Dresses - keep or toss - YouLookFab Forum

Doing a bit of closet organizing today, I went through most of my summer dresses. A couple that were decidedly unfab went straight into the donation basket, and I am left with these. What do you think?

#1 is a Loft dress that I thought might be too short. #2 is an old Eddie Bauer summer dress, very lightweight. #3-4 - Nine West, very pretty print but maybe too girlish? #5 - another Loft dress in black and white print. #6 - very casual and lightweight dress that I usually wear to backyard BBQs and such so it probably stays.

I am in no hurry to donate any of these - in fact, if I keep most of these I will be in a really good shape in terms of my summer wardrobe. But if anything here looks dated or ill-fitting or not age-appropriate, I can get rid of those items.

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14 years ago

Amy

(website)

Veteran

I like one and three the best as far as fit goes.

Isis

I think they are all keepers except for the first.

I'm not fond of the sleeves on that one.....

I like the "girly" dress!

lyn*

#3 is soooo cute; I love it!

Parsley

You look so pretty in dresses, Makrame! #2 is my least favorite, probably because the colors are less vibrant than the others, and you do look great in bright colors. I don't find #3-4 to be too girlish; I like it a lot!
I'd say you are very well set for summer frocks!

Beth Ann

1 & 3 are my favorites, too, particularly #3. I suspect #4 might look better IRL. I don't wear the colors in #2 much -- I'd play around with styling options -- perhaps with a topper. Someone else on the forum might have some terrific ideas to make this print sing. #5 is a bit hard to get a feel for in the photo, due to the dark background.

I've been trying on summer dresses, too, and feel like there's a fine line between feminine and juvenile. The floral in #3 looks fresh to my eye, and it's bold colors keep it from being to "precious." I think it's a really terrific look for you!

Oh, and #1 isn't too short -- and the print is fun!

Nadia

Active Member

I love both #1 and #3 (especially #3- it's gorgeous) on you and #1 is definitely not too short. If I had to choose, pic #5 (dress #4) is probably my least favorite. There's something about the shape that I don't like as much as the previous dresses. It's not terrible just not quite as fab. I think I might like it better with a topper of some kind.

Suz

My preference is for #1 and #3.

I notice they are mostly floral patterns with similar necklines; do you have some solid dresses or dresses in geometric patterns? If you are planning to retire any of these (this year or next year) would you like some variety in the style? Then again, maybe the tried and true just feels better in a hot and sticky season; I can see the value of it, especially since the patterns make it feel less necessary to accessorize and in the heat that can be a plus.

Makrame

Thanks ladies! Good to know I can still get more use out of these dresses. Just wanted to mention that #3 was a surprise gift from DH last year - he has a good eye for sure.

I think I will probably wear #1 and the black and white dress in pic #5 with toppers - I agree that that the sleeves on #1 are not very flattering, and the shape of #5 is a bit odd but they might work better with lightweight jackets.

Suz, that's a good point - I have the colorblock Vince Camuto dress (still has the tags on) and if I keep it, it would add a different type/style compared to what I already have.

Jenava

I think #1 the sleeve is not as flattering as it could be.
#2 the colors seem a bit dull, but I could just be in color overload mode lately.
For that reason I really LOVE #3...if you toss it you could toss it my way because that print is divine!
The next dress (#4, pic 5) is not very exciting...I think you can do better.
The last dress is cute and has potential. I could see this with chunky wood jewelry.

ETA with dress #3 I think you need a cropped topper with this. Anything that falls below your waist it not going to look as slimming/streamlined as something that ends at the waist...or, you could belt over a cardigan that hits mid-hip...that might be OK. I also think a silver sandals maybe with a wedge heel...or a colored sandal would be a nice touch.

fashionista

Such a lovely collection of dresses. They are so beautiful. Where do you live BTW? Gonna come for some wardrobe robbing!!!!

ManidipaM

Hmm, I liked #1 best! Followed by #2 and #3-4... I think the prints in #1 and #5 are very versatile, and I love the neckline on #1 as well.

I like #2 a lot, and think a hit of bright red, orange or pink in your accessories, or in the opposite direction to navy or turquoise would really amp it up.

It's #6 I'm having a hard time thinking of ways to style that won't overwhelm it or look too tribal... All I can come up with is a white denim jacket or some mother-of-pearl beads, but then you have lots of practice with it, so you probably know better already!

lyn67

Nr 1 and nr 3 are the best and most current to my eyes, but I'll probably donate the nr. 2 to be honest as you asked:-)

Scarlet

Agree 100% with Jenava

citygirldc

I'd say get rid of the last 2.

HelenInCanada

Dresses #1, 3, and 6 are lovely. I vote keep for those. The others I'm not wild about, print-wise, although the fit is great for all. I'm amazed you have the perfect identical pose in each photo, btw! At first I thought you played computer paper-dolls with these...lol!

Sona

3 is my fav. absolutely do not toss that one!! depending on how warm summer gets ( and with this year's unseasonably warm winter and spring in many parts of the country) its hard to say how hot summer really will get. If we hit a lot of 100 plus days you might be happy to have hung on to these to help keep you eeling cool and breezy!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

#3 and #5 are my faves here. Nice colours and fit!

Sounds great, looks like quite a few keepers here. I think Sona is right, I might have more use for warm weather dresses this summer than ever before. I like Jenava's idea of a very cropped topper - don't have one but will keep my eyes open.

Helen, I find my unchanging pose interesting too - I think it must be my trying to stay in focus for the camera and always taking pictures in the same corner of the house. I find that I can actually play paper dolls with my photos - sort of like AJ has done - to mix up parts of different outfits because all the photos have more or less the same pose.

modgrl

I really don't like the last one. The detailing at the bottom makes it look dated to me. I would hold on to the others. They are nice light summer dresses for when you don't have to be super serious. I wouldn't necessarily wear any of these on a power day at work but they are great for casual summer days.

keruchina

I like 3 the best, followed by 1 and 5. I'm not troubled by the detailing at the bottom of 5 if it's worn as casual ware.

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