What do you think of this dress?

[DesrtDrmr]

I agree that the traditional description of "formal" is black tie or tuxedos for men and long gowns for women.

I do not think that all of the people on a cruise follow this description any more, including me. :) DH Wears a tuxedo, but I usually wear a long skirt and sparkly top, or even pants. I cannot wear heels, so I just wear long stuff to cover my feet.

I think that the dress is lovely, and if the OP is even looking at it, she must know that she'd look good in it.....................it would be very suitable for a special evening on a cruise, or in town. She would feel special in it, and her escort would probably never leave her side for a moment.......what more could you ask???? :D

Have fun!

[BlueHerons]

I

If my other half was wearing a lounge suit I probably would feel appropriately dressed.

 

:)

 

I LOVE this term! Conjures up visions of white John Travolta disco suits!

[heyitsmejudy]

I LOVE this term! Conjures up visions of white John Travolta disco suits!

 

That was my second guess.... AFTER PJ's!

[katsmom1]

Wow, I didn't mean to stir up such controversy regarding formal vs. informal. I honestly hadn't considered which night of the cruise I'd wear it. I just knew that if I buy the dress, I'm definitely wearing it sometime during that week. I don't think I currently have quite the body to look great in the dress. I used to have a good body but have developed a bit too much padding over the past couple months that I need to get rid of before actually buying the dress. Wanting the dress is a real motivator to get me back to the gym. As far as which bra to wear with it, I think I'd wear a strapless bra that converts to a demi bra so that the straps are far apart, although the bra straps may still need to be pinned underneath the dress. Thank you everyone for your thoughts! They have greatly helped with my decision to splurge and buy it.

[on board]

Why does it bother you so much? I am a stylist/wardrobe consultant and people pay me to show them how to dress.

 

Formal dress is black tie for men and floor length gowns for women. Semi formal or black tie optional is tux or dark suit for men and long gown or cocktail length for women.

 

Think what you want but I would never steer a client in the direction of a cocktail dress if she is looking for formal attire. In some instances, state dinners for example, that would be a huge faux pas and an insult to the hosts if a guest showed up improperly attired.

 

I would ask you the same question! I guess someone that owns David Bridal for the past 30 years does not know what they are talking about huh? :p :rolleyes:

Well we just have to agree to disagree! :p

[critterchick]

Since that dress is not the forgiving type, you'd better have the body for it. Other than that, I would think it would be fine unless you're a little white-haired (with a purple tint) looking much much older than 40 woman.

 

I don't think it's a "young" dress at all, but as the other posters have said, you'd better not be able to "pinch an inch" (of body fat, that is)! As for an LOL bluehair, hey, if she's been hitting the gym...:D

[caviargal]

I'm 50 and I bid on that same dress on ebay! Lost but will try again.

 

A gown, by definition, is a long dress, not a short or tea length.

 

And the definition of formal is exactly as BlueHerons describes. Cocktail is fine for cruise ships but it is most definitely NOT formal.:D

 

BlueHerons, "on board" is a former poster using a different handle; her apparent specialty is stirring up trouble!

[AlohaPride]

I'm 50 and I bid on that same dress on ebay! Lost but will try again.

 

A gown, by definition, is a long dress, not a short or tea length.

 

And the definition of formal is exactly as BlueHerons describes. Cocktail is fine for cruise ships but it is most definitely NOT formal.:D

 

BlueHerons, "on board" is a former poster using a different handle; her apparent specialty is stirring up trouble!

 

I think it all boils down to which cruise line you will be on.

 

I also agree that formal means long gown. When I was getting married I went to David's Bridal (different name here but same line of dresses) and they tried to tell me that formal meant tea length and longer. Then I went to a personal shopper at NM and they laughed and said that people are trying to fudge the lines when it come to distinguishing between formal and semi-formal/optional. Either way, the people at David's Bridal didn't really know what they were doing and I ended up getting a Maggie Sottero gown I absolutely LOVED. Anyways, I digress.

 

As for the dress...I LOVE it. It looks too uncomfortable for me, but I think it's beautiful!

[Happy ks]

That is a great dress and I absolutely would wear it (if I were in better shape :o ), I'm in my 50's. I don't think it looks like a dress for a young woman at all, but a more mature (35+) all the way up to........ with the right body.

