Farrar Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Not for me, for my mom. I just listened to her bemoan her inability to find anything that fit the criteria for about a solid half hour. Here's the criteria: * not black * floor length * formal * not frumpy She's tallish and not thin (though not overweight either) in her 60's, but looks young. She apparently shopped all day with a friend and found nothing. Well, actually she found formal looking really nice swishy long pants, but the bride nixed them because they were black. The bride doesn't want any of the women wearing black in the photos. (Yeah, I know, but she wants to please the bride.) I thought... okay, surely the Hive will have some leads here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 What I would do is walk into Nordstom, find the dress department, find a salesperson (they work on commission at Nordstrom, so they are really helpful) and tell her exactly what you told us. That's how I shop. For example, I needed a fees for my son's high school graduation. I walked into Talbots, told the woman working what I was looking for, and she found me five choices. I am a really crappy clothes-picker-outer. But I have a nice wardrobe because I let other people help me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef03 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I'd recommend Boden, they have a lovely range! You can't find their brand in shops but their online returns are easy to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Would she wear something strapless with a nice shrug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Yeah, she's a total Nordstrom and Talbot's devotee (I'm with her on the Nordstrom... less so on Talbot's which is not my style at all) and I've seen how she shops, so I'm guessing she already did exactly that! And somehow ended up with nothing. She says everything she found was either black or frumpy. Black won't please the bride and frumpy won't please her. And really, she shouldn't have to look frumpy. She's in really good shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Would she wear something strapless with a nice shrug? Definitely. The weather may be on the cool side so she might need one anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 I'd recommend Boden, they have a lovely range! You can't find their brand in shops but their online returns are easy to do. I love Boden, but most of their stuff is short. Almost nothing formal length. :( But argh... I started poking around and found that they have the dress I got that I really liked last year in new patterns. Now I might need to buy that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 My son and his girlfriend are talking about getting engaged. I have been looking at Mother of the Groom dresses lol... Here is my short list lol http://www.izidresses.com/sheath-column-v-neck-chiffon-mother-of-the-bride-dress-izied5275.html?izisrccid=26 http://www.izidresses.com/sheath-column-sweetheart-straps-lace-mother-of-the-bride-dress-izied5198.html?izisrccid=26 http://www.izidresses.com/sheath-column-spaghetti-straps-taffeta-chiffon-mother-of-the-bride-dress-izied5267.html?izisrccid=26 http://www.izidresses.com/sheath-column-off-the-shoulder-sweetheart-chiffon-mother-of-the-bride-dress-izied5256.html?izisrccid=26 http://www.izidresses.com/sheath-column-strapless-tulle-mother-of-the-bride-dress-izied5263.html?izisrccid=26 http://www.jjshouse.com/A-Line-Princess-Strapless-Sweep-Train-Chiffon-Charmeuse-Mother-Of-The-Bride-Dress-With-Lace-Beading-Cascading-Ruffles-008005623-g5623 http://www.dressale.com/elegant-chiffon-aline-mother-of-bride-dress-adorned-with-beaded-details-and-exquisite-pleats-p-70400.html http://www.dressale.com/impressive-aline-mother-of-the-bride-dress-with-cape-p-35224.html http://www.dressale.com/stunning-mother-of-the-bride-dress-with-crystals-p-36016.html http://www.dressale.com/pink-designer-new-prom-dresses-with-richly-lace-embellishing-and-threequarter-sleeves-p-34835.html http://www.dressale.com/fabulous-aline-mother-of-the-bride-dress-with-well-pleated-bodice-and-shinning-crystals-p-36464.html http://www.dressale.com/deep-v-neck-design-ruched-and-flower-tilt-lines-ornaments-slim-and-simple-formal-dress-p-22969.html http://www.dressale.com/v-neck-lace-sleeves-taffeta-boutique-p-18352.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Yeah, she's a total Nordstrom and Talbot's devotee (I'm with her on the Nordstrom... less so on Talbot's which is not my style at all) and I've seen how she shops, so I'm guessing she already did exactly that! And somehow ended up with nothing. She says everything she found was either black or frumpy. Black won't please the bride and frumpy won't please her. And really, she shouldn't have to look frumpy. She's in really good shape. I have heard it is hard to find un-frumpy clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Try a Google search for 'mother-of-the-bride formal dress'. Maybe add 'sexy'. ;) Some good stuff pops up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 So I did some google searching :thumbup1: and found a nice dark purple dress. The only problem is that it looks like it is from a non-US company. Is it similar to what she's looking for? Is it too fancy? There are very nice mother-of-the-bride dresses that may fit the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 I have heard it is hard to find un-frumpy clothes. Yeah, I was like, "I'm going to help you!" and then I found that within a few minutes of just online looking I could see a lot of it was going to look really frumpy and stilted and old fashioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Yeah, I was like, "I'm going to help you!" and then I found that within a few minutes of just online looking I could see a lot of it was going to look really frumpy and stilted and old fashioned. Do you know any seamstresses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Try a Google search for 'mother-of-the-bride formal dress'. Maybe add 'sexy'. ;) Some good stuff pops up. I'd even specifically try Google Images, and you can filter through many dresses quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 My BFF got married a few years ago, we (the bridesmaids) wore Alfred Angelo (from the bridal store) separates. We had a floor length skirt and a strapless top. Definitely not frumpy and I'm sure you could get it in virtually any color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 If she goes to the bridal store she should look at bridesmaids dresses not MOB. And avoid princess seams. Princess seams = frump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Do you know any seamstresses? That would help... But no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 So I did some google searching :thumbup1: and found a nice dark purple dress. The only problem is that it looks like it is from a non-US company. Is it similar to what she's looking for? Is it too fancy? There are very nice mother-of-the-bride dresses that may fit the bill. I like that. I think she may be aiming for the least fancy she can get away with while still pleasing the bride. But I sent her a few of the links from here (and that one). We'll see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 J Crew has some really nice formal dresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Does she just shop at Nordstroms, or does she make them check other stores and get them to ship her the size/color she wants? Do you have any formal dress shops in your nearest city? If the carry designer brands, they usually have a decent selection and can get other colors/sizes from the designers very quickly. We just went through this with my daughter's prom dress. After striking out in two malls AND Nordstrom we found a dress shop near Baltimore that carried several dresses in her size and preferred style and the could get a lot more in less than a week if we needed it. The service was amazing. One more thought, if you know anyone who sees at all, flowy pants require very little skill to make and she could pick any color she likes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Could you define frumpy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 If she isn't wanting something she will be able to wear again, I have some friends who have used www.renttherunway.com and were very happy with the dresses they rented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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