I'm new and need help with a LBD!

Hi everyone! Been perusing here for a few weeks, and needed to sign up! I'm going to need some help soon deciding what my body shape is, but since I don't have any good photos to upload at the moment, maybe you can help me decide if this would be a good LBD?

I am trying to re-vamp my whole wardrobe and only select very few quality pieces. I think I'm minimally natured, and I hate having too many choices, so I will only have one LBD, and I need to know if this is it!

I love simple, classic, structured, and if it has a little hint of a "twist" then it's all the better!

I have been oogling over a Helmut Lang dress that's like $800 CAD I think...and I found it on eBay for $250 with the shipping!

But please be honest. It's a great price, but like I said I will only be having one for a loooong time!

Oh and sorry I don't have a pic of me yet, but to give you an idea of myself, I'm 28, fairly small 5'6" and 120lbs, have dark brown hair that's shoulder length with bangs.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to the comments!

PS - I noticed another RAE on this forum....shout out! I haven't met too many girl Rae's in my life!

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2012-69.....282wt_1319

I think this link shows better photos of the dress:
http://www.matchesfashion.com/product/129991

13 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

You got me at Helmut Lang - it's a great dress. Is it current - so you could try it for fit in a shop?

MsLuna

That's a GORGEOUS dress! You can't go wrong with this, especially if you veer towards the minimal/uncomplicated the style. The contrasting leather panel makes the dress a bit more interesting. I'd actually get this myself as it fits my style!

... and Welcome!

(website)

Agree that this is an awesome dress. Great details, yet still a simple enough overall look to change up with accessories. One caveat - it may be harder to pull off a belt with the side leather panels and exposed zipper. But you may not want to ever belt it!
It is a bit dressier to my eye. Would you want your one and only LBD to be just for dressy occasions or do you want to also dress it down?

Raisin

Thanks for the responses so far! To answer a few questions...

Unfortunately I can't try it on in shop. Here on the east coast of Cananda there is definitely no Helmut Lang! But that brings up a good point my DH made....is it too risky to order it from eBay since I can't try it on. I think because the dress is stretchy I have some leeway.

Also, I would want my LBD to be on the dressier side, since I found out last summer when I was invited to a few weddings that I really don't have any dressy dresses! I usually only belt loose garments because I find it hard to belt fitted ones because my waist is weird.....not sure how to explain it.....maybe you'll see later when I can post pictures for my body type.

Do you think the dress is too short? I like the length, and I tend to think its probably an ok length for a 28 year old, but since I don't plan on getting a new one every year...or 5....will it still be fine a few years down the road? Length and style wise?

Sveta

It is a beautiful dress. As for it being dressy I would not worry about it - it is similar in style to my Tahari LBD with satin inserts and I can dress it down very easily.
Looks like it is returnable but I have never bought clothing from eBay so I don't know how risky it is.
As for the length I cannot say for sure. How short it would be on you at this length? It says the model is 5'10" so it should be at least 2| longer on you which may be a nice length, especially for your age. Definitely not a mini so you may be able to wear it into your 30s and even 40s - if not for work then for special occasions for sure.

Suz

It is a fantastic dress! And a wonderful price, too. I'll bet it will look wonderful on you.

rachylou

Jump on it if you can! Gorgeous, incredibly versatile, and no ordinary LBD.

Thank you! A lot of great points! I didn't think about the fact that the model is 5'10" and it will be longer on me. I think the length is good, but a couple extra inches won't hurt either.

I have a really hard time deciding on things, and also on spending any kind of significant amount of money on myself. Most of it goes to my 2 boys ( 5 year old and 4 months old). So I'm still on the fence, but I will let you know if I get it, and of course update with pics if I do. I'll be thinking about it for a while today I imagine......

April

Wow, that's a stunner, RR.

One thought -- how long were you hoping to wear it? Years? I'm asking because leather inserts seem fairly of-the-moment, and you may find that if they become ubiquitous (as many trends do), they don't look quite as smashing in a couple of years.

But wow. It's really gorgeous.

Scarlet

The dress is gorgeous. I think the leather panels are okay, as long as they fit with your regular style. Otherwise I think April is right that they are very of-the-moment but may not be your thing in two years.

I think I have a thing with leather inserts. I have a wool pair of trousers with leather waistband, and a cream tweed dress with small sliver of leather in one armhole. Haha...maybe I need to slow down on the leather accents.....

I think I've always thought of leather as a classic, so to me it's not necessarily trendy, but you're right, I do seem to be seeing the leather details everywhere right now, so maybe that's a bit of a trend and not so classic.

Choosing classics that aren't too basic or boring is hard....

Anna

Active Member

I have several questions for you: How does one clean it? Take it to a leather cleaner? How do you feel about that expense? Also, it's slim and short. Are you OK with the riding-up factor when you sit?

Kat

I think you can message the seller to ask for measurements (waist to hem for example) and then measure yourself to see if you'll be happy with the length. The dress is gorgeous (ahh, I do love Helmut Lang) and, given the enumeration of other leather panelled items in your wardrobe, sounds as though it is very "you". It's a great price for a very cool dress. When buying from ebay, I ask myself what I would do if the item just doesn't work (is the price plus any potential tailoring, etc still a good investment, etc) and how close it is to EXACTLY what I've been looking for (if it's perfect, I buy it, if it's close I do a little more evaluating)
good luck and please post pics if you do for it!

For cleaning, according to the website it's dry clean. It's not my preferred way to clean. I usually try to hand wash dry clean items, but this one will obviously not be hand washable. My thought is I will likely only wear a few times per year, so probably I would dry clean it every few wears?

I have messaged him about sizing, and I think it lists the length, but I should definitely check that it compared to other dresses I'm comfortable with. That would be a big point. So more to think about before I decide.

On one hand I feel like because of the good price it's worth it to go for it and if it really doesn't work well it's not so bad....but on the other hand I know that's the kind of thinking that makes me end up with less then stellar pieces, or just donating something and wasting money.

rae

Well, the seller accepts returns within 14 days. If the return shipping cost is not that bad, then it may be worth trying.

This dress is a statement on its own and kind of artsy, so I don't think it will date quickly. It will be harder to "transform" into different looks/styles because it has a strong point of view of its own. If you are okay with that, though, it should be fairly easy to dress up and down as you need it.

catgirl

Just chiming in to say I love HL and you should get this so we can live through you if nothing else.

Glory

Welcome ! I love the dress but understand the hard decision to order untried, especially from ebay. It is classic but with a "statement" which I love. See what the seller says and whether you can return if it doesnt fit.

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