Dear ESB,
This is (I hope) a fairly straightforward dress question that I'd like to unleash on your readers.
We're in the very early stages of planning, but of course the dress is the most fun part so I've been thinking about it a lot. I've fallen head over heels in love with this Alessandra Rich dress, with this Temperley a very close second.
I'm really, really feeling the clean, graphic, red-and-white high priestess vibe, but the Alessandra Rich is pushing the budget further than I would like and the Temperley is just insane. I just can't justify spending as much on a dress that I'll wear once as I would on a Macbook Pro. My budget is between 800 – 1,000 euros. I'd obvy like to find something at the lower end of that scale.
Additional details: I'm a particularly shrimpy 5'5", usually between 52-55kg, Irish pale, strawberry blonde, and, uhm, a competitive Olympic weightlifter. This means broad shoulders, tiny waist, thick thighs and the kind of ass you usually see in a Juvenile video. Seriously, I have a pretty major butt going on, but it's all muscle. Which, I suppose, would probably rule out both the dresses I posted, but I think I look pretty decent in pencil skirts/column dresses.
My style skews classic and boyish – I read Tomboy Style obsessively, but I think I'm going for a more Jodorowsky peyote space queen vibe for the wedding. No flower crowns though, please.
Your readers are pretty great at reading between the lines on these kind of questions. I'd love to see what they come up with!
*****
The Alessandra Rich is on sale for $958 over here if you set your location to the United States. Is there anyone who could mail it to you??
(Though I do wonder whether those tight sleeves will fit what I imagine are your amazing arms....)
p.s. The Temperely is also on sale, over here, though still over budg.
p.p.s. Best dress request EVAR. Even though you promised you'd never ask me about dresses. Silly lady.
OP here.
ReplyDeleteOH LORD I AM BLUSHING THREE SHADES OF RED. I even sent this from my work address hoping you wouldn't connect this question with my previous one because the timelines are so off.
Let me tell you what happened with my engagement ring. It took four months from the time I sent that letter to get a ring on my finger. We seriously followed all the advice to the letter, went to every store recommended that wasn't in Belgium or London, but we just couldn't see anything that felt right or was in budget. I was actually getting pretty bummed about the reality of our engagement until my guy surprised me with a ring from, of all places, Catbird. I'm posting that here for the benefit of other international ladies and gents. I fucking love my Satomi Kawakita ring, it's amazing, and the service from Catbird was also amazing, and within two weeks of putting it on and telling the parents and getting excited I lost my job.
Yes, seriously. This put any wedding plans on an immediate and major hold because we knew from the beginning that we wanted two things for our wedding: (1) that our parents could attend, and (2) that we pay for everything. Both of our parents are retired, and both have been through hard times and illness recently. If we were going to have a wedding, we wanted to be able to pay for all of their expenses. Yes, we had some savings and an index fund, but we couldn't justify obliterating that for a wedding before I found another job.
So we waited. And now I'm fully employed and we're in a better place financially, the kind of place where we can pay for our parents to fly over and I can start (a) fantasizing about dresses and (b) forgetting what I said in previous questions.
I hope you can forgive me for my blunder. I also seriously can't do flowers. I really am a meaty little nugget of a woman and I'd look like Ferdinand the Bull.
I want to hug you across the internets.
DeleteI would get the Alessandra if you can get it on sale.
ReplyDeleteI also love this Hakaan White Silk-striped dress on sale for $725
If you want your red in the dress, you could wear it with something like this under?
That Jodorowsky peyote space queen link was no help at all, and I do not suggest googling "space queen" while at work.
ReplyDeleteThat said, here are some ideas, and these might be terrible because body builder, tomboy, science fiction galactic queen is kind of tough:
How about Shakuhachi at Bona Drag?
Lindsey Thornburg at Bona Drag?
And someone please wear this!
Sass and Bide?
Or this Mara Hoffman dashiki
But really, it should be THIS Mara Hoffman dashiki. Unfortunately it's from last season and I can't find it for sale anywhere.
I'm excited to see what everyone else comes up with.
yeah, i really couldn't find a good space queen image.
DeleteMara Hoffman really is the queen of space queen. (More here.)
DeleteBut in keeping with the red/white theme, I like this dress. Your shoulders would look amazing in it.
@nicole email me, lady! i have a question for you.
DeleteI have no ideas because I'm blinded by my love for the Temperley
ReplyDeleteMissoni Ombre halter?
This is so clearly not what you asked for, but I love Malene Birger and I think the back would be smokin' on you
I love both of these, but like you, I'm still in love with that Temperley, it's on sale, just do it!
Deletethe first thing i thought when i saw the missoni ombre halter was "bloody tampon", so...there's that!
DeleteHa haaa! Cannot unsee!
DeleteOMG bloody tampon!
DeleteI'm just trying to figure out how I didn't know about Tomboy Style??? New fave!
ReplyDeleteOP my dear,
ReplyDelete1) kickstarter that alessandra rich dress, because i for one would chip in to help you get married looking like david bowie's face, and
2) never stop writing to ESB. your imagery is getting me through my monday.
3) don't know how you feel about mcqueen, but if i were you and wanted to step down a price point or two i'd pick up a mcq intarsia dress. in your shape you'd own it.
When I read Jodorowsky Space Queen, I immediately thought of this Junya Watanabe. (on sale!)
ReplyDeleteThis Mara Hoffman might also be up your alley. It has a high priestess vibe.
Broad shoulders in that Junya Watanabe dress would be AMAZING.
DeleteLove the mara hoffman
DeleteOH Mara Hoffman Yes!
DeleteI'm never going to post anything as good as that LANAMILI SILK GOWN or the Sass and Bide one. I also like Kara's Mara Hoffman (seen it before obvi, but really like it).
ReplyDeleteAs much as I generally trust Lauren as a commenter, please don't Kickstarter your wedding gown.
(though i personally really would kick in for the dress, i don't actually think anyone should kickstart anything ever, except maybe some constellation quilts i saw last week and nearly bought except i have too many quilts)
DeleteSo, there's this, which is kinda a cheaper version, but I can't find it in stock right now. Maybe somebody who is better at this game.
ReplyDeleteAlice by Temperley
I don't know how I feel about tight sleeves with your body type. I say this as someone who participates in an upper body heavy sport and personally have a bigger back, shoulders and arms than your average gal, and I am no where near olympic levels of muscles. I have a lot of trouble finding jackets and other tops to fit over my shoulders and back correctly and still be tight enough in the waist. Obviously if you want sleeves, get them but I feel you will be driving yourself crazy with fit issues.
ReplyDeleteROKSANDA ILINCIC
ReplyDeleteRed Candela
Free People
Hey lady,
ReplyDeleteI second that Free People one. My shoulders look killer in racer backs, so I bet yours do too.
Also I'm sure the Mara Hoffman Beaded Silk Chiffon Gown has been mentioned all ready.
I met my fiance at a weightlifting meet!
Is it too late? Did you buy a dress? I'm dying to see what you came up with, but if you haven't and still check this periodically, AND get a little extra cash to spend, how about this Nicole Miller?
ReplyDeleteI desperately want to find that Temperley dress in powder blue...
ReplyDelete