I am normally a stickler for tailored clothing. I want my clothes look like they fit my body, at the very least at my waist if no where else. I don’t want to look like my body is hiding in bolts of oddly draped fabric creating new or bigger curves and bumps.
So then why did I fall for this vintage Joseph Ribkoff dress?
It’s black.
(boring!)
It has lots of extra draped fabric.
(adding an extra three-banana-split-daily-habit-washed-down-with-chocolate-cake-and-cookies in visual weight)
Why would anyone other than a person with a model’s physique (aka Melanie) try to wear such a piece?
Two reasons…it’s comfortable and it’s stylish.
Comfort And Style Can Coexist
I wore this outfit out last week but changed up the boots to red and felt rather chic despite the fact that this would not be described as figure flattering.
What’s working?
The matte black fools the eyes, diguising what is convex or concave.
The cut of the dress and the tone on tone textures create visual interest.
The dress is rather heavy so the volume created on the lower half hangs down rather than out.
The fabric is quite bouncy and actually jumps as I move.
The dress doesn’t do my body any favours then again it doesn’t do it a disservice either.
This may be more of “women dressing for women”.
Style is fluid it changes with our bodies and minds.
The willingness to try out new things and challenge my preconceived ideas keeps my style choices flowing and growing.
Well, that and thrifting which is the single most creative compelling force in my wardrobe and Etsy shop.
Oh the treasures one finds!
I’ve had a bit of a run lately with black dresses in my Etsy store which is odd since in the past I used to skip right over the black sections. Now I take the time to go through them and have been pleasantly surprised by the number of pieces that came home with me.
A black dress acts like a blank canvas.
I can show off some the jewellery I’ve made by hand or funky patterned boots.
Added bonus, this dress is streamlining my workload.
When in the fitting rooms I just pull it off over my head, no zippers or buttons slowing down my shopping progress. I can change faster than a speeding bullet in this thing!
When I thrift I am focused and determined. I cover lots of stores so anything that can speed up the process is welcome.
The willingness to experiment with our own personal clothing choices is an opportunity to discover new pieces of ourselves, to see ourselves with fresh eyes.
The creative possibilities are endless as long as our minds remain open.
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my fifty one years on this earth it is,
“Never say never”.
Are you a woman that dresses for other women?
Or you do dress for yourself?
I totally love this dress! I love the different shapes and the way it drapes! To me I dress for myself and that’s what counts! It’t the most fun when we try new things in fashion! I do like your point about easy to change in and out of it in the change room. That is really important!
Rebecca
http://www.winnipegstyle.ca/blog
It is obvious that you truly dress for yourself Rebecca. Each of your outfits are so well curated. Truly you create art with your ensembles.
I add lumps and bumps all over the place…my poor husband. But he likes the burthday suit best!
You look totally gorgeous and I can’t quite see the extra rolls you mention. It really looks quite a flattering dress in my opinion.
All creative people throw out the rule book occasionally, it keeps us fresh. Maybe that is the essential defining difference?
Enjoy your quick change / comfort dress!
xo Jazzy Jack
Ha ha! Well if your birthday suit is still the best all is okey dokie ; P
I agree that forgetting about the rules and following ones heart is the key when it comes to creating and dressing.
WOW…I totally love this dress! It’s just very cool…and honestly, not every outfit needs to define one’s body. Sometimes a dress should be more about a woman’s personality and sense of fun and playfulness.
Great accessories too.
I am slowly coming around to that idea Sue ; )
Funny enough I was thinking of Shelley when I bought this dress. The kind of shapes she likes. Then in the end I liked it so much I decided to keep it.
Now that’s the first dress you’ve worn that’s totally me! (Not Mel. Nope.) Love it!
Ha! Yes, you and I have very different styles Louisa.
It is good to still be able to appreciate the differences. I think that is how I was even able to give this dress a try, it reminded me so much of what Shelley wears, a totally different style than my own but one that I can appreciate too.
