K/R: Two More Summer Frocks

Up for contention are two more summer frocks. Both from Mexx.

# 1-3 A sagey-olive bias-cut sundress. Worn first with my poor orphaned Fluevog Bellevues - most expensive - and virtually unworn - shoe purchase EVER. Thought they'd go with everything. They don't.

#4 Casualized with denim and wedges.

#5-11 Black and grey, made from some kind of polyester. Styled a variety of ways. I think this one could also work in early fall with my black crepe jacket, Doc Marcies or Doc Saras, or my black booties or tall boots. The fabric is too light for true winter wear here. And the armholes are probably too snug to layer underneath, although to be honest, I didn't try that.

I got these dresses at 40% and 50% off, respectively, so the prices were extremely reasonable. I can keep both, so it is not an either/or situation.

In favour of the green, the fabric and cut lend themselves more easily to my MOTG days, but it can also go out in the evening if necessary.

In favour of the black and grey, I think it will move into autumn more gracefully.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!

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46 Comments

  • Inge replied 11 years ago

    Oh please keep both, these frocks look stunning on you, Suz!!

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    I prefer dress #2 by a rather wide margin! I think the bold, contrasting print feels more like "you," as does the higher neckline. Something about the waist and bust of the green one doesn't sit right with me, either. However the black looks just as fab alone as it does with all your toppers!

  • Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

    These are both fabulous Suz! Fit on both is lovely and I think both will be very versatile. Love pic #4 in particular.

  • Diana replied 11 years ago

    I like both!

  • Sona replied 11 years ago

    love both dresses. I'm a little fonder of # two but since a great fitting, good looking dress is not an easy find so you defi should keep both!! ( dress one is the holy grey!!!)

    *giggles*

  • cheryle (Dianthus) replied 11 years ago

    I like both too. For dress #1, In the second pic and pic from behind, it looks as though there is a bit of bunching in the fabric. I'm not sure if that is the way you are standing or the dress.

    I think #2 looks great in all of the ways you have styled it.

    Suz, did you have any luck with tops at Mexx?

  • catgirl replied 11 years ago

    I love both of them. They have different vibes but both fit you so well. I would love to find something like the first one for work for me, even though I'd look nothing like you do in it. KEEP!

  • Kirti replied 11 years ago

    Keep both! :-)

  • replied 11 years ago

    I'm with Rae on this one - I think the black/white dress is more flattering on you between the two. The grey one is just *okay* and seems to pull a little in the upper back.

  • replied 11 years ago

    P.S. I love outfits 9 and 10. Especially 10.

  • Sylvie replied 11 years ago

    Both dresses are a keep to my eyes.

    I also want to send some love your way for the Fluevogs as I think they are gorgeous! They're pretty neutral on your skin, so in your shoes (hehe), I think they'd pair beautifully with grey, cream, brown, black, white and green.

  • sarah replied 11 years ago

    Please keep them both, Suz! You sure do look fantastic in dresses!

  • Meredith1953 replied 11 years ago

    I love them both and all the various ways you have styled them!

  • merwoman replied 11 years ago

    Agree with Anne's comments - from the pics you've posted dress #2 looks far more flattering to my eye. Love the darker toppers in pics 9 and 10 - think they better suit your colouring - and you rock the dress all on it's own in pic 5 - fab arms!

  • Jonesy replied 11 years ago

    I love the second dress very much! I wonder about the fit of the first--the pulling in the back makes me wonder about sizing up (but maybe then it would be too gappy in the front, dunno)?

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    I MUCH prefer the second dress! Somehow the first one doesn't feel modern enough for you to me.

  • Jjsloane replied 11 years ago

    I prefer the 2nd one and love it in 9, but the 1st one is nice with the jacket (4). If you feel the fit is up to your standards then keep both. Multiple possibilities.

  • replied 11 years ago

    The second dress needs to be in your life!

  • AJ replied 11 years ago

    The print and color of the first one seems more appropriate for fall. I really like the second dress for summer. Luv all your stylings with that one!

  • Angie replied 11 years ago

    WOW!

    Please keep both killer frocks, Queen Biceps. All these incarnations are 10s :)

  • Amy replied 11 years ago

    I'm not crazy about the first one. The second dress is lovely and flattering.

  • Sveta replied 11 years ago

    I like them both, Suz, but if you have to keep just one I vote keep the first one. The second one is too close in cut to your Cleo blue dress so you will have more variety with the first one.

  • Echo replied 11 years ago

    Love both dresses! You look wonderful in both. Unfortunately, I am not as fond of the Fluevogs. They do not seem to be a neutral enough colour to go with either dress. But the other sandals - especially the RED! - are perfect.