 

It is interesting to observe what people interpret as formal. Some think a Sunday dress is suitable, some think ballgown. I really think that over the years, with cruising becoming more affordable (myself included) there is a definite change in the way people dress for evening on a cruise. Not just on formal nights, either. When we first started cruising in 1998, people did seem to dress much nicer than they do now.

 

My interpretation of formal is at the very least a floor length gown, but I don't really consider a lot of what I see on most cruises as formal. Most people are semi formal at best, with a few formal gowns in there. So, while I feel this would be fine for formal on a cruise ship, for a truly formal event (black tie) it is not formal.

 

I have read that formal wear for women includes cocktail dresses, depending on the event, I have to say when the men are all in tuxes, cocktail dresses just look too semi formal to me.

 

I'll admit that I've stepped back from long gowns, too difficult to pack. I now prefer a long dressy dress, mostly knits, evening pants or a cocktail dress.

[CMurph]

If I am attending a formal event, I will wear a long gown. However, on some cruiselines, they state that the suggested attire for formal night is evening gown or cocktail dress for women. I am sure that is why some people on this CRUISE board feel that a shorter dress is acceptable. While many of us feel we know the true definition of formal, there is no need to verbally beat others over the head with our opinions. To label posters as troublemakers because they don't agree with the regulars on this board is tacky.

[RonneyKay]

I like the look of this dress but am not really sure if its appropriate for a 40 year old, like myself. I'm considering it for a cruise, and/or going to the orchestra or to see a play, etc. What do you think?

 

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2902158?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=david+meister+in+Women%27s+Apparel&origin=searchresults

 

Thanks!

 

I will be 37 when I take my cruise and this is the dress I am going to wear... http://www.torrid.com/store/product.asp?LS=0&ITEM=502322 and I will wear it proudly. I am a full figured woman! I do not let my size/age decide what is appropriate and what is not:) If you like the dress, you wear it sistah!!! wear it proudly and dont make apologies for it:)

Uh, thats just my 2cents;) Dont forget to post pics;)

[FinelyRetired]

A pretty dress..........but I think the one shown in black matte jersey, same template, on the far right is a better looking version overall of the "look" the designer is after? It's the better looking one. I think that the featured dress with the black/white geo thing going on is pretty......but it seems almost an "after-thought" kinda of thing, contrived (and rather tired..looks 60's) done to offer another "look" to the same pattern/design? The classic is in the black jersey which I think is splendid. Just my gut reaction.

 

Best be rail-thin in the hips and long-legged to pull off the black/white version! If you are at 40..flaunt it and wear it and love your cruise.

 

The dress, however, IS a cocktail dress....not a formal. You certainly could "pass" easily with the looser "dress" codes on a cruise ship and wear it to what they call "formal" night. However, a formal gown is always long.... anywhere else.

[FinelyRetired]

David's Bridal? Trendy online site....but, not always in the best taste. It's trying to appeal to a "mass" market, so not likely to give sound advice that might run contrary to someone's expressed preference (even if mis-guided) and/or $$ range to get a sale.

 

Good taste and correctness is seldom cheap, not negotiable.

[on board]

David's Bridal? Trendy online site....but, not always in the best taste. It's trying to appeal to a "mass" market, so not likely to give sound advice that might run contrary to someone's expressed preference (even if mis-guided) and/or $$ range to get a sale.

 

Good taste and correctness is seldom cheap, not negotiable.

 

I think this is a matter of opinion! I along with 18 others including the bride all had a successful time choosing and finally deciding on our formal tea length dresses! Very much in style, very expensive, and we had excellent advice! :p We never once felt like we were cheated and also we had a family member who is also a designer in NY that also aided us in choosing the perfect formal tea length dresses! Yes Davids Bridal has a lot of different priced dresses but we did stay on the very high side of the scale! :p What they did not have that we wanted they found a way to get! Money talks most of the time!!!

[on board]

David's Bridal? Trendy online site....but, not always in the best taste. It's trying to appeal to a "mass" market, so not likely to give sound advice that might run contrary to someone's expressed preference (even if mis-guided) and/or $$ range to get a sale.

 

Good taste and correctness is seldom cheap, not negotiable.

Oh yes by the way most if not all dresses can be found on the internet! :p

[FinelyRetired]

Good gracious.........you and "18 others" had "a successful" time selecting your tea length dresses for this wedding at David's Bridal? I'm truly happy for you.

 

18? That sounds more like a "parade" than a bridal party. What a world.

