstream chain stores") like Topshop, Oasis, Monsoon and H&M here in the UK. One of the best things about the job was the employee discount- anything you liked at wholesale price was fine by me!

However, as I'm sure you can imagine, this can lead to making some hasty and dubious wardrobe decisions, and for me this resulted in a whole lot of dresses in my closet that a) I'm not sure work for me, and b) I rarely wear (either because they don't work or because I don't have the right accessories, etc). They are all somewhat similar in shape, which isn't surprising as they were made for the same kind of customer, over the course of about one year. Most have slightly high waists and cap-ish sleeves. (I know, I know- not my favourite, either.) They are also slightly shorter than what I'd prefer, but that's the UK high street for you!

I got some photos of some of the ones I'm on the fence with, so please take a look and let me know what you think...

Red pocket dress
http://i641.photobucket.com/al.....ddress.jpg
I love the retro feel of this one, and the skirt shape especially is very "me". The thing about it is that the back of the bodice is slit open, so it ends up looking looser and bulkier from the front.
Back http://i641.photobucket.com/al.....ssback.jpg
If I decide to keep this one, what do I do about the slit? Obviously I'm just wearing a regular bra here, but that doesn't seem right. Do I pull a Carrie Bradshaw and show off a pretty, lacy one? (I'm thinking probably not.) Cami? If so, what colour?

Green wrap dress (sorry about the wrinkles, needs a press)
http://i641.photobucket.com/al.....pdress.jpg
This one is the fanciest of them all- not really a day dress. It's silk jersey, from the Kate Moss for Topshop range. I love it in theory- green is my favourite colour and I tend to like wrap styles. This one has a grecian thing going on- you wrap the gold ties around again and again (although they could be shortened if it's too much). But the straps would need to be shortened by about 2", and I'd probably add a snap or something to the front, so it doesn't fall open. I'm wondering if the alterations would be worth it?
I'd also need to get some shoes to go with it-probably gold ones- any ideas for style?

Sailor dress
http://i641.photobucket.com/al.....sailor.jpg
I actually got a lot of wear out of this one in the winter, with black tights, tall black motorcycle boots and a cardi on top. It is very comfortable and easy to wear, but I'm worried it might be a bit "young" for me.

Silk shirtdress
http://i641.photobucket.com/al.....tdress.jpg
Very similar in shape to the last one, but this one is 100% silk and hands down, my favourite colour in the world. It's bit shapless through the hips, and I wish it were a couple inches longer, but I'd be willing to try it with tights or even leggings (gulp- I've never worn leggings) to make it work.

Black empire-waist dress
http://i641.photobucket.com/al.....edress.jpg
This one was actually from a staff sample sale, so was super cheap- only 3 pounds or something. I've never worn a waist this high before; it feels strange to me since I'm long-waisted. Does it work?

17 years ago

merry77

Active Member

I love the red and green and the last black dresses.

For the red, a cami underneath would be great. There are so many options for colors, but I think a color would be better than a neutral.

The green one is fabulous on you. I think the alterations would be worth it. I'm not much help on shoes.

And I think the last black dress with empire waist is great on you. It makes you look taller, longer legged, or something like that.

Anonymous

Ele, you are so adorable that you could wear anything! Here's my take on your dresses.
1. Could you have a new full length zipper put in? It looks like there's a zipper now up to the waist. Very cute.

2. Love the green on you and think it's worth getting it made it fit. It seems like a classic piece to me in a lovely flattering color. Gold, nude, or tan strappy shoes/sandals should work.

3. If you are getting wear out of it, I say keep for at least another winter season. It doesn't seem too young.

4. This is a lovely piece. Could you wear it as a tunic over skinny pants...black, cream, white, brown microcheck, or denim? I'm even wondering how it would look worn over a knee-length pencil skirt.

5. This looks so cute on you. You could remove the self belt and wear your own leather(ette) belt high for a more casual look, experimenting with width and color.

Inge

(website)

Moderator

I love the red pocket dress, and I agree you could just wear a cami under it (I'd go with black;-)
Or how about one of those convertible bras or a backless bra like this:
http://www.maidenform.com/cata.....ory=Search
(I don't know how comfortable this would be, but I quite like the look of the 'back-split' as is)

I'd love to see a picture of the sailor dress paired with your motorcycle boots, sounds super!-)

Not sure about the green dress (love the colour, though). I think it would depend on how often you are planning on wearing it.

