Cocktail Dress

VfM4meplse

shegirl wrote: »

'Normal sizes'?? Wow,I better go tell all the size 16's and 18' (there are tonnes of them) that they aren't normal,as soon as they step half a centimetre over a 14 they're in freak territory...

What the hell has happened to you?

Merely pointing out that there is no size match for me, and that I consider myself to be a perfectly normal, healthy weight. I wouldn't want to get any larger for the sake of my health. Just because mean weights and sizes are increasing, it doesn't mean our ability to adapt to the physiological effect of the weight is.

shegirl

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Merely pointing out that there is no size match for me, and that I consider myself to be a perfectly normal, healthy weight. I wouldn't want to get any larger for the sake of my health. Just because mean weights and sizes are increasing, it doesn't mean our ability to adapt to the physiological effect of the weight is.

Why was there a need for any of it? And 16 and 18 have been normal sizes for years,hence why for many years (even when I was in my early teens otherwise some friends and my mother would have been stuffed) most shops have sold clothes in size 8-18.

maman

I've been thinking since reading the thread earlier:

The 'do' that OP's been invited too isn't just black tie, it specifically says cocktail dresses for women. For me, that means dinner jacket for men definitely and a short dress for women. If it was just black tie with no other instructions then I'd say some of the long dresses would be fine.

I think the dress should be a bit sparkly or satiny, not OTT but more than a day dress. I think the link to the Simply Be dress looks fine. Personally I wouldn't wear strapless but that's my choice. I might wear shoestring straps but strapless no.

For the other night, I'm a bit perplexed why it says jackets and ties. Very few places insist on ties for smart casual these days. Suits with open shirts or jackets with smart jeans are very common. I'm thinking it might be the venue that's insisting on the ties, like a fancy country house hotel or golf club type place. Perhaps OP could phone and talk to a receptionist about what's suitable for that night (or both).

What I'd wear would be a pencil skirt with a nice chiffony blouse or a dress with a sleeve. My favourite restaurant outfit at the moment is a black pencil skirt, a cream lacy top and a pair of leopard print heels.

It might not say so but there'll be a sort of dress code for the daytime too. I'm imagining county set: jeans/moleskins and shirts/fine wool sweaters, little cardigans, scarves and perhaps a gilet.

I'd love to hear how it all works out!:)

lostinrates

maman wrote: »

I've been thinking since reading the thread earlier:

The 'do' that OP's been invited too isn't just black tie, it specifically says cocktail dresses for women. For me, that means dinner jacket for men definitely and a short dress for women. If it was just black tie with no other instructions then I'd say some of the long dresses would be fine.

I think the dress should be a bit sparkly or satiny, not OTT but more than a day dress. I think the link to the Simply Be dress looks fine. Personally I wouldn't wear strapless but that's my choice. I might wear shoestring straps but strapless no.

For the other night, I'm a bit perplexed why it says jackets and ties. Very few places insist on ties for smart casual these days. Suits with open shirts or jackets with smart jeans are very common. I'm thinking it might be the venue that's insisting on the ties, like a fancy country house hotel or golf club type place. Perhaps OP could phone and talk to a receptionist about what's suitable for that night (or both).

What I'd wear would be a pencil skirt with a nice chiffony blouse or a dress with a sleeve. My favourite restaurant outfit at the moment is a black pencil skirt, a cream lacy top and a pair of leopard print heels.

It might not say so but there'll be a sort of dress code for the daytime too. I'm imagining county set: jeans/moleskins and shirts/fine wool sweaters, little cardigans, scarves and perhaps a gilet.

I'd love to hear how it all works out!:)

I agree with all of this, but for one tiny thing. While i'm certain your favourite outfit looks great I really would never advice a black skirt with a cream/white top. Its very easy to inadvertently look like waiting staff, albeit elegant waiting staff. while i always think its a dangerous combo, i think it particularly so at a 'drinks' thing where people will be on their feet, mingling, and staff are likely to be going around with canap!s or drinks, or trays.

