H&M finds, and K/R on a dress

Hi everyone, did a little shopping trip today while escorting DD and her friend at the mall (aside: two 12 year old type A girls planning a shopping trip is great entertainment!)

I was looking for either a satin or chiffon midi skirt or dress that I could wear perhaps with sneakers in early fall, and then with tights and booties or boots in later fall/early winter. I found this dress at H&M and I'm unsure. It looks okay in the photos on its own, but it feels like it makes my waist thick and the elastic sits right above my tummy which feels a little maternity-ish. However, I do quite like it worn as a skirt with a sweater over. What do you think? Is it worth keeping or should I keep trying?

I also don't wear skirts or dresses often, but I would like to have one piece for colder weather, for the occasional time when a slightly dressier option is handy.

Also shown, a sage green scarf that I really don't need because I have so many scarves even though I wear them infrequently these days! But the colour was so pretty, I couldn't resist. And a snakeprint belt, which I though might add a touch of contrast to my more monochrome winter outfits. And some eyeshadow since lipstick in not pulling its weight in the mask era!

Appreciate your thoughts; thank you! xx

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5 years ago

nemosmom

Veteran

Ooh fun finds, H! LOVE the snakeprint belt and scarf and shadows! That sage color is absolutely dreamy and will really look pretty with all of your navy.

I think you look great in the chiffon dress - I don't see the waist thickness that you see - and I really like your idea to add a sweater over to wear it longer in the year. BUT - do you like the dress enough AS A DRESS? Or, does the fit bother you too much? How does the dress lay under the sweater? Are there buttons creating any lumps or weirdness?

If you don't think you will like it enough to wear it as a dress, I would keep shopping for a different dress (OR for the skirt you are after).

Helena

Yes - you are right. I'm making it do, which would be fine for something I'd had a while, but not for something new. Thanks Nemos! Back it will go!! But I'll look for a similar skirt that is actually a skirt!

Carla

Next! Don’t settle for anything less than a 10 happiness factor, TG!

Vildy

In the future, if you find a dress you like everything about except the elastic waist placement, you can often pick that out and it releases the waist down some and you can wear your own belt.

Jaime

(website)

I agree that the dress gives you the idea of something you would like but not the actual thing. The sage scarf looks great on you, and I know what your're saying about lipstick. It has sort of lost its purpose.

Thanks everyone ... Grateful for this wise fashion squad! Xx

notsaf

Love the look of the dress in the first pic (it's just the kind of print I can't resist( but I agree that on it's own it doesn't have the same impact. Love the scarf and eyeshadow! And also love your new hairdo, too, which I think I forgot to say when you originally posted.

slim cat

Pic #4 - fab! Scarf, belt and eye shadow to keep!

RobinF

Ooh love that belt!

Agree with the consensus on the dress - wait for the right one.

rachylou

Oh, I rather like it, but admittedly it’s ‘conservative.’

kellygirl

I think it looks good but your comment about how it makes you feel gives me pause. If you're hesitant now... There are so many skirt options out there now, I'd hold off until you find the one that makes your heart pitter patter.

Laurie

That scarf is great with your hazel eyes. Mine are very similar color to yours and I've really been building the # of sage/olive items in my closet over the last year or 2 because it brings out the green!

Snakeskin belt is an excellent accessory!

celia

Late for the dress debate, but had to say that I love that sage scarf with your coloring

Angie

Fashion Stylist

I vote return the dress. Sounds like you'd do much better with a bias cut skirt you can wear with a sweater

Sage is KILLER on you! And love the pretty hair.

unfrumped

Sounds like you are making some good choices. I also have to remind myself that I can keep looking for something that is “ like this, but more like that”, so I will end up where I want to be.

The sage is beautiful. I have not tackled editing my scarves yet in pandemic. In some ways, “ they don’t take up much room” but, in fact , they do, unless I store them away from any of my main closet or drawers, where then I’m even less like to wear. My main goal is to see where I get editing for fabric comfort ( discomfort) and for colors that no longer do anything for me.

Sal

Sounds a fun trip (teenage boys who want to get in and out of shops and home as quick as possible are not so fun!!)

Love the belt, love the sage, but I don't love the dress. I like the idea though so there will be another....

Jenni NZ

I used to so love shopping with my girls. It could be slightly fraught in later teenage so enjoy in the next few years! I stopped paying for their clothes when they left school.
One amusing trip I remember with Rebecca aged about 12 or early teens (now 29 years old) was when I wanted to get her some smarter flat shoes, I was imagining some kind of loafer I think like my friend’s daughters had, probably in black. And somehow we ended up with these pink Oxford lace-ups! With the brand visible on a small label sewn on, “Vomiting Dog”! To this day I don’t really understand how that happened! Anyway they suited her personality and she did wear them for quite a while so I count my blessings

nuancedream

Another vote for return the dress. Any dress that even evokes the slightest whiff of maternity and you're not pregnant is a "no go." A skirt would be a much better option. The scarf, belt, and eyeshadow are definite keepers. Also, your hair is so pretty!!

Thanks everyone; I shall be on the hunt for a skirt when I go back to return the dress. Thanks for the kind comments about my hair; it feels SO much better and happily works fairly well with minimal styling - air dry and a few clamps of the flat iron to reduce poof and smooth curls, and it seems to be good to go - yay!

Jenni, that's so funny - so far so good with DD - Like you, I try to appreciate their style as their own - even if it wouldn't be my pick! As long as it meets whatever dress code is required, they can wear more or less what they like - which for DD right now is oversized graphic tees and statement socks with white Crocs However, the exception is when we go see their Grandma; then they need to smarten up and let me tell you, they don't do it willingly and our definitions of the term differ! *sigh*

Stagiaire Fash

I love that look in the first pic, but life isn’t a photo shoot. You’re smart to return it and wait for a dress you like as a dress *and* with a sweater over it. Too bad, because I think the new scarf would go wel with it.
Lol about the lipstick. I have a mask I wear with the lighter side in. I still use lipstick to moisturize my lips, so now of course the mask is stained.

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