Dress my dress...

g'em

I need help with ideas. I have a graduation in ~ 6 weeks time, and I've already decided I want to wear one of my old staples: a black jersey wraparound dress - 3/4 length sleeves, knee-length.

But I'm totally stuck for ideas on how to dress it up! I'm 5'6" and a size 12-14 and with an hourglass shape, so a cinched in belted waist usually looks good (if I get a belt, what colour/ style etc.?) and I'd like to wear heels, but I have monstrously big calves so ankle straps and ankle boots are really not very falttering on me And as for accessories... well I've no idea where to start?!?

It's an 11am graduation, going out for lunch afterwards and then probably spend the rest of the day celebrating - Yay \o/ !!! Any and all ideas gratefully received, thank you!

pixietrixie

I was at a graduation on saurday just past and a gril had a similar dress on,

She wore it with a long sleeved top underneath of contrasting colour

and she wore footless tights, I thought it was formal and casual all in one.

dudara

You sound like you have a very similar body shape to mine, except that I barely clear 5 ft.

Belts are big at the moment, so I would get a wide one. Shoes are round toed at the moment and if you're going to be on your feet all day, I'd also avoid the "strappy sandal syndrome". Mary Jane's are in fashion at the moment and are available in some lovely finishes. These ones are also available in black from Schuh



When I graduated my PhD I wore a black and white lace knee-length shift dress, kitten heeled pointed shoes from Next (great place to get smart shoes) and a little satin bolero jacket to cover my shoulders.

g'em

pixietrixie wrote: »

I was at a graduation on saurday just past and a gril had a similar dress on,

She wore it with a long sleeved top underneath of contrasting colour

and she wore footless tights, I thought it was formal and casual all in one.

I love hte idea of wearing a strong contrasting colour, but I don't think I could pull off the footless tights: I'm too old (late 20's, and look it ) and my legs are just too big.

dudara wrote: »

You sound like you have a very similar body shape to mine, except that I barely clear 5 ft.

Belts are big at the moment, so I would get a wide one. Shoes are round toed at the moment and if you're going to be on your feet all day, I'd also avoid the "strappy sandal syndrome". Mary Jane's are in fashion at the moment and are available in some lovely finishes.

When I graduated my PhD I wore a black and white lace knee-length shift dress, kitten heeled pointed shoes from Next (great place to get smart shoes) and a little satin bolero jacket to cover my shoulders.

Those MJ's are sooo cute!! I'm so wary of straps of *any* kind though. I generally find court style shoes better for me - lengthen the leg and all that jazz. And I love all those platform style that are around right now. Something like these? Or are they too business-y?


So a belt is a yes then? At least that's something going my way!! Oh and if I go for coloured shoes does that mean I should get a top for under the dress in the same colour or is that far too kitsch?

dudara

I have thick calves, but I wouldn't mind the MJs, they wouldn't cut-off the bottom part of your leg. I do like where you're going with the platform shoes though, I have 2 or 3 pairs myself and they would suit very well.

Have you thought about a handbag yet?

Seraphina

pixietrixie wrote: »

I was at a graduation on saurday just past and a gril had a similar dress on,

She wore it with a long sleeved top underneath of contrasting colour

and she wore footless tights, I thought it was formal and casual all in one.

i have a couple of wrap dresses which i usually wear with a top underneath myself, good for a nice bit of colour if the dress is black, and prevents the loosened wrap and hellooo cleavage problem which can occur when you wear those dresses for long periods or celebrate a bit too much!

i wouldn't go for a long sleeve one if the dress already has 3/4 length sleeves, i'd just go with a vest style top, more long sleeves will just make your arms even bulkier looking with all the extra material.

personally, at this time of year i would always go with boots, especially if you're starting early and going all day, the weather could change and wet feet are never nice! plus they keep you warm! but then i am all about my boots, i'm farr too practical for those kind of shoes! knee length fmbs all the way!

really accessories are the most important part of jazzing up a black dress, a nice necklace especially with v-neck wraparounds, and a nice belt to work that waist you got going on. i'd try bringing the dress with you tho, i've done the belt with a wrap dress thing before and it only made me look bigger around the waist

regarding colours, i wouldn't match everything exactly. if its a black dress you can mix things up a little, get a few extra contrasting colours going to break up the monotony.
personally i think the black + one other colour is just not enough, black is very overpowering, you run the risk of looking quite dull especially since its winter and all

but then, i'm not sure im the best person to be taking fashion advice from, i mean you've seen what i wear sometimes! :P

sunbeam

Have you considered toning your accessories with the colour of your hood (provided of course that you are not in TCD and don't have to wear all black/white)?

If you are in an NUI college you might find their illustrated academic dress booklet useful http://www.nui.ie/about/pdffiles/academicDressBooklet.pdf. If not, it might be worthwhile asking the conferring office in your college about your hood colour, if you don't already know it.

g'em

dudara wrote: »

Have you thought about a handbag yet?

I was working up to that I *love* all the little clutch bags that are in right now, but they're probably too 'evening' for this? I'm a bit stuck about what kind of bag to go for tbh, I'm very much a big, chunky, Balenciaga leather hold-all kinda gal normally.

Thanks Sera, *brill* advice there

Seraphina wrote: »

personally, at this time of year i would always go with boots, especially if you're starting early and going all day, the weather could change and wet feet are never nice! plus they keep you warm! but then i am all about my boots, i'm farr too practical for those kind of shoes! knee length fmbs all the way!

Boots don't fit me very well these days!! It's really hard to get ones that accomodate my big monster calves, and the only ones that do fit tend to be flats/ for jeans.

