Wedding bridesmaid dresses - would you wear again

[ljsmith001]

I have had the TOUGHEST time picking out my BM dresses! I picked one, only to cancel the order when I saw two of my friends try it on - horrible I know!! But I have now chosen & I would love feedback! Our wedding is an evening wedding in the winter. The dresses will be black and they will have beautiful red roses and amaryllis bouquets. I thought they could definitely wear these again one day and could even get them shortened and wear as a cocktail dress. I love the dress (tried it on) but am worried that if you are not in decent shape the dress will in no way be forgiving!

Hope this link works!
http://www.billlevkoff.com/collections/index.asp?color_1=77

So sorry if you have to copy and paste, I don''t know how to do it differently.

 

[AceP]

to be honest, i''ve never met a bridesmaid dress i''d wear again. never. even if you pick out something relatively classic, it still just *looks like* a bridesmaid dress. i mean, very VERY few cocktail dresses are heavy satin or taffeta.

anyway, i think the ones you picked are perfectly nice. as long as the skirt is a-line, you should be okay. it would be nice if they had the option of adding straps, if you have any ladies who aren''t comfy in strapless.

 

[mimzy]

ljsmith - the link just takes you to the bill levkoff page....no dress specifically!(click refresh, you'll see what i'm talking about) what is the style number?


i think its nice that you are trying to be considerate of your bridesmaids and all...... i don't know how many dresses bridesmaids around the world are sitting around waiting to be shortened, but i'm pretty sure it's a lot. it's an evening winter wedding - if you want a long dress that's perfectly appropriate and shouldn't use the "don't worry, you can shorten it!" bit to justify your choice

also...no matter how much we here might like or dislike the dress it's not going to make one lick of difference if your bridesmaids look ick in them! i would take them to a store that has the designer, slip it into the rack for them to try on, and go from there. i can't see the dress right now, and i obviously can't see your bridesmaids(!) to tell if they have bodies that would work in them....but if you looked okay and are still worried that they won't be forgiving, then they probably aren't.

post a new link when you get a chance! (when you post, find the little chain link symbol up by the font adjusters, etc and click that then paste the url in that and it will post a direct link)

 

[aprilcait]

That''s a cute dress... nice forgiving shape! Now, I''m 5''4" so I would end up looking like an umpah lupa in that dress because of the length. If your BMs are taller than shrimpy me, you should be good.

Do any of your BMs have arm insecurities or larger busts? Those are some things to take into account. Have you run the dress by any of the girls to get their input? IMO, trying to pick a BM dress based on re-wearability is nice but not exactly practical, as very few BMs re-wear their dresses.

 

[ljsmith001]

Are you serious? How do you post a proper link here? Well the style number is 750, if anyone would like a look! Thanks everyone!

 

[brooklyngirl]

I think most bridesmaids dresses are not re-wearable as they tend to be satin or taffeta, and always long and formal. However, if you''re really concerned about your bridesmaids rewearing dresses, I would go with something shorter such as this: http://www.billlevkoff.com/collections/index.asp?dress=1030. It can easily be worn to a cocktail party IMO, especially if it''s in black.

 

[Rhea]

No, I wouldn''t wear it again. I have yet to see a bridesmaid dress that I''d ever wear again. Of the ones that I''ve seen the JCrew ones come the closest. I think to give the dress the most chance of being worn again it''d need to be shorter, and in a lighter feeling fabric - like the very popular J Crew dresses.

Even then, I had a black, tea length dress I wore to a wedding that I never wore again. I took it to a clothes swap party and swapped it for another black dress. I just couldn''t see wearing it again even though it was nice enough.

 

[Erin]

What about one of those shops where they give you a catalogue where all of ''THESE'' dresses can be made with ''THESE'' fabrics?

That way everyone is in turquoise, or whatever color, and they all have a cut that fits them?

