When my sister got married eight years ago, she wanted me to be her maid of honor. I was a mere fifteen years old at the time and had no idea how one fulfills such an obligation. I don't recall what dress size I was, but I do remember being much bigger than her best friend and future husband's two skinny, petite little sisters. Picking out a dress for all 4 of us to wear was a nightmare. To this day, I can't get over how hideous that dress was.
It was dark, hunter green which was fashionable at the time (I guess). The top was velvet! VELVET! It was off the shoulder and came down to a V point in the front. The bottom was long and tafetta (with velvet!!). The seamstress had to order my dress according to my hip size (approximately two sizes bigger than my chest) and take everything in. She failed to hem the skirt short enough and I spent the day tripping over three inches of green tafetta. I recently found the dress balled up in my closet and promptly threw it away.
Times have changed, thankfully. Plus size girls no longer have to wear ugly, ill-fitting formal wear! Even five years ago, I found a gorgeous prom dress that only need to be altered a bit, something my mother did easily. That dress is hanging in my closet in its bag. It won't be seeing the inside of a dumpster anytime soon.
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Sydney's Closet: Formal Dresses Size 14 to 44 "We Size Up Glamour!" I wish I had a reason to buy one of these dresses! It's the perfect place to look for prom, bridesmaid, and other formal event dresses. The selection is great and the dresses are beautiful. This is my favorite formal wear site. As if I need such a thing, right?
Peggy Lutz Cyberstore: Hello, Diva! From basic to glamorous, it's all here. There's even a bridal section for all you blushing brides!
Note to self: future in marketing. Anyway!
Torrid: A good place to check out anyway, they carry prom wear during the prom season.
David's Bridal: Beautiful gowns for brides and bridesmaids. I found my dream dress at this site. Now I just need a groom.
Formal Fashion: I'm kind of iffy about this site but it's worth a look.
I'll be looking for more sites, but these are good places to start if you need a dress for a formal event. Just a little note: it's probably a good idea to order dresses too big rather than too small. You can always have a seamstress take it in and hem it if need be.
I tried on 30, yes, 30 dresses to try to find something non-frumpy for my cousin's wedding...it didn't have to be formalwear, but a mere sundress or skirt and blouse would not be up to snuff for this event. Anyway, I actually found a couple of great dresses at Marshall Fields (also known as Dayton's). They were both Evan-Picone and went up to size 22. Oh, and even though I'm short (5'2"), they fit beautifully. They were both around a hundred bucks. Before Marshall Fields I had also gone to Carson Pirie Scott, where everything was MATRONLY, Lane Bryant, where they had nothing other than peasant-look sundresses, and TJ Maxx, Nordstrom's Rack, etc., where everything was just hideous. I can see why people turn to online shopping, although personally I don't feel comfortable buying a dress if I can't try it on.
Posted by: Dresses for special events | July 27, 2003 at 09:13 PM