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Well, thank you, everyone!

    This is incredibly helpful and instructive.

    First, Rae, and all those who chimed in with her - you have sharp eyes and good judgement. The first dress does not fit exactly to perfection on the top. Or rather, it fits extremely well (unusually well, for this style, on small-busted me) in the actual bust area. No gapping, no needing to tape it together, no bra showing when I bend over because it stays snug in the V. Also, the V is narrow enough and modest enough for my taste. Rare, and amazing!

    But it is a tiny bit loose - not tight - in the rib cage area, which results in just a very slight ...oddness in that part. It's hard to describe. And it doesn't always show. And doesn't even always feel odd. It just depends on the way I move. I deliberately tried to stand in a way to show it because it was bugging me a little.

    I am fascinated by the comments that it doesn't seem as much my style. I think you're right. It skews a bit boho for me. But at the same time, I have always been very partial to skirts cut this way, and I'll bet when my husband sees it, he'll say that it looks "just like me" because I used to have a dress that was similar in some ways.

    I'm really of two minds about this one. Despite my reservations about the fit, I know I would wear it a lot. It's just the right level of casual for where I live and the kinds of things I do. Whereas the other one is dressier than the life I actually lead, and the risk with it is that while it might look great, I won't WEAR it, LOL!

    I think it casualizes better in the photos than IRL. The fabric is that fake chiffon (lined, of course) so that makes it feel dressy even if you put a jean jacket over top. However, at $49, do I really care? It's cheaper than a top and skirt (well, unless my thrift stores were as good as Claire's or Shannon's!)

    Anyway, I am hugely grateful for your candid thoughts on this. It really helps confirm my own ideas. Still haven't decided what to do - maybe I will ask hubs to weigh in!

    Sveta, you are making a good point that had also crossed my mind.

    Una - the dresses come from Mexx if you want to look for one for yourself! I would send you one if you knew your size!

    Sylvie, thanks for the Fluevog love. You know, when I bought them I thought I would wear them constantly. But it turns out they're really only good with summery outfits because I have to wear tights most of the year. I guess maybe with Angie's blessing I could wear them with nude hose! That is the only way to make them work with my fall/winter clothes. And in summer I pretty much wear sandals! However. they're not going to date or wear out, so I figure eventually I will make my cost per wear with them. So I'm not sorry I bought them.

    Makrame, very interesting perception - I will go back and take a look. Maybe you have hit on why I have trouble with them.

    DIanthus, you are a clever woman, and just you wait for the tops story. Coming this weekend, I promise. My photographer had to go off to her tae kwon do lesson so we couldn't do more tonight.

    Thanks again, everyone. On balance I think I'll end up keeping both! But the tags are still on and the jury is still out for now.

  • Debora replied 11 years ago

    Great dresses, Suz! I say keep both and I love all the ways you've styled them. Can I ask you the brand of your denim (blue) jacket? That's a wardrobe hole I'm trying to fill.

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Debora, thank you - I am not sure who actually made my denim jacket. I bought it at The Bay last fall (Canadian dept. store owned by Lord and Taylor) and this was their store brand jacket, believe it or not. I thought it was rather expensive at the time but I was desperate (had looked everywhere else) and this one fit so I bought it and of course the CPW has gone down a lot.

    You might try Lord and Taylor to see if they have something similar? Or did you see Angie's post on her favourite inexpensive denim jackets? http://youlookfab.com/2012/05/.....m-jackets/

    Some of those look a lot nicer than mine.

  • Jaime replied 11 years ago

    I do prefer the second, which is great, and I love your styling variations.

  • Debora replied 11 years ago

    Thanks, Suz, and thanks for the link! I remember when you found that jacket and remember loving it at the time. It's a great wash and length. I tried on the Gap one today in white, liked the fit, and will keep my eyes open for one in blue. Yours is really fab!

  • krishnidoux replied 11 years ago

    I like them both, but the second one better! Especially in pics 8 and 9.
    I am curious: what makes you not wear the Fluevog shoes? They look so cute and comfortable.

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Krish - I think I don't wear them for 3 reasons.

    1. Makrame alluded to this. They SEEM relatively neutral, but really aren't. So they don't go with a lot of outfits. They would look good with navy, or SOME (but not all) greys, or olive. But much as I wish for one, I don't have a navy skirt or dress (other than a denim skirt). The grey skirt I have does not work with them. And I don't own anything olive or brown.

    2. They don't really look good with any tights other than nude. So that rules out most wintery outfits for me. Spring/summer/fall shoe only.

    3. And...in most of spring and summer I wear sandals, not shoes!!

    So it's a perfect storm, really.