Mel loves oversized pieces too. She would have hiked it up in weird places or something unusual and creative.
I like this style. Yes, it differs from your usual but that’s okay. It works.
I wonder who I dress for? 🙂
If you dressed only for yourself it would be a whole different world wouldn’t it? Hopefully some day you’ll make that a reality.
🙂 Dear Suzanne,
I LOVE the dress – on you, too! It looks fantastic and suits you very well.
I like dresses a lot and I think if you’ve found your style it’s the perfect outfit and easily dressed up or down.
Personally I don’t like wearing anything that’s too figure hugging (too much ice cream, too many cookies and sweets in general). But maybe that will change if I loose a couple of pounds 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend and greetings from Vienna.
Claudia xo 🙂
I can see some of my style slowly shifting to figure skimming rather than figure hugging lately. Since I passed 50 things aren’t as taught as I’m used. to.
Have a great weekend too!
As you know I love Ribkoff dresses and like you i normally wear tailored clothes. Normally I would avoid a dress like this because it would make me look much larger. But the cleverness of the tailoring means that it looks great on you even though it doesn’t define the waist — it’s not swamping you or bulky. You still look slim. A dress like this is hard to find!
I’ve been finding great Ribkoff dresses left and right lately. I have at least three more to list.
I agree that the way this was constructed is genius. I honestly thought it would look awful on me until I tried it on.
That’s spooky, I’ve been mentally composing a blog post about not dressing for our shape in my head for the last couple of days after a charity shop manager kindly saved me a dress that fitted me in all the right places but I felt robbed me of my personality.
As long as I’m happy with the body under my clothes I’m not bothered about other people seeing it and admiring my shape. I dress for me. While it’s nice to be complimented it’s not the be all and end all, being happy in my own skin is.
That dress looks good on you, you look confident and fabulous and yes, nothing wrong with trying something new. xxx
I really think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you already love the body you’re in.
So interesting how a piece can make us feel like it has robbed us of our personality. The power of clothing!
I can’t believe that anything could rob you of your personality Vix – you shine through, even in this sometimes flat blogging format.
But I get it – sometimes a piece of clothing just doesn’t work. It could look great on the hanger but when tried on, it is a disaster.
Yes I am. I was going to say: “ No I dress to please myself”, but that is only partly true. I dress for other women too. Hardly ever for men. And I have discovered the perks of black a ling time ago. Indeed a black canvas.
Greetje
I used to think black was too harsh next to my face. I’m starting to move past that now.
what a lovely dress, I like its interesting shape and drapey texture, and it looks fabulously comfy and cool! You look gorgeous, modern, elegant!, ready to go shopping!
And I agree on trying new and unexpected things, that’s one of the joys of thrifting!. I think that wearing whatever it pleases you at the moment is the best advice!
besos
Tis true that wearing whatever pleases your heart is the best.
Such a lovely look! It really suits you!
http://chicglamstyle.com
Thanks for popping by Rachel : )
We’re so alike in our tastes and habits. I tend to skip the rows of black dresses too, but you’re right: there are some treasures to be found among them. And I also tend to wear easy to remove dresses when I’m out thrifting. Atypical it might be, but that dress is looking great for you. Well done on spotting its potential. xxx
I think we may be sisters from another Mister! ; P
Oh sheesh Melanie could wear a paper bag and it would look stylish.
I think your addition of the floral booties make the outfit work.
I needed *some* colour. Yes…maybe that it why she called it Bag and a Beret? Ha ha!
The dress is wonderful on you! I love draped fabrics and I love to be comfortable. You’re right in that a black garment can be a blank canvas that can be dressed up or down with accessories etc. I loved the beads with the dress and the floral boots; it adds further interest for the eye.
I dress for myself.
Hope you have a good weekend.
The older I get the more I’m demanding comfort from my clothing.
Hope you have a great trip!