 

[rubybeth]

I think that dress is quite a lovely bridesmaid dress, but it *is* still a bm dress, and I had to chuckle at the phrase "shorten it and wear it again!" (watch "27 dresses," you'll get it

). Really pretty dress, though!

A website I found a while ago (http://www.lynnlugobridal.com/) does the thing where you can choose whatever shape/fabric you want in just about any color. Now THOSE are dresses *I* would wear again, if the color was good on me (black is an excellent choice for almost anyone). What about just having the ladies wear a black dress of their choice? I love the mix 'n' match look (it's fun in pictures years later, too). Just a thought!

ETA: Addy is right! The J.Crew dresses are really fun and wearable for later cocktail/wedding events.

Though I'm biased toward J.Crew because my wedding dress is from there.

 

[blondie23]

Honestly, there have only been two BM dresses that I have worn again and both have been from J. Crew and not a traditional bridal salon, etc. It''s easy for someone to say, "you can shorten it and wear it again" but really how many people ACTUALLY do this???? It''s $$$ and it takes time so most people don''t go this route and the dress ends up hanging in the closet. That is why I LOVE my J. Crew BM dresses. They didn''t need to be altered and I''ve worn them again and again because it doesn''t look like a BM dress...just my $.02.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

It isn''t rewearable to be perfectly honest. A dress with that cut is going to sit very wrong if it is shortened and it won''t look right.
You girls also need to be built like that model to make it work. Large busts, short women and anyone with curves, even if they are skinny, aren''t going to look right in that dress. It really is only built for that tall, statuesque body all dresses are shown on.

Here are my suggestions:
If any of them are at all busty, something with straps so they can wear a proper bra, plus, I know women of all bust sizes who HATE wearing strapless, so keep that in mind.
For all shapes, having the waist sit at the natural waist with some kind of demarkation for it makes a waist look tiny and it looks good on skinny, curvy, larger, short and tall women
No heavy, shiny fabric. Satin and Taffeta are going to show every bump and by their nature make things look bigger, so they are only good for thin, athletic women.


Here are some black, full length dresses that might be rewearable, but are much more flattering to almost all body types:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2973393/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014150?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014150&P=2 Still has an empire waist feel
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2969299/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014150?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014150&P=2 I would rewear this

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2943595/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014150?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014150&P=4 This is about the most universally flattering shape there is. V neck, cinched at the waist, matte fabric with a good drape with a flowing skirt

 

[swingirl]

The dress you picked out is very pretty. But since a bridesmaid dress is never anyone''s first choice it seems that when you have a special event where a cocktail dress is required you''d probably want to get a new one that is your style.

You ought to pick one that looks good on the everyone, within reason, and assume that they won''t ever wear it again.

 

[Courtneylub]

I agree. The dress is very pretty, but not a "wear again" dress.

I''ve never worn a BM''s dress again.

 

[FrekeChild]

My friend is getting married next year and having us wear black dresses (in June) for an outside wedding. I am absolutely thrilled because she doesn''t care what dress we wear, just so long as it''s black. I''ve asked for a specific length, and a specific fabric, and she''s said, "Uh uh. You go pick it. You have fabulous taste. So go pick whatever you feel beautiful in. Just make it black."

I love her.

 

[winston26]

I have numerous BM dresses. (I can relate to 27 Dresses.) I have actually worn one of them again. It has a chiffon overlay, is black, tea length, and a straight skirt....got it from Boston Store. I was trying to get something similar for my girls but I couldn''t find anything in the dept. stores and scary to say the actual BM dresses are often cheaper!
Anything in shiny satin and/or with an A-line skirt is never worn again because it screams bridesmaid the most in my opinion. Although it''s not a good idea to strive for a dress they''ll wear again just because it''s almost impossible to make everyone happy, it''s nice of you to consider it. Someone just told me today that they overheard 2 bridesmaids saying they''d wear the dress I chose again....it IS nice to hear! Whether they will or not in the end is a different story, but glad they didn''t hate it and throw it in the trash when they left the hotel!