The Wedding Season begins--

MsMaven

--And some of us need help finding the right outfits.

I'd love to wear a dress. Once upon a time, I had many dresses. I could go into a store and buy one off the rack--a dress that fit well and looked good and made me feel good.

Alas, times have changed, and so have I.

There are two of us looking for suggestions for a late summer wedding, one is MOG and the other is GMOG. We both agree that the typical bridal shop MOB-MOG dresses are not to our taste and probably not appropriate in our case.

First of all, for those familiar with the northern Chicago suburbs:

Any suggestions for stores to shop for such a dress? Boutiques, new places?

Online sources other than the usual department stores? I spent some time looking through Nordstrom and NM online--quite disappointing. I've bought several nice dresses at both places, but so far the selection is depressing.

Anyone who has been through this recently--can you suggest some good places to start looking?

12 years ago

Shopping

11 replies

Latest reply was from Deborah

MsMaven

Veteran

One new thing I learned this morning: If I go to a department store website such as Bloomingdale's, and search on the name of a brand or designer I've liked in the past, a variety of dresses show up that aren't necessarily included under general headings such as dresses, or evening dresses, or even wedding guests. So Laundry by Shelli Segal turned up a few interesting possibles, as did Calvin Klein and Sue Wong.

Also, Bloomies attaches a tag to the back of some of the more expensive dresses. included are instructions for removing the tag, but once it is removed, you can't return the dress. I can understand why they do this, but it is a bit annoying.

12 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

The last time I was in Dressbarn they had several cute dresses. Not the first place I would have thought of for formal wear, but they had some really nice options, and in a range of sizes of course.

Are you looking for a more traditional, formal vibe, or something a bit less expected? Separates are an option if you don't have the best luck with dresses.

12 years ago

Debora

Veteran

I'll be watching this thread with interest. Right now I'm looking for a dress for my niece's wedding. This Adrianna Pappel dress is a contender, although it may not be dressy enough for a MOB or MOG.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/ad.....egoryId=BR

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12 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

Laura--both of us are looking for something less traditional and yes, separates are an option I've relied on many times.

Debora--I had looked at several of the AP dresses and this one is worth considering. It may be long enough--I generally need a dress to be 40" long to reach my knees. Navy is definitely an acceptable color for me. The question is my bare arms--it will be warm enough for the bareness.

The sleeve problem drives me crazy along the too short skirts. I've been working out and my arms are actually getting some muscular definition! So I am open to sleeveless if it's covered enough that I don't feel like I need a jacket or a shawl.

My dress-hunting companion doesn't know yet if the bride wants long or shorter. I'll check and find out if it is to be afternoon or evening.

12 years ago

Debora

Veteran

MsMaven, I am 5'6" and the dress hits me right above the kneecap. I'm still looking (I have 3 months), but it really is a flattering dress. I would love to find a dress with an asymmetrical neckline or some other interesting feature. Keep us posted on what you find out there. I'm PM'ing you some pics.

12 years ago

Anonymous

I ended up getting a long dress and having it shortened to knee length when I couldn't find something I liked that wasn't too short . I sympathize with you!

12 years ago

Debora

Veteran

I meant to add, here are the two other short dresses that I have tried so far. Both lovely dresses but the fit didn't quite work with either for me. The Tadashi also comes in a long length.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/ad.....s-_-1_13_B

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ta.....ts-_-1_7_C

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ta.....ts-_-1_9_C

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12 years ago

Marina

Active Member

What do you think about Vera Wang weeding dresses? I saw spring collection and it looks really nice. Or do you think there are too fancy?

12 years ago

viva

Veteran

I don't live in an area with a lot of shopping in my backyard so I relied on the internet for my recent vow renewal dress search. I did not like anything I found at department store sites. I didn't want anything traditional, glam, or body con. It was depressing and difficult. I really wanted a somewhat different dress but one that also felt like me.

I found it helpful to look at matchesfashion.com, theoutnet.com, and Barneys.com, all of which suggested dresses I was not seeing at department store sites as well as brands I was not familiar with. Sometimes I found things that were out of my price range, but sometimes not. Ultimately, I bought directly from a designer site (Tibi.com) so another idea is to go directly to the sites of designers you like to see their latest offerings, which will likely be broader than what any one particular store has to offer. Plus, those sites usually have offers of 15 or so % off if you sign up for emails. (I did this to get the discount, and now I can send those emails directly to my trash so I don't have to see them anymore.)

Good luck!

12 years ago

Marina

Active Member

Well, in the end I decided for a Carolina Herrera dress, the first one from here. http://www.wearona.com/style/s.....ng-dreams/. I mean my weeding in only next year, but I think that choosing the dress is the most important step in planning a weeding.

12 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

These may not be dressy enough, most strike me as day dresses but I did think of http://www.dobbinclothing.com/.....esses.html

12 years ago

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