There is no doubt it looks elegant and classic, which is probably why its endures so well as a combo for people working in hospitality industry at all levels! So I'm certainly not suggesting you look bad, it sounds lovely. I just think it can be harder to pull off at all times, yet is also 'safe, looking, its a funny justapositional outfit, and personally, I would never advise it. (Eta...accessories can of course make ALL the difference here!)

daisiegg

lostinrates wrote: »

I agree with all of this, but for one tiny thing. While i'm certain your favourite outfit looks great I really would never advice a black skirt with a cream/white top. Its very easy to inadvertently look like waiting staff, albeit elegant waiting staff. while i always think its a dangerous combo, i think it particularly so at a 'drinks' thing where people will be on their feet, mingling, and staff are likely to be going around with canap!s or drinks, or trays.

There is no doubt it looks elegant and classic, which is probably why its endures so well as a combo for people working in hospitality industry at all levels! So I'm certainly not suggesting you look bad, it sounds lovely. I just think it can be harder to pull off at all times, yet is also 'safe, looking, its a funny justapositional outfit, and personally, I would never advise it. (Eta...accessories can of course make ALL the difference here!)

This has to be one of the most diplomatically-worded posts I have ever seen

lostinrates

shegirl wrote: »

Why was there a need for any of it? And 16 and 18 have been normal sizes for years,hence why for many years (even when I was in my early teens otherwise some friends and my mother would have been stuffed) most shops have sold clothes in size 8-18.

I don't know how I am blessed with so many tall friends, but something I note on the size issue, is I have one friend who at six foot considers herself overweight at a size ten, and another who looks underweight at a size fourteen. A sixteen on her is definitely 'normal' and an eighteen not 'abnormal'. She's muscular, very fit and works in a manual job. I find it sad that her 'clothes' size alone would mark her out to another woman as abnormal, where as their are women who might be medically obese at a 'normal' clothes size and be genuinely unhealthily fat.

The weight issue is real, but women really don't help each other or men with the kind of wasps rather than sensible approach to it.

lostinrates

daisiegg wrote: »

This has to be one of the most diplomatically-worded posts I have ever seen

Hmm, maybe not diplomatically enough then? .

It does look nice, black and white/cream. Very classic, very My fair lady. Its just.......in reality it rarely gets pulled off like that.

Eta...but what do I know...in my fancy dress on the lawn mower. So long as people feel good in what they where and don't commit a transgression that might cause offence or career or social suicide I think its all good.

shegirl

lostinrates wrote: »

I don't know how I am blessed with so many tall friends, but something I note on the size issue, is I have one friend who at six foot considers herself overweight at a size ten, and another who looks underweight at a size fourteen. A sixteen on her is definitely 'normal' and an eighteen not 'abnormal'. She's muscular, very fit and works in a manual job. I find it sad that her 'clothes' size alone would mark her out to another woman as abnormal, where as their are women who might be medically obese at a 'normal' clothes size and be genuinely unhealthily fat.

The weight issue is real, but women really don't help each other or men with the kind of wasps rather than sensible approach to it.

I have a friend who is 6' 4" and you would never guess she's anywhere near a size 18.Any smaller and she'd look odd tbh.

There are many women who are not one size all over (us hour glasses,or pears or inverted triangles even) so clothing size doesn't always mean a huge amount.Often weight doesn't either.

Even without the above,to comment that those sizes aren't normal (especially like that) is wrong and not the way to deal with things!

FatVonD

shegirl wrote: »

'Normal sizes'?? Wow,I better go tell all the size 16's and 18' (there are tonnes of them) that they aren't normal,as soon as they step half a centimetre over a 14 they're in freak territory...

The bit in bold did make me chuckle :rotfl:

maman

daisiegg wrote: »

This has to be one of the most diplomatically-worded posts I have ever seen

:rotfl:

Thanks for your concern. My top is actually probably best called ecru, rather than a pale cream. I know exactly what you mean about looking like waiting staff!