    They ARE, in fact, very comfortable. And I like the look of them. I have one dress that works brilliantly with them, and I've worn them with my Long and Lean jeans once, too (and that olive top you gave me!)

    But my struggles with them have been enormously instructive to me. I have worn more "apparently" difficult shoes much more often than I have worn these apparently neutral ones!

  • Mellllls replied 11 years ago

    Love #2. I like the first one best with the denim jacket.

  • krishnidoux replied 11 years ago

    That is so interesting. Me too, I would have thought they would be more versatile. But you never know. In a season or two, you might find the perfect thing to wear them with, who knows?

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Yes, that's what I figure, Krish. I got them on sale. And I know they won't go "out of style" since they have such a vintage look. Eventually I will get some more navy and olive in my wardrobe. Even some other blues might work...I'll have to experiment. In the meantime, the shoes won't go bad or anything, so it was probably no loss in the long run.

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Suz, what about pairing them with a black and white outfit?

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    I tried it, Aida. It was "off." The grey of the dress didn't like the olive. At least to my eye. But I can try again. I notice they look different to me in the photos than IRL, so that is also useful information. The flash was not on and we had a mildly overcast day here, so colour representation is probably fairly accurate.

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    I mean like a graphic black and white only outfit, where the olive shoes would be the only "color". Maybe with white bermudas/jeans and a darker top (either black or navy)?

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    With the talk of the shoes, I wonder if that contributes to the first dress not looking modern to Aida and me? I'd be curious to see that one with the bright jacket and edgier/non-vintage-inspired shoes.

  • krishnidoux replied 11 years ago

    Those shoes have a very 1920s vibe to my eye. I think they would look wonderful with anything remotely flapper or Deauville style (naval, wide pants, etc.).

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Aida, that's a good idea for the shoes. I'll give it a try.

    Rae, I think you're right. The dress probably does harken back to 90s dresses that in turn harkened back to 30s bias cut dresses, and you and Aida are young enough that those style associations may be negative to your eyes. (I think we often reject the clothing of a recent era, especially when we're young, e.g. in the 80s I wouldn't have been caught dead in anything 70s looking. Though...come to think of it, this dress has a bit of 70s going on, too!, LOL)

    Anyway...the dress assuredly has a bit of an old-fashioned tone. And I also think the colour or pattern seem less flattering in the photos than they seemed IRL...OR the photos are giving me really good information about that that I'll have to check!!

    I can try it with some different shoes and jackets, too. The truth is, this dress would basically be a casual daytime sundress for walking downtown to do errands, maybe go for a lunch - a hot day, can't-be-bothered-doing-anything-more-than-throwing-on-one- thing kind of dress. So I wouldn't wear it with much other than a pair of sandals.

    Krish, you're right - the shoes look 20s or early 30s. I enjoyed wearing them with my Long and Leans (my version of wide leg trousers.) I agree anything naval would be good to try.

    Thanks again, all!

  • cobaltblue replied 11 years ago

    Oh, Suz, I love both! I understand the love for number two, but number one has that awesome neckline - a V with no cleavage. (I'm sure yours is lovely, but I recall that you share my reluctance to expose that bit of anatomy!) Keep and wear often.

  • DonnaF replied 11 years ago

    Interesting that dress #2 has dressier fabrication IRL than it looks in pics. I really like that dress on you, esp. the length and proportions. It gives you more life/energy than #1.

  • Makrame replied 11 years ago

    I agree with Donna's last comment - #2 looks better on you in pictures than #1, although both dresses are very nice. If you feel that #1 will be a workhorse for hot summer days, I don't think you can go wrong if you keep both.

  • Deborah replied 11 years ago

    I have purposely not read comments first:). Suz, I love the second dress. In the pics it lights you up and is stunning each way you have styled it. The first dress is also lovely however the color isn't translating well on my screeen and the cut of the skirt of the dress reads dated to me. Having said that, it's pretty and flattering on you. I think the question is does it fit with your style and does it convey what you want it to?

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Thanks again, everybody. Donna, I think you are definitely right about the pattern and it surprises me a bit. First of all, black is not "supposed" to be one of my colours, although here, admittedly, it's softened by the blueish grey of the pattern. I also think the size of the pattern is more enlivening somehow.

    Theoreticaly I'm a cool summer, so I "should" look best in softer, less contrasty prints. But the reality seems a bit different, at least judging from the photos.

    Off to muse some more, and wow, aren't photos instructive!

  • lyn67 replied 11 years ago

    Please keep them both! YOU HAVE TO! "enough said" as Angie would have said...:-)

  • Janet replied 11 years ago

    I like them both! #2 is especially great on you.

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