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Dress shopping adventure number 1 (this saturday 10/20/07)

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Hudson_Hawk

Hudson_Hawk

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Nov 2, 2006
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So this Saturday one of my bridesmaids and I are going on our first dress shopping excursion. This isn''t a serious trip, I''m not looking to buy my dress right now as my wedding isn''t until May of ''09, but to be honest, I''m anxious to do it. I''m really excited and I think it''s one of those "things" that''s going to make the engagement feel real to me (not that it doesn''t already...). So we''re going to try on just about anything and everything so I can find a style that I like and feel comfortable in. That way, when I pull mom et al together to do the real shopping trip, I''ll be able to focus my search more. Here''s the problem though, I need style ideas, but I don''t have any idea what will look good on my figure. I know what I don''t want more than what I do.

I don''t want
a big dress
pouffy
pick ups
ball gown
full or 3/4 sleeves (cap might be okay)
crinoline
lace up corset back

Bottom line, I want to wear the dress, I don''t want it to wear me!

I like
lace (think Monique Lillihuer)
flowing stylesor a relaxed a-line


In street clothes I''m a 10/12 (10s are a bit tight and 12s are a bit loose)
Verrrrry curvy (more hips and boobs than I know what to do with)

I bought an ivory strapless a-line dress with rouching details on the bodice (at the side) from nordstrom''s for $88 just to try on and it looked HORRIBLE.

Any style ideas?
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$88 for a dress that looked horrible on you? They wouldn''t let you try it on there?

You seem to have the same dress style as me. Casablanca and Maggie have a lot of slim A-line gowns. You and I are the same size. I ended up going with a casablanca.
 
Just had to say I'm a big fan of the lace à la Monique Lhuillier, too
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I hope you try on a few of hers!

Good luck on your trip!


ETA: Slightly off-topic (sorry) but you mentioned your street clothes size... what's the approximate conversion for wedding gowns?
 
Yea, it was from their Bridal line which is only sold over the internet. They have $5 shipping so it''s not a huge sacrifice to order and return it. I brought it back to the store directly to avoid the return shipping charge. I just didn''t think the dress was cut correctly for me. I have a somewhat long torso so felt like the "waist" was up around my ribs. It would have needed a lot of alterations.

Oh I should point out that I don''t want to spend a ton on my dress. $500 is probably the max. That''s why I plan to find out what looks good on me in advance. That way I can try to find something online.
 
I really love the W&W line and I do plan to try on a ton of their dresses. I guess my question is would a slim dress like those look good on someone with hips?

I just checked the Casablanca website and they have a lot of nice stuff too.

We''re going to high-end shops this weekend so I can have the fun of getting spoiled before I have to be a realistic budget bride!
 
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I think the conversion for 10/12 is 14/16 in wedding size (*puke*
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)
 
I understand your fit problems!! I had to go up two sizes to fit the bust - ugh.. Aren''t you doing a beach wedding? I think that something like Neatfreak''s dress would be great on a hourglass figure.
 
It''s weird because I''m a size 8-10 in real life...

All the maggies I tried on that fit me were a size 8
The casablanca I ended up getting was a 10
I fit in size 14 Mori Lee dresses
And I think I even fit into a size six on some other designer. The sizes are all over the place!!!!
Definitely go by your measurements and nothing else.
 
Yes, I should mention that as well, I''m getting married in May on the beach. Hence not wanting a full-on ball gown or anything ''too'' formal.
 
If you are having a beach wedding, and want something simpler, you might want to take a look at the Jcrew wedding line. They have some great dresses that look really good on "real" people. Your shape sounds a lot like mine, and most of their desses fit me well.
 
Watters! The first designer I thought of when reading your criteria.

Here are a few styles you might like:

1079B

9040B

9043B

8041B

7049B

ETA: I missed the price requirement! I think most of the above are more than $500, but if you call Pearl's Place (www.pearlsplace.com), you might be able to get pretty close (if any of the above are the one!).
 
