Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Beautiful Dresses


The "Beautiful Girl" number in Singing in the Rain
When I think of what I'd feel fabulous wearing - say, as a wedding dress - the things I don't like come to mind faster than the things I do.

And topping the list would be gowns that show off my armpits.

Yup. I want sleeves.

Sigh. What is it with formal wear? Just about everything I see these days is sleeveless, often  featuring a plunging neckline and/or bare back. Most are strapless, actually. I'd say 90% of the wedding gowns I see for sale are topless - er, I mean, strapless.

They look fine on the models, but it's hard to imagine such a thing on myself. It seems that sleeves (except itty-bitty capped sleeves) have become severely unfashionable.

I don't think this was the case a decade or two ago when most of my friends were getting married. Was it? Didn't most of them have straps, sleeves, something of the sort?

Does wanting my skin covered in public - especially on a day when I want to look my best - mark me as hopelessly out of date? Even on the Mormon modest-bride website, sleeves were in short-supply. Hmmm...

Oh, I will try some of them on, those sexy numbers, but since I never ever wear sleeveless shirts, I don't see how I could enjoy wearing a dress like that.

Also:
- I don't want to pay much more than $200.
- I don't look good in white - nor in ivory or pastels. I'm more the jewel-tone type.

Any chance that finding a classic pattern along lines that I like, buying my own fabric, and finding a lady who likes to sew could keep the price down? Or is that more likely to make it go up?

Why can't wedding dresses
look more like this? (source).
How about it? Same dress comes
in black (bridesmaids?)
I'd still wear a veil and carry
flowers. Too plain?
I may still end up in a fluffy white topless - er, I mean, strapless - dress, off the rack, and be happy with it - after all, it's just for one day. I haven't tried any on yet, and maybe they wouldn't look and feel as bad as I imagine.

But I'm toying with the idea of going "ethnic." South Asia has the best clothes; in my opinion no improvement can be made on a silk salwar kameez, especially the longer ones that look less like pantsuits and more like dresses. How about one of those in fuchsia or crimson?

5 comments:

Megan Noel said...

you should wear whatever you want. i know someone who got married in a $15 dress from target. i would not want to wear strapless either. if you end up finding something strapless or w/ thin straps and want more "coverage" i can knit you a shawl or shrug. in any color / fiber you want.

Marti said...

For the last decade or more "fancy" has mandated "sleeveless." But I didn't realize until I started looking at wedding dresses that fashion played such a role, that wedding dresses would all be sleeveless too.

Isn't it silly that women =buy= dresses to wear only once? Being able to borrow/rent dresses just like you rent chairs, tents, tuxes would make so much more sense. But even if I can find a place that does it, I suspect they'll consider it a plus to carry "fashionable" dresses. Whereas I'd prefer something from a decade or more ago. Ah. Well. Shawls, shrugs, jackets are options. Even in the summer. Though they might seem ... odd.

Well, I may keep looking at non-wedding wedding dresses. If I can find the ones that don't fall under the sleevelessness mandate.

Megan Noel said...

i emailed you a pattern for an edwardian dress. but i suspect if you found a nice dress you could wear again you'd like that. mom has worn hers a few times since she and doug got married. i'd suggest vintage but there is a whole 'nother set of issues w/ that. finding something in good shape, alterations, etc. there is also some sort of auction in these parts for wedding dresses? i have to see if i can find out more. i think people and shops donate them and the proceeds go to charity. i have a scrapbook i made years ago w/ some beautiful dresses from victoria magazine that i thought would be neat wedding dresses. they are 1920s dresses mostly. flapper. some of those might be sleeveless but they aren't "sexy" (and while we are on the topic of sexy wedding dresses - i would much prefer pretty or romantic - why the heck are almost all halloween costumes sexy? oh, well, homemade ones are better anyway.

Fiona L Cooper said...

I definitely think you should wear something that makes you feel beautiful, whatever its colour or style. And I have grown so tired of seeing the shoulders and cleavages of all the brides in all the wedding photos I've seen over the past 2 years - every single one has worn a strapless gown, and the style does not suit everyone! Be original! Wear something gorgeous, whether it's fancy or not!

Marti said...

Yes, those strapless gowns have a limited appeal - I hope the fashion shifts in a new direction. I'd really rather have something I could look at in the photos, years from now, and still be happy about, than to choose what's in the shops today.