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Hosting a tiny wedding in August, help me plan a cool outfit

April

Veteran

Here's the story. My brother (54) and his fiancee are having a tiny "no guests" casual non-religious wedding in our antique barn in Connecticut in August.

Sticky, humid, August. (Yes, the barn is air-conditioned.)

I don't know yet what the bride is wearing and obviously she'll decide first but I'm starting to think about a non-fancy dress in some sort of natural fiber. Dresses are easier for me with my crutches than pants, as long as they're not overly long and billowy.

My future sister-in-law came here from Venezuela a couple of years ago. The couple will have some sort of religious "do" for the parents back in Arizona later this year.

Suggestions?

General

43 replies

Latest reply was from Bijou

Runcarla

Veteran

A simple cotton or linen trapeze dress in a solid colour with an interesting/chunky necklace. Wear your beautiful hair long and flowing.

https://www.cosstores.com/en/w.....940003.htm

Might be too long, but good colour...

https://www.cosstores.com/en/w.....nge.089524

Pink would be celebratory. I like the chambray/blue colour too.

https://www.landsend.com/produ.....=23936,433

bj1111

Veteran

somehow i see you in a restrained palette architectural dress
https://www.cosstores.com/en_u.....dress-blue.

https://www.cosstores.com/en_u.....y.09005090

or leaning into the prep
https://www.cosstores.com/en_u......099492000

https://www.bodenusa.com/en-us.....ps&am

or very spring
https://www.cosstores.com/en_u.....w.09738030

https://www.cosstores.com/en_u.....rquoise.09

https://www.farmrio.com/produc.....7&

Runcarla

Veteran

LOL @ bj1111 - My mind went to COS for April as well!

April

Veteran

You ladies are spot on with my thinking. Even in deep summer I try to cover up so I would probably go for sleeves over sleeveless but I had not thought of COS and you've reminded me.

My word, bj, that leather dress is something, isn't it? I would keel over in leather in August here but I might have to get married again myself in autumn just so I could wear that.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

How LOVELY, April

My first thought was COS too:

And look at DKNY, Eileen Fisher, and Poetry.

https://www.poetryfashion.com/...../index.htm

Linen Shirt Dress

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Lyocell-mix Knot Drape Dress

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Slim-fit Midi Shirt Dress

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Wrap Shirt Dress

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Wrap Shirt Dress

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Oversized Shirt Dress

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Midi Shirt Dress

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Jonesy

Veteran

I got married in August! It was 99 F and we had the ceremony outside. I was worried my grandma was going to faint (she did not, luckily)! Glad to hear your barn has A/C :). Seems like Angie and others already have some leads for you. I guess I would want to buy something that was special, comfortable, but also versatile enough to be worn again.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

You could also try Wrap London, I believe it is linked to Poetry somehow but I could be mistaken.
https://www.wraplondon.com/?geoPopup=1

JAileen

Veteran

I was thinking Eileen Fisher or Universal Standard.

https://www.nordstrom.com/s/ei.....search-per

https://www.universalstandard......ress-black

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Some Natori beauties too:

https://www.natori.com/clothing/clothing/dresses/

bj1111

Veteran

Those natori dresses are so fun. The orange print kimono is all kinds of awesome.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I know! I love the pink :

https://www.natori.com/new/cot.....hirtdress/

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rachylou

Veteran

Oh, I love a wedding and all these dresses!

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

What about J Crew? They've always got a great selection of cotton & silk dresses - usually shirt dresses or tiered ones with (loose) cap sleeves.

Bijou

Veteran

April, I love these dresses by Tory Burch for summer. My favourite is the bib front caftan, as it is cotton and I love the crisp touch of the white bib and sleeve detail. Cotton is lovely to wear on a hot summer's day, the second dress is silk - but it is such a nice floaty design, I don't think that would be too hot either.

You did say 'not overly long' so they may need to be shortened to a more practical length. At least they are not particularly billowy!