Yea, W&W is definitely the front runner, there are so many dresses that I like. I just want to make sure I'm not completely off the mark in wanting to try those styles on.

LOL, I have to say, the second one 9040B would be indecent with my chest. FI would LOVE IT though!

I'm thinking of going through PP or House of Brides depending on which dress I end up choosing. $500 is the limit because I'm assuming I'll need alterations so I want to save some dough for that.
 
How did the mermaid style look with your hips? I'm concerned that like a big pouffy dress it will make me look larger.
 
Date: 10/17/2007 11:56:13 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
emotion-41.gif
I think the conversion for 10/12 is 14/16 in wedding size (*puke*
14.gif
)
Click to expand...
Yikes, I was hoping it would be DOWN
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(fat chance!!)

Yanno, like men''s shoe sizing as compared to women''s
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I like buying size 6 shoes...
 
That would be great.

I should also state that I''m 5''7". I know a 10/12 on someone my height can look totally different on someone 5''10" or higher ;)
 
Yea, I wish the conversion was down. The fashion industry likes to depress us in multiple ways. Not only are they going to take our money but they''re going to make us feel fat too!!!!
 
Hmmm...you''ll get a good idea of what you like and what looks good on you when you start trying on, but it sounds like you may want to try some destination-type halter tops. Watters has some great ones! Also, check around-- I don''t know what city you''re in, but many have at least one bridal shop that specializes in "informal and destination" dresses. There''s one here in Houston, and although it was maybe 1/8 the size of many other shops, I loved about twice as many dresses there (I have similar desires as you, e.g. not poofy, etc.).

In short, try some sheath style halters-- from your body description, it sounds like you''ll be hot in those!
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Just try on as many styles as possible, it''s really the only way you''re going to narrow it down. And don''t be afraid of dresses with rouching around the waist--the dress you bought and a wedding gown will fit completely different. It''s amazing what a difference great material, superior craftmanship and some well-placed boning will make :)

Once you realize what looks good on you, the process gets easier. I was about 80% sure I was going to go with one of those amazing monique lhuillier lace gowns with a sash and as soon as I put one on, it just didn''t work with my body. Your curves will look great in many different styles, and I think you''ll get an idea of what looks best after this Saturday!
 
HH, you''ve just got to try on every style you can until you narrow it down to what looks best on your body type. Hard to say but worth trying on things that look awful on the hangar as hangars dont do justice to wedding gowns at all. Well, unless they''re haute couture!
 
Don''t forget about bridesmaid dresses!

I tried on a bunch of Watters'' maids dresses and they were awesome! many of them come in white too. Which leads me to say that my favorites (I too am WAY too busty and hippy) were actually Jim Hjelm bridesmaid dresses. They werent budget busters either.

I feel your pain about the poofy distain though- I''m having a garden wedding and sometimes you just dont want the hassel of a big dress. Although dont discount the corset style until you''ve tried it!

they were the only ones that helped define the fact that I have a waist in there somewhere amidst the hips and bust! Although you probably dont have strapless bra issues like I do!!
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Good luck this weekend and take a camera (or camera phone if they are photo nazi''s like I keep encountering)!! I want to see what you come up with!
 
Surfgirl, I went to a wedding the other weekend and the mother of the groom was wearing....YOUR DRESS!!!! In white! She wore a wedding dress (or white BM dress) to her son''s wedding!!! The horror!
 
Wearing white to another woman''s wedding?? As the mother of the groom??? Talking about etiquette . . . some people really are clueless, or seriously thoughtless.
 
We can''t be too surprised about mother''s doing this- my (ex)stepmother wore a whiter than white flowy pant suit (the kind where the pants basically look like a skirt) to my sister''s wedding... It happens more than we''d all like to think I''m sure!
 