I'm reserving judgment on the brown silk shirtdress;-)

I don't think the black dress looks strange at all. If the fabric's not too heavy, this could be a fun dress for warm days too (bare legs, a bright coloured or pewter shoe and a great bag and bracelet).

medusa

Veteran

I don't claim to be an expert at all, but I think the red, green, and the last black dresses all look great on you.

sinead

You are adorable in your dresses! The red dress- I was going to ask if it was too big, but then saw that it had the slit in back that is causing the front to sort of gape. I like the suggestion of extending the zipper because, to me, it sort of looks like a dress where someone just forgot to zip all the way. I would take it to a tailor for suggestions- there may be other options.

The black with high waist is just beautiful on you- what a great dress.

The only one I'm iffy about is the Kate Moss green. It just doesn't seem as flattering- maybe it has to do with structure. I'm noticing all your other dresses have a wonderful structure to them, so maybe I just like you better in a more structured dress.

shiny

I adore the red dress on you. It's my favorite of all. But, I can understand how the back may be a challenge. If you don't want to do the Carrie thing (and I suspect you could pull it off - if and only if you felt comfortable doing so), then I would say get a full length zipper put in, or go bra-less. They do make those adhesive cuppy things - know what I mean? I couldn't rely on that, not at my age - I need underwire to lift things up - but you look young enough maybe you could? I think this is worth exploring before you toss. If nothing else, what happens when you put a layer over?

Green dress - love it on you. This is another I would try to fix with the tailor. But if you don't have a lot of occasions to wear it, and you have better, then maybe it's a pass on those reasons alone?

Floppy sailor - you do not look too old for this. Keep.

Green shirt dress (looks brown?) - my least favorite. This I'm inclined to pass on, unless I see you in it wearing flats, a bright belt, perhaps a cardi in a pop of color. It just needs something.

Black empire dress - perfection. Great shape and length on you, and I imagine quite versatile. KEEP!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Hello fellow ex-rag trade person, Ele :0)

A big thumbs up for the red and green dress. FABULOUS. I like the sailor dress too. It’s adorable on you. I’d pass on the brown silk dress but keep the black empire cut. My dear girl, we can't possibily help you cull your frock wardrobe when you look sensational in dresses!

Ele

Thanks so much for all the input, ladies!

I will be keeping the red dress, and perhaps investigating if a zip could be added to the back (I have a hunch it might not be possible, as the slit isn't actually straight, but curved, ie. fabric has been cut away).

I'll also keep the green wrap style, but send it to Canada with my Mum next time she visits me. Alterations will be much cheaper there, and as some of you have said I might not wear it that much, so I'm in no hurry for them to be done.

The black sailor dress- good to know I can pull it off. I'll try to lighten it up for summer, or at least store it for next fall/winter.

Ahh, my army green (looks brown in the pic) shirtdress! No one likes it but me:( (I understand I am probably one of the only people in the world who would describe this colour as "gorgeous"- I just can't help myself!) I might play around with hemming this one to crotch-length, and trying it as a belted tunic with skinnies, before giving up on it altogether.

The black empire dress is a keeper, too- Joy, I love your idea of changing the belt and yours, Inge, of trying it with bare legs. It always seemed a bit formal for my life before, but I'll try to cas it up for the summer with more fun/colourful accessories.

(I've just realized I've talked myself into keeping all of these, in one way or another. Sigh. I'm not very good at this editing thing!)

Alecia

I'm too late to help with the decision-making. I'm intrigued by the idea of the army green shirtdress with skinnies or leggings. I hope you'll share if you try it.

For the red dress, what about a swath of fabric sewn into the dress to cover the slit? I'm thinking something kind of sheer but opaque maybe with a feminine pattern. Maybe something like this? http://www.fashionfabricsclub......tmID=QQ014 That would probably need a lining, but it's just to give you an idea. I think that kind of thing would keep with the vintage styling of the dress.

Laura

Ele, I'm late too but had to chime in to say that you can definitely wear the empire waist, and it's very flattering to you. You look wonderful in tomato red and the grecian dress is also really interesting and unique too - I love the gold trim!

yublocka

I'm another major fan of the red dress. The slit in the back looks great to me - I would not close it up if I were you!!

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