My outfit for an evening business function

This Fat Girl Runs

I thought you guys might like to see what I've put together for a business function I'm going to this month. I'm normally a jeans & tshirt girl with zero dresses in my wardrobe. For me, going out clothes are black jeans and a nice top. The event is an evening one with a drinks reception so I knew I had to make an effort!

As a 40 year old size 20 on bottom and 18 on top, dresses are hard to find. I never feel comfortable in them so don't wear them.

I went to visit a friend in Utrecht recently and she took me to a shop that has beautiful dresses that are made to fit pretty much every size. She convinced me to try some on and there I found this dress:

Here it is on their website. It's fabulous!



Here it is in blue so you can see the detail. No, this isn't me in the photo! It's from the shop website




Over the last week I've been putting together the accessories and came up with this to go with the dress (I bought it in black):

• The belt I bought at the shop with the dress.
• The shoes I got at M&S, spent a little more than planned but I love them! As I'm 5 foot 7 I didn't want anything high but these are perfect.
• The handbag I picked up at a charity shop. It's not exactly what I was looking for but after 11 charity shops, 2 markets and 5 other shops it was the best I could find.
• The flower on the handbag is one I already had.
• I don't plan to wear jewelry as I think the neckline is interesting enough on its own.

I plan to get more belts in different colours to complement the shoes so I can change up the outfit whenever I want. I have loads of flower pins that I can use on the handbag.

What do you guys think? Any ideas or tips to make the dress versatile so I can wear it more often?

jellybear

Gorgeous dress! Brooches and belts make a huge difference to dresses so mix and match different styles for different occasions.

Day Lewin

Its a stunner! Gorgeous dress.

And you can adapt it to any occasion by switching round the accessories. A glittery cardigan or shrug, a pashmina, higher heels, or flats, a clutch bag, a chunky necklace, bracelets or gloves - all of them will change the mood of that dress. A clear winner!