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Oh no! My post got eaten! Here are the links again. It’s not a company I think you’d usually condider, but the festive prints might be good for a summery celebration. These are above the knee on the models, but from what you’ve said in past posts, I think they’d reach way further down your legs. The “midi” lengths they show actually reach the models’ ankles.

https://www.lillypulitzer.com/.....lor=4342A4

https://www.lillypulitzer.com/.....lor=4342BT

https://www.lillypulitzer.com/....._color=487

https://www.lillypulitzer.com/.....lor=4872C3

https://www.lillypulitzer.com/.....lor=11524T

One more, in classic Pulitzer pink puke. It would be great with your curls, but you’d have to be in “irony” mode all day long, which might not be how you want to spend the wedding (unless you do—I don’t know your relationship with him or her)
https://www.lillypulitzer.com/.....lor=9992ES

April

Veteran

FI -- that is so funny. In my Connecticut town, there is a great deal of Lilly Pulitzer. Usually on stick-thin ladies with stick-straight white hair being escorted by men wearing what my husband calls "whale pants".

Google "classic preppy whale pants" if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Oh dear! I was hoping they’d be a little quirky and you could be slightly subversive in co-opting one. FAIL.

LaPed

Veteran

I was just drooling over Poetry's printed silk dresses the other day, and wishing I had an occasion that would merit one of these:

https://www.poetryfashion.com/.....-dress.htm
https://www.poetryfashion.com/.....-dress.htm
https://www.poetryfashion.com/.....tdress.htm

The Lilly Pulitzer thing is funny. Those stick ladies April describes are all too real. As a teen I used to try to wear ribbon belts and whale prints ironically, or at least cheekily, but the looks always came off a bit too literal and I gave up. Context is everything! I think you'd have to be Jenna Lyons to make that degree of prep come off as quirky/subversive.

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Funny thing is, I think with their colors and photo backdrops, Pulitzer wants to be semi-tropical, maybe even Floridian, but I don’t remember seeing their stuff when I lived in Tampa, beyond their store in one mall. I guess they are actually for women from the NE US who wish they were in a semi-tropical resort? But yes, context is everything. If you’re surrounded by people wearing them “for real” it’s much harder to be ironic/subversive/snarky, especially without coming off as mean & snarly.

rachylou

Veteran

I want to say Lilly WAS in Florida, working a juice stand when she whipped up her first dresses - so they wouldn’t show juice, lol. Her dresses became beach club wear. I love the little Lilly shift dress. And whale pants. And gin and saltines for dinner as well

LaPed - I like those dresses!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Maybe I just wasn’t in the parts of Tampa/Florida where those dresses are worn.

What about a blazer dress for the wedding? https://m-en.zalando.de/nly-by.....h-q11.html

Anonymous

I thought of Peruvian Connection!
https://www.peruvianconnection.....e+dress.do
https://www.peruvianconnection.....y+dress.do

April

Veteran

Again, thank you all. It's funny to me that my Connecticut town has both a Lilly Pulitzer shop and a Vineyard Vines (home of the traditional neckties for the Kentucky Derby) whereas our Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren shops are both shuttered.

I believe the key to understanding this phenomenon might lie somewhere in the episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee where Jerry Seinfeld spends the day with his [WASP] friend Ali Wentworth.

MsMary

Veteran

Admittedly many of these are long and billowy, but I kind of love Johnny Was dresses for this kind of thing: https://www.johnnywas.com/clothing-dresses.html

April

Veteran

So, here's a fun new wrinkle to add to this issue. When I asked my brother what the bride was planning to wear, he said, "A simple dress."

Bless his heart.

I think I am stuck waiting until she actually has the dress and then asking for a photo.

In the meantime, I was sort of interested in this one, which on me would not be a mini: https://www.rag-bone.com/women.....ml?cgid=wo

JAileen

Veteran

Can’t you order a couple dresses before your SIL-to-be chooses her dress? I would probably do that because I would be worried about being left with nothing. I would definitely make sure I was staying within the return window.

April

Veteran

Great minds think alike, JAileen. Ordered the Rag and Bone one this morning. Plenty of time to change it if it's not right.

bj1111

Veteran

The rag and bone looks like just the ticket.

April

Veteran

And the plot thickens. I got in direct contact with the fiancee and asked for some photos. She sent me her top contenders, and I see that any one she would choose would make the Rag and Bone option seem perhaps disrespectfully casual.

I may keep it for regular wear but I think for the wedding I need something just a touch dressier.

This one is on its way to me from Nordstrom.

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