WTW to gourmet restaurant lunch?

So my DH and I have been invited to join a friend and some others for lunch at the French Laundry (!), which if you haven't heard of it is a tres fancy Napa Valley restaurant that's famous worldwide. We'll ignore how unprepared I am for fancy gourmet food, and tackle my wardrobe. I'm assuming that since it's lunch and it's Napa, it won't be black tie fancy, but dressy in its own way. Earlier I took some quick hanger shots of some possibilities. Any of these resonate with anyone?
1 - dotty silk top, could wear with black skirt or pants, maybe with my teal jacket?
2 - printed shift dress (knit, so roomy for the post-lunch tummy? ha)
3 - denim shirt dress
4 - gray printed silk wrap dress, picture oesn't do it justice
5 - ruffled chambray blouse with olive skirt, maybe?
6 - lime and white skirt, with a linen shirt?
7 - purple skirt, no clue what with
8 - printed sheath dress with coral cardigan, or with white jacket?
9 - dress I wore for Mother's Day, with a white jacket?
10 - lightweight tape yarn sweater with white linen pants
11 - or with white/black heathered linen pants?

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13 years ago

Aida

Veteran

The gray silk wrap dress in #4 jumps right out at me, but that's just my first instinct

annagybe

(website)

I like #9. I had lunch at Chez Panisse when I was in Berkley. I saw a whole range of outfits from very casual to more dressy.

Deborah

I think you have some lovely optioms here. My choice would be #2. Is this long enough to wear as a dress? If so I would wear with colored flat shoes, bare legs if warm enough, and a long pendant.

Isis

I like #9! And I like that you can adjust your temperature by adding/subtracting the jacket.

Have fun!

Sarah A

I have little to say about what to wear seconding Aida seems to be a safe thing to go with wardrobewise but FRENCH LAUNDRY! OMG! Will you pretty please post a report, just for my sake. That may be a close as I ever get to Thomas Keller

Angie

Fashion Stylist

You recently wore a great outfit on Mother's Day (I think it was Mother's Day?). I vote that outfit!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

Gotta post and run, here's some previous pictures of some of the possibilities:
printed dress in 2
dotty top
mothers' day dress

I forgot about my spangled sweater and pants, although maybe this is too wintery?

sarah

I love #9, the mother's day dress, as well.

Have a wonderful time! I never got the French Laundry the whole time I lived in California, and I am very jealous : )

lyn*

I vote for #9 - I have no experience with gourmet dining (except for one friend's birthday party) - but I watch Hell's Kitchen, so I consider myself a quasi-expert

Erica

Active Member

love #2 and #9, but all of your options look fab! Actually, I've been looking for a denim shirtdress-- may I ask where yours is from?

Suz

I love the grey wrap and the MOther's Day dress. And have a wonderful time!!

Sheila

Definitely #9...I know Napa well and I think you'll look chic but not too dressy. Definitely NOT bright colors.

Thanks, everyone! Hopefully tomorrow or Thursday I'll have a chance to try on some of the front-runners and see what feels the best. I like the Mothers' Day dress but rarely wear it because I feel so cupcake-y with the full skirt. I guess I'm just used to the pencil skirt silhouette on me now.

Oh and if I get to meet Thomas Keller I'll be sure to tell him that YLF picked my outfit.

Erica, the shirtdress is from Chico's, I think I got it last year sometime. It's really comfy and that nice tencel chambray, but on me I wish it was a little longer so I don't wear it much in the warmer months.

ManidipaM

Lovely bunch of choices to choose from. making it quite hard! I love the green skirt and the coral patterned sheath dress, but I think B&W may be the safest and chic-est direction --- so I'm voting for the shift, wrap or Mother's Day dress, though my first favourite was the polka dot (on second thoughts, room to expand is critical here, hence voting for a dress over separates --- FRENCH LAUNDRY! Oh my! seconding Sarah on 'please report after...!')

christieanne

Should be nice and warm in Napa right now - you should have a wonderful time. I would go with one of the dresses and just a light coverup/jacket/etc. or be able to remove in case it is too warm. Napa (like most of NorCal) is one of those places you can easily wear a "dressed down" dress and fit right in.

I grocery shop across the street from Chez Panisse - it is so different that one of the most well known restaurants has no dress standards. Very Cali!

rachylou

The dress code is jacket required, so I'd go for #4 the wrap dress with a nice pair of pumps or sandals.

ETA: I think #9 is too girlish for fine dining and/or the intense Bay Area foodie scene.

On a food tangent: You'll have to tell all, and if the food sends you into rapturous ecstasies. I've always avoided French Laundry because their reservation system used to be (at least) too much.

I think Chez Panisse over-salts. I said this to the spouse of one of their cooks, mind you, in a job interview. I have a lot of gall. Haha! I'm told the Cafe upstairs is maybe better, but I've never been.

Went to Keiko's recently in SF. She has one Michelin star and deserves it exactly. Very good. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Anonymous

Another vote for #4. Please share menu details after your lunch . . . nobody loves food more than me!

peeked at your other pics - I quite like your dotty top and aqua jacket. That's smart and you look like you're owning it.

But oh no, I really vote No on the the Mother's Day dress. That is too nice. The wait staff may ignore you.

I vote 9

Kiwichik

I vote #9

9 jumps out at me, that would be my choice.

deedee1221

before even seeing what everyone else says I have to say #4 and #10 jumped out at me.
Hope it is as wonderful as they say, have fun.

Now off to see what others say.

Meredith1953

I like #9 or #10.

I ended up wearing 4, the print silk wrap dress, with my white jacket. I had taken both it and the dotty dress, but it was overcast and cool that day, and I also felt the wrap dress had more of a "sophisticated lunch out" vibe and less of a party dress vibe like the other. I felt good, and appropriate in it - everyone there was dressed nicely, but in an understated way, you know?

As far as lunch, it was great food and quite the elaborate thing - it took several hours for all the courses. Definitely a cool thing to do although I don't know that I need to do it again (especially given the cost!). Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, they were very helpful.

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