I love the cut of this dress! Looking so good on you!
Suzanne, I haven’t commented before but felt compelled to comment as I think you look wonderful in that dress. I have always dressed for myself – If other people like it, that’s great but I’m well used to people not getting my outfits, including my husband! I must say I love just about all of your outfits – so much happiness, beauty and fun shine through your photos.
Best wishes, Alli, Australia
How fun to have a first time commenter! Welcome Alli!
That is funny that your husband doesn’t “get” your outfits. I applaud you for continuing on your own path. We all need to be happy with our own reflection in the mirror.
Yes, I am a woman who dresses for other women. And as for this black number, you can, and did, and rocked it!
I love this drapey dress: it is uber cool, and love the necklace amd stunning booties.
And getting dressed in a snap is a bonus. 😊
Happy weekend!
❤️🌸❤️ Elle
https://theellediaries.com/blog/
When do you think the switch occurred for you Elle? To choose to dress for other women? I’d be interested to know. I think most of us start out dressing for men.
Ooooo, I really love this on you Suzannne. The shape is sleek where it needs to be and flatters the figure beautifully. Thrift shopping can be such a joyful past-time when you find things like this! I take it that this is one that won’t be heading off to your shop? Dang, don’t even bother to answer that – how stoopid of me! That observation about things not being as taught as they used to be, well honey, that just goes on and on. My battle wages on as I try to shape it all up, but to no avail. Even my shapewear can’t contain my gooshiness.
Anna x
PS I wish you’d shown the red boots version too!
Yeah…no…this won’t be coming to the shop anytime soon : )
You are of course right, the saving grace on this dress is the fact that the upper portion is relatively fitted.
I wore this again recently and styled it differently with the red boots, different red boots than the first time around. It’ll be on the blog some time in the near future.
You rock that silhouette, very funky! I would have shied away from things like this in the past but anything goes these days. I have a tent dress that hasn’t had an outing yet, I’ll have to find it. X
Oh my! A tent dress! I must see this on you : P
Well there are rules and then there are rules. And I think I remember that your rule is try it—it’s fun!!
As much as I think we should try to find flattering pieces, it’s also a kick to wear things we normally wouldn’t!! And unique items too!! Which this dress definitely falls into that category!!!
Love the dress, love the boots, and love you, Suzanne!!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Yes! that is my number 1 rule : ) You’re a good student Jodie!
You hit on such an excellent point about fabric color, texture, and weight being essential to making a less fitted dress still flattering to a woman’s body. You and Joseph Ribkoff know your stuff !! 🙂
This dress is great on you Suzanne. You’ve accessorized it in such a modern and lively way that the usually serious and somber black is smiling ear to ear. This look is all at once classy, comfy and couture.
One of my favorite posts and I can’t wait to see it with your red boots!
The red boot post should be coming up soon. I wore it with a bomber jacket too for something different.
That is a very “Shelley” dress! I do have to disagree with you about the shape not flattering your figure – the torso of the dress fits your body and it does show off your waist, it’s just not the tailored shape with a defined waistline that you are used to. It looks great on you, but of course, if you ever get tired of it, you know where I am 😉
I would have to say I dress for myself first. Some days I feel like I need to be cozy and will wear things that are not so flattering, other days I want to feel confident and powerful, and then I’ll wear black with an edgy design. I do find that other women react very positively to my outfits, which makes me feel good.
Ha ha! Yes…I know where you are.
It is because of your influence that I chose to keep this dress. We have no idea just how much those we surround ourselves with influence our style.
I love that dress. I way don’t have Melanie’s height and model stature but I like to dress like her, so it seems odd too that I’m gravitating to a little (or big) black dress more and more. You can accessorize them with a lot of fun stuff. BUT THE REAL REASON for this comment: is that a slipcover on your chair and if so where can I get one like it?
Thanks for popping by Jean! The chair is an authentic 1960s-70s piece I picked up from an estate sale.