Apparently she wanted to wear white white but her daughter talked her into wearing off white. Still, the bride''s dress was blush/cream. The G''s mom''s dress was more white than the brides!!!

Oh did we laugh behind out hands at that one. She''s actually a very nice lady so I was really surprised.
 
Hudson- I feel you! I am also having a relatively casual wedding (I think) and recently went to look at dresses with my future mother in law. It was SO MUCH FUN. I was looking for a cool, flowy a-line dress as well, but tried on all types of gowns while I was at it. I also have big hips-- i''m pear shaped actually (a 10-12 on bottom and more like a 6-8 on top) and I ended up looking better in dresses with real structure on top. The flowy sheath dresses did nothing for my figure and highlighted every single flaw. The drop waist corseted gowns, on the other hand, made me look tiny! They cinched in my waist, which is my smallest part, and completely hid away the hip area. The drop waist was also very helpful. Dresses that were cut at the natural waist made my hips pop out even more. It was not a flattering look at all. Mermaid dresses were the worst- they made me look like JLO!

Anyhow, the moral of the story is- try on every single silhouette that''s available. I thought i would end up loving the flowy sheath dresses, but they did NOT work on me whatsoever. yet, I also have curvy friends who look great in hourglass dresses. You just never know!
 
What about this dress?

http://watters.com/product.php?coll=brides&showid=274

That was the dress I originally bought for my wedding. It sounds like we are very similarly built (I''m a curvy size 12), and I was originally planning on having my wedding at the beach. Since my mom has now decided that she will die if I don''t get married in her church, I ended up getting something a little more dressy.

The slim line was actually very flattering, which I did not expect. I tried on all different shapes of dresses, but I just felt more comfortable in something that I was able to move in.

Size wise, you''ll just have to try on different designers. In Watters, I was a 12, which is what I normally wear. I have worn a couple different Mori Lee bridesmaid dresses, and I think I got a 14 in those. So it all really just depends.
 
Date: 10/17/2007 1:53:18 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Surfgirl, I went to a wedding the other weekend and the mother of the groom was wearing....YOUR DRESS!!!! In white! She wore a wedding dress (or white BM dress) to her son''s wedding!!! The horror!
Click to expand...
Oh no! Dont desecrate my wedding dress! Seriously though, did she wear it with a black sash and did it look nice on her or just meh?
 
She wore it with a jacket made from the same material during the ceremony but then at the reception she wore it in all it''s strapless glory....and she had back cleavage. So no, I don''t think she wore it all that well. Not like you did
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Hudson--have fun dress shopping! Just so you know, I THOUGHT I knew what I didn''t want (which included several things on your list: big, poufy, ball gown) and I fell in love with a BIG, POUFY BALL GOWN! So, your ideas might change once you see yourself in some dresses. And I love that you''re focused on wearing the dress and not letting it wear you--OWN that dress, lady!

I don''t know if anyone else experienced this, but the strange thing for me was that wedding dress styles look completely different on me than regular gowns. If you''re curvy I would go for a style that accentuates your curves, such as a mermaid or trumpet. I WISH I could pull that off--I have an athletic boy-shaped body (but with a huge chest, ugh!)--no hips, wide shoulders--so I am TOTALLY jealous of all you ladies with your sexy, curvy hips!

And yes, be prepared to get a larger size--I wear a street size 6 or 8, and I ordered a size 10. Also, I''m tall like you, 5''10", and I had to order FOUR EXTRA INCHES on the bottom of my dress. Sheesh--if everyone else I know has to have inches taken OFF the hem, and I had to have inches added ON, who the heck are they making these dresses for? Seriously!
 
Well ladies, I may have found THE. DRESS.!!!!! It was the first one I tried on. It''s a Paloma Blanca, a slim A-line, all lace, halter, with a sash. I love it. Now I just have to find it for 1/3 of the price! It''s style number 3806. I can''t get a pic off of the website to post, so if someone can figure it out, please post!
 
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