Seraphina wrote: »

really accessories are the most important part of jazzing up a black dress, a nice necklace especially with v-neck wraparounds,

Is there any length necklace I should be looking for?

Seraphina wrote:

regarding colours, i wouldn't match everything exactly. if its a black dress you can mix things up a little, get a few extra contrasting colours going to break up the monotony. personally i think the black + one other colour is just not enough, black is very overpowering, you run the risk of looking quite dull especially since its winter and all

Great stuff, that makes perfect sense. I'll try and mix and match things up a little.

sunbeam wrote: »

Have you considered toning your accessories with the colour of your hood (provided of course that you are not in TCD and don't have to wear all black/white)?

I'm in TCD!!

Seraphina

g'em wrote: »

Boots don't fit me very well these days!! It's really hard to get ones that accomodate my big monster calves, and the only ones that do fit tend to be flats/ for jeans.

Is there any length necklace I should be looking for?

ooh that sucks. dunno what i'd do if i couldn't fit boots! though if you feel like you're missing out there's a couple of places online that do different calf sizes in boots. i know there was a couple of links pasted here at some stage.

length of necklace totally depends on what kind of neckline the dress has tbh. personally i try avoid those long beady type things that hang right down over the neckline, i just dont understand them at all, i dont think they're flattering.

i would usually go for something that sits nicely in the space left by the dress, so its not all skin, but not all necklace either. if its a long plunging neckline or wide (like from shoulder to shoulder) small delicate necklaces tend to get lost or be invisible in a sea of skin. i'm all about my symmetry and evenness.
if im wearing jewelery i like people being able to see it, rather than it being hidden or caught in clothes. i tend to try for an inch or two (depending on how much space you're working with) between neckline and necklace so you get the full effect. so if i've a wide neckline i tend to try wearing something a little chunkier, or charm-esque with a couple of eh.. bits? if its long and plunging i go for a chain and slightly elongated style pendant.

ok i give up i can't explain myself at all. even google images cant really help me right now!

highlight100

g'em wrote: »

I love hte idea of wearing a strong contrasting colour, but I don't think I could pull off the footless tights: I'm too old (late 20's, and look it ) and my legs are just too big.



Get youreself into Brown Thomas or somewhere similar and get some nice expensive flesh colour tights. Wolford are the dearest but Falke are better and a little cheaper also. They will look and wear better than cheaper brands, ie.Dunnes,Pennys.

HardyEustace

g'em wrote: »

Is there any length necklace I should be looking for?

The necklace needs to be the same shape as the dress neckline, in other words, a v shape. I'd go for a length that finishes either just above the cross over of the dress or slightly below it. It depends on how ornate the necklace is. If it is ornate, you don't want it nestling too much in the boob area as it'll just be too many curves and contrasts (unless you're flat chested and then its ok). If it's simple then you have more freedom with the length.

neuro-praxis

g'em wrote: »

Boots don't fit me very well these days!! It's really hard to get ones that accomodate my big monster calves, and the only ones that do fit tend to be flats/ for jeans.

Have a look at the boot range in Evans which are all wider-fit. I am in between - I have basketball player's calves which are wider than normal, but narrower than the Evans range. If your calves are monster as you say, it's worth trying a few pairs on anyway!

dudara

neuro-praxis wrote: »

Have a look at the boot range in Evans which are all wider-fit. I am in between - I have basketball player's calves which are wider than normal, but narrower than the Evans range. If your calves are monster as you say, it's worth trying a few pairs on anyway!

I've tried Evans, the problem is that the boots are large all over and they are too big at my ankles. They tend to look like wellies on me. In my whole life I've only ever managed to buy 2 pairs of boots from the high street.

echosound

dudara wrote: »

I've tried Evans, the problem is that the boots are large all over and they are too big at my ankles. They tend to look like wellies on me. In my whole life I've only ever managed to buy 2 pairs of boots from the high street.

Next are doing a line of wider fitting boots at the moment - I have big calves too (camogie/basketball/cycling enthusiast when younger and never lost the tree trunk legs) and I find that while Evans can be too big (they seem to be massively baggy this year for some reason, I got some nice fitted ones there last year) the Next range do a decent line in bigger boots. If you're not after something overly dressy or fussy, they have a pair in there in faux-suede, stretchy material? Should fit any size calf (I have a pair myself and they're very comfy for long periods standing too).

As for the rest of the outfit, I'd tend towards a nice vest worn underneath - a sparkly silver one for eg will take you from daytime to a night out if the celebrations go on that long, and would be both conservative enough for TCD (I wore a silver sparkly vest underneath a black jacket for my grad in TCD years ago, do they still have that code of only black and white dress for grads there?), and the sparkle is still nice enough for going out afterwards.

A wide belt would be good, black knee high boots, and a few decent accessories - you can go for something other than the standard necklace - a pair of ornate drop earrings, a dramatic bracelet perhaps? If you're anyway big-boobed I'd steer clear of the really long chains with pendants - I got one as a present and never wear it as it just hangs from the "edge" of my ample bosom and looks ridiculous. Necklace IMO can be big or delicate, but best place for a pendant/charm to fall is about an inch or two above the neckline.

For handbag, I just went for a pretty classic black satin clutch myself, but you could go for a contrasting bag, with lots of glitz as an accessory in itself. Enjoy:)

g'em

There's some *brilliant* ideas there, thanks so much everyone!! Esp with all the necklace lengths stuff, for some reason I always seem to get that wrong but I don't notice until I see the photos. I don't think I want to wear boots for the grad, but I'll definitely need a new pair to wear over winter so it's off to Next I go Yay!! Shopping!!