Had bf snap front and back photos as we were rushing out the door. Looked at images in car, and wow! this picture thing you all do is a very useful tool. Not always pleasant, but sooo revealing. Did I mention, not always pleasant?

I wore a brown shirtdress, with black wedge-platform sandals.

bf copied this a while ago
http://www.fashionfuss.com/hal.....hirtdress/
except for making the hem straight, because I was self-conscious about showing side leg.
It's in a medium-weight laundered raw silk, in a cool dark brown that looks good with my skin and bf likes with my hair (red).

Back:
- Brown fabric forms a solid rectangle from my square shoulders to the A-line hem, barely broken by the wide sash because there's so much excess fabric through the midsection.
- The hem falls half an inch below the most flattering point, yet my legs, which are not remotely slender, look narrow below the broad mass of dress.
- The cuff ties look messy rather than relaxed and feminine.
- Also, my hair. This is for another topic. Anyway, in this pic it looks architectural, which doesn't work with this very casual, billowy dress.

Front:
- The vertical line created by the open collar and placket isn't enough to break the expanse of fabric; it feels comfortable but looks somehow restricting and all-covered-up. I look better in more open necklines.
- My favorite Marlies Dekkers bra somehow shows through the opaque dress fabric, and not in an attractive, intentional way. I knew this bra didn't feel as supportive as my usual (Prima Donna Twist) bras do, but had no idea the effect was visually so different. This set is hereby relegated to lounge wear.

Random thoughts and questions on emotional style background:
- Dark shirtdresses used to be my standard weekend/errand/post-race wear, but I don't recall compliments specifically on the dresses. I was a lot thinner then, but overall proportions were similar. Maybe shirtdresses were just as stodgy on me ten years ago as this one looks now, but I was in a conservative region, wore suits all week, didn't really have jeans, there was a lot of mud, and shirtdresses worked with wellies in function and the combination amused me. Is any of this relevant to my current life in a relaxed, liberal city?
- These days, I get compliments when wearing men's dress shirts, but they're in lighter colors, usually rumpled, sleeves half rolled up, hem tucked in random places. Extending that to a dress might have been bad math.
- Maybe before dismissing shirtdresses entirely, it would be worth taking this dress to a tailor to see if fabric could be removed from mid-section and the hem-line changed to copy the original. I'd like to see it with black boots and opaque tights.
(NOT asking bf to touch this: when he's done a project, he's done, and he isn't about to learn women's tailoring. Says he'd loved to make me form-fitting dresses if I can have someone adjust a basic pattern to fit.)
- My hairdresser has narrower shoulders than I do, but similar waist and legs, and she shows leg with confidence despite some splotchy vein issues. She always looks attractive and happy. Why not adopt the same attitude about my pale, freckled skin and current lack of muscle?
- Even with all this dress's style and fit issues, and the bra mis-hap, I don't look as hefty as I feel.
- Also, I could do with a little more makeup.

Sorry for not posting pictures; I'll try to find a graphics program to render photos in a way I feel comfortable putting up.

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ETA: posting pic of back only; front really is that bad. bf explained some of the frontal excess fabric as the result of menswear-sewing's limitations in accommodating curves. He thinks I look fantastic in anything, but has agreed to take more pictures.