[Sunshine91]

The David Meister dress is stunning. Do I think it would fit in with formal night on a cruise? Yeah, you're gonna see women in cocktail dresses. Worn 'em myself. I just think that the gentleman with the lady in that dress might wear a dark suit instead of a tux, so he's not overdressed. ;)

What I didn't understand were all the posters who felt compelled to comment about whether or not the OP had the right figure to pull-off that dress. It's none of our business & she didn't ask.

And since when did $$$ have anything to do with style, taste or anything else. :confused:

[FinelyRetired]

I think you're post is valid.......and a good comment. But for the other thread about the David Meister dress?

 

I think you are on the wrong thread? But, I'm not sure.

 

Marty

[Gingee]

Go for it. If you have the shape, go for it.

[on board]

The David Meister dress is stunning. Do I think it would fit in with formal night on a cruise? Yeah, you're gonna see women in cocktail dresses. Worn 'em myself. I just think that the gentleman with the lady in that dress might wear a dark suit instead of a tux, so he's not overdressed. ;)

 

What I didn't understand were all the posters who felt compelled to comment about whether or not the OP had the right figure to pull-off that dress. It's none of our business & she didn't ask.

 

And since when did $$$ have anything to do with style, taste or anything else. :confused:

 

Well she ask what we thought about the dress which everyone agreed it is a beautiful dress, when one ask I think she opened the subject up enough to allow us respectfully to give our opinions. And I stand by what I said, she better have a great body to be able to pull that dress off no matter how old she is. Much less than a perfect body that dress will look ridiculous! Not every dress is made for every body! It has all been constructive criticism which anyone would appreciate with honest answeres. :p

[Sunshine91]

I think you're post is valid.......and a good comment. But for the other thread about the David Meister dress?

 

I think you are on the wrong thread? But, I'm not sure.

 

Marty

 

Marty - Thanks. Take a peek at the OP's dress. :)

[golfergal]

The dress is beautiful. Wear it and work it! You can wear it a formal night, but I would wear it another night and really stand out in it!

 

I tried so hard to resist commenting on the sub-topic, but after my third glass of limoncello, I can't resist. Limoncello, oh, that's "formal" Italian hooch!

 

David's Bridal offers some great options and I would not bat an eyelash at someone wearing a wedding or bridal dress from there. But to say that they know what formal truly is, is simply wrong. What is acceptable at a wedding? Sure. Acceptable on a cruise? Sure. But as those of us who have been here a long time know, what is acceptable is not the same thing as what meets the official definition of dress codes. Is it acceptable to wear a sportscoat and slacks on formal night? Sure. Is that dress formal? Absolutely not.

 

Hey, I bought my wedding dress off the rack. For me, spending a ton on a dress I would wear one night and spill champagne on was not for me. Oh and whatever the people in California tell you, regardless of how long they have made wine, that bubbly wine they make isn't champagne. Just because they say so, doesn't make it so.

 

In my neck of the woods, a formal wedding (Catholic, full mass or whatever, which mine all were too) means tuxedo and full length gowns. Is is acceptable and frankly welcome for an adult woman to wear a tea-length or cocktail length dress? Of course. We as a society have applied a loosened definition of dress standards. I don't think that is necessarily wrong as some changes are perfectly acceptable to me (the right white in winter, a little patent leather after Memorial Day - I always get that one wrong - etc.). All that said, it doesn't change that the true definition of formal dress for women is a gown. Whatever the sales clerk at Kmart, I mean David's Bridal said. Sorry, that was the limoncello/hooch speaking!

[From a land down under]

Bring out the Spanx girlfriend!!! Cute dress, but definately a spanx required... Even trim Oprah wears them to smooth down.

[DukeFamily]

Okay, for the first time, and because I'm bored, I decided to read ALL these posts BEFORE I looked at the dress, just to see what kind of idea I had in my head before I saw it. The dress is beautiful. I'D wear it (I'm 45, btw. Wait...I have to go back and see if it's too far above the knee for me at 45. I have the legs, but I also try and stay within certain guidelines for my age). The OP just said she liked it; she did not ask if it was formal, or in any way indicate she was considering the dress for formal night. I wouldn't wear it on formal night; I'd wear it as a cocktail dress, or, semi-formal, which is exactly what the dress is.

 

 

(Edited to add: Not that it matters one iota, but I went back and looked - the dress hits just BELOW the knee, so heck yeah I'd wear it.)