Dear ESB,
I have three weddings this year, without any overlap in guests, so I'd like to find one fantastic outfit that I can wear to all of them. They are:
1. August in a rose garden in Anchorage, Alaska, no matter the weather. Reception in a restaurant.
2. August on a mountain summit in Boulder, Colorado, no matter the weather. Reception in a field with diy tables made out of wood pallets.
3. October in a low-key but classy beach club at a Ritz Carlton in Florida.
Actually, typing that out makes me think that one outfit might be a stretch for all three, so maybe one for the first two is more reasonable?
I'm a size 8, can get away with no bra with the right material, with a budget of about $400.
Thanks!
*****
How bout The Reformation's Lumen Dress?
Racy enough for Florida, romantic enough for a rose garden, way too chic for Boulder but WHATEVER you can bring along a polar fleece.
If you change up your shoes you can definitely wear to all three. Boulder maybe boots? It won't be too hot anyway!
ReplyDeleteI would not wear boots. In August it'll probably be in the 90s and anything in/near Boulder isn't at high enough elevation to be much more than a few degrees cooler than in town.
DeleteOof, I dont know. I just don't think the cut-to-the-waist neck looks good on anyone. There's something about that exposed slice of sternum and ribcage (and sometimes side boob) that looks weird to me. Also, maybe a little too attention getting in the wrong way for someone else's wedding.
ReplyDeleteHow about this Rachel Comey:
Course dress
(only a 6 available at least at htis site, sorry -- if you're smaller on top it might still work?)
Love the Rachel Comey.
DeleteI like it even better in this print, but it might be a bit much for the Alaska rose garden.
ReplyDeleteI like ESB's pick but if it's too much torso for you what about Zero + Maria Cornejo?
ReplyDeletehow about a rad pink dress
ReplyDeletewith some pale booties
and a bigass off-white fur jacket i hope you own courtesy of a wacky great-aunt?
i think plausibility of the reformation dress really depends on the size of the op's boobs. i recently ordered like 6 of their dresses to try, and yeah, i can "get away" without a bra, but there was basically no way any of their stuff would contain my D cups, even though they're perky enough to go without a bra sometimes.
ReplyDeletealso i am an idiot and definitely meant feasibility not plausibility.
DeleteHow was the quality? Would you recommend?
Deleteyeah, i meant to include that. i was not particularly impressed with the quality. i know the fabric is "recycled" or whatever, and i'm all for that in theory, if it's nice fabric, but for the most part it felt pretty cheap to me.
DeletePoop. The prices sorta did seem too good to be true.
DeleteSoo even though there isn't any guest overlap, there are always a shit-ton of photos from weddings. Personally, I'd rather buy say, a $150 dress and a $250 dress to vary it at at least ONE of them. Especially since the latter two seem pretty informal.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, yeah, wearing the same thing to weddings near each other sucks. Just find any decent dress in your closet and style it amazingly so you don't have to do that. (I assume you have some kick-ass shoes and then just have a talented friend do your hair/makeup.)
WRONG
DeleteDude, it's a wedding- not a red carpet event. We all want to look rad for our own sakes so it is nice to have an excuse to splurge on cute dresses and whatnot is important, but nobody actually cares what guests look like.
Deletemy thinking is more that the dress would get fucked up at the all-weather boulder wedding with bootleg tables and might not make it to florida for the third. i'm with erin.
DeleteHow do you sit at a table made out of pallets? Wouldn't it just be a big cube?
DeleteHeeeells wrong, i did 10 weddings last summer (oh yes), and rocked 3 dresses on rotation...shoes/accessories/lippy are your friend
DeleteOP here- thanks for all the suggestions! Yeeaaaah, as predicted, that cut-to-the-naval look won't work for me or my boobs. I ordered a Reformation dress a few months ago hoping it would work for this, but was also really disappointed in the quality of the fabric and the overall poor fit. The Alaska/Boulder weddings are a week apart, and I'm trying to fit 8 days worth of hiking supplies for Denali and the Rockies into one suitcase, so it's going to be the same outfit for both of those. Maybe a great maxi skirt with a low-back shirt? Where does one locate a "dressy" maxi skirt?
ReplyDeletewhat about https://www.madewell.com/madewell_category/SKIRTS/midimaxi/PRDOVR~A5388/A5388.jsp... i mean, it's on sale....
ReplyDeleteOh I like that! I need to figure out what the heck to wear on top when I wear long skirts though.
DeleteAny suggestions for a semiformal wedding at a winery? Size 10 and pear shaped.
ReplyDeleteI think your key for this is accessories-- you can completely change the look of a dress for the occasion.
ReplyDeleteI might try something like this Band of Outsiders dress as your base. You can wear this plain with some gold accessories and some nice sandals to the Colorado wedding.
For the Alaska wedding (which will be a bit chillier- yes, even in August), you throw a jacket on- maybe a light-colored leather or a bold print to add a bit of edge while still keeping it apropos for a rose garden.
For Florida, you dress it up with some statement jewelry and killer heels.
How about this same question, but $100? (Boulder in August, also, and Portland in August)
ReplyDeleteI wore this to a couple weddings this summer. It's light and inexpensive, and I received a ton of compliments. You could wear it with a thin belt (that's what I did, since it's pretty shapeless), and neutral accessories/change it around based on the weather and location. I'm not a huge fan of intense patterns but this one was pretty wearable.
ReplyDelete