sexy but warm dress needed for Valentine''s Day

[eks6426]

Well, it''s my year to plan Valentine''s Day and I''m ahead of the game. I have reservations at a great local fondue restaurant. So, now I''m onto my wardrobe.

I was thinking I''d like to get a dress to wear. I normally wear pants all the time in the winter so my hubbie would probably appreciate a dress. But, I live in northern Indiana and I really hate freezeing so this dress would need to be somewhat warm. Elbow length or longer sleeves would be a huge plus. Also, a dress that would look ok with shoes other than sandals. It just ruins the romantic effect if I am freezing. I''m not a tiny girl...about a size 10 with a size DD bra. Maybe a wrap dress?

Does anyone have any suggestions? Help greatly appreciated please!

 

[Mara]

what about something ilke a chocolate brown jersey wrap dress with long sleeves and then tall black or dark brown boots? that way you are entirely covered.

do you think it ruins the dress thing however IF you are all covered up?

i''m such a pants person too. what about a straight line wool skirt with boots and then a fitted sweater?

 

[eks6426]

mara--the brown wrap dress sounds like a possiblity. I have boots that could work too. It's more about shape & a hint of skin than full-out showing it for me in the winter. If it showed some cleavage--not hard to do for me--it might work. Any online examples?

The skirt/sweater combo is too much like work for me. I'm also allergic to wool so that makes it harder to find good skirts & sweaters....

Something like this in brown? http://store.nordstrom.com/product/product_brandboutique.asp?styleid=2870971&boutique=dresses_n_occasion&category=2376776~2374327~2374331~6001765~6001766&SourceID=&refsid=169527&origin=related%2Dboutique&refcat=2376776%7E2374327%7E2374331%7E6001777%7E6001752&slotid=3

Could I wear boots with this one? It's green instead of brown...

http://store.nordstrom.com/product/product_brandboutique.asp?styleid=2880456&boutique=dresses_n_occasion&category=2376776~2374327~2374331~6001765~6001771&NextStyleID=2880834&PrevStyleID=2870526

 

[pebbles]

So many places have their winter clothes on clearance now so it might be hard to find something.

What color are you looking for? I found this on Talbot''s web site. I think it''s pretty but it may be too "work-like" for you.

http://www1.talbots.com/talbotsonline/item.asp?item=E270589&PFID=1461&BID=S20060211819342A4F1A7FC4B740A7B097F1&h=M

What about something like this, or would it emphasize your bust too much?

http://www1.talbots.com/talbotsonline/item.asp?item=N40589&PFID=1461&BID=S20060211819342A4F1A7FC4B740A7B097F1&h=M

 

[monarch64]

IslandDreams, I have been right where you are! I posted a thread named "what to wear" about a month and a half ago (excuse my ignorance of not knowing how to link) and I ended up going with a sexy sleeveless halter dress anyway, with a nice warm wrap. I wore hose to keep my legs warm (ok, so that''s not so sexy, but hubby didn''t care.) Just wanted to say you may have more options than you think...after a glass of wine at dinner you''ll warm right up, and what''s he there for if not to keep you warm anyway!!!

Could you maybe do a strapless dress with a shrug to cover your shoulders? And maybe in a style and color you could wear again to weddings, etc? This one comes in petite and from experience J. Crew dresses (esp. strapless) are pretty generous in the bust dept.

 

[eks6426]

I was thinking about the shrug idea too. It wouldn''t matter how much wine I drank--I''d still be cold with bare arms this time of year. I actually ordered a dress from Anthropologie yesterday because I liked it earlier in the year. But it''s got bare arms. Any ideas on where to get a shrug to go with this dress? What kind of shoes should I wear with it? I definitely need hose or tights or something....

My original idea on this dress was to save it for summer but if I could make it work for V-day, that''d be great....

 

[monarch64]

That dress is cute, Island! I think you could make it work with maybe a navy shrug and some funky shoes...I think the easiest places to find warmer shrugs would probably be an off-price place like TJ Maxx or something, since the department stores have probably clearanced theirs out by now.

 

[eks6426]

Hmm, hadn't considered navy with it. Good idea on that and TJ Maxx. I was looking for long sleeve shrugs at JCPenney and came up with a sweater that seemed similar in color....I do have a standard navy button cardigan already.

Would it work?

Any ideas on funky shoes? Funky is kind of hard to find where I live. I thought of silver sling-backs but those seem so formal. I could easily come up with fun sandals....

 

[qtiekiki]

Since it''s for Valentine''s, I think that dress would look great and fun with a red cardigan and red shoes like these. The first one is more formal and the second is funky.