Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Ask Me Anything: Dressy Dresses


Ask Me Anything is my new feature in which I answer reader questions to the best of my ability. If you want me to tackle your burning question, shoot me an email at acharmedwife@gmail.com. Today's question comes from reader and bride-to-be, Emily, who needs dresses for her wedding events. Since the hubs and I are planning to attend seven (count 'em, seven) weddings (and accompanying rehearsal dinners, brunches and showers) as guests this summer, I, too, am in the market for pretty wedding event dresses, so I like this question:

Hi Lily-
I am getting married in July and I have gotten several dresses for all the upcoming bashes, but I am still in need of a rehearsal dinner dress and a few more for bridal showers....do you have any suggestions as to where I can get fabulous dresses? I have a similar frame that you do, although I am willing to bet you are tall, and I am just about 5'4"....help!
Thanks so much,
Emily

Dear Emily,
Well, I have to start by saying congratulations and best wishes to you and your groom. The year I spent planning my wedding was one of the most fun of my life (everyone knows I love throwing a party, plus I loved the opportunity that wedding planning gave me to work closely with my fiancé and our families) so make sure you take time to take a step back and enjoy it!

I love dresses. In fact, I hold a little grudge against Katherine Hepburn for making it fashionable for women to wear slacks, because I enjoy wearing dresses so much. And there are so many designers making cute dressy dresses these days.
1. Let Your Fingers Do the Shopping. When I am looking for cute dresses, I always do some investigating online (check out the list of links I put below). Make sure to get a sense of what you're looking for in your mind before you start trying things on — what is the formality level of the event, does it have a festive theme, etc.?
2. Hit the Department Stores. A lot of the stores carry many designers' lines, so even if you don't find the exact dress, you might find a designer you like, and look into the line more deeply. Take someone along who knows your style — my mom ended up picking out my rehearsal dinner dress for me to try on after I had passed it by on the rack.
3. Alter-ior Motives. Don't underestimate the power of alterations! I had my own rehearsal dinner dress resized to fit me like a glove, and the department store where I bought it did the alterations in-house. So if you find something you love, don't be turned off by a gapping neckline or a too-long hem. Having a dress that feels like it was made for you is worth the extra effort (and bucks)! And don't forget about the magic of my friend, Spanx.
4. Live it Up! It's a cliché, but I've never seen a woman who didn't have an inner glow at her rehearsal dinner and wedding, so I'm sure you'll shine, no matter what you're wearing.

Lastly, to answer your other question, yes, I am quite tall (5'9"), but unfortunately, I am very bad at basketball.

Sincerely Yours,
Lily

Online Resources:
eDressMe
ShopBop
Revolve Clothing
Neiman Marcus
Saks Fifth Avenue
Nordstrom
Macy's
Bergdorf Goodman
Lord & Taylor
Bloomingdales
Net-A-Porter


Dresses shown above: Green silk dress $275, by Laundry by Shelli Segal available from nordstrom.com, Blue and White dress, from Shoshanna, Drapey Purple dress, $385, from Diane von Furstenberg, available from nordstrom.com, Pink Floral Dress, $615 from Thread Social, Blue satin floral dress, $118, from Suzy Chin Maggie Boutique, available from nordstrom.com

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the suggestions Lily! I knew you'd have some fabulous ideas!