The perfect summer dresses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm 42. My perfect summer dress is:

1. A light, 100% woven cotton, and NOT a knit jersey that get too hot, but mustn't be too see-through. If gauzy, it has to have a cotton lining at certain areas. Linings are often not cotton, so that reduced options.
2. It has cap sleeves or similar to protect my shoulders from the sun.
3. It has a waist because that's my best feature.
4. It goes down below the knee because I don't like my knees but not too long because it gets in the way when I walk the dogs.
5. It's a nice color or pattern.

Which is why I don't have a lot of summer dresses!

Same. I don’t know why this is almost impossible to find.

“Impossible to find” poster here, and I found these at Talbots. They’re pretty traditional, but I bought one and they’re cool and comfy while looking put together. They have the first one in a couple of different prints. The third one doesn’t have sleeves, but it meets the other requirements.

These are dresses my grandmother would wear. Why does everyone want to look so old?

I mean, it's Talbots. It was geared at women aged 30-40 two decades ago, and now those women are in their 50s and 60s. The people who want to wear these dresses are not trying to look old, they are just older than you and have slightly different taste. It's not my thing but in DC I encounter women who dress like this a lot and you know what? They look polished and comfortable so good for them, even if it's not what I'm looking for.

Exactly. Even if they look cute on a 25-year old (who is six feet tall and weighs 90 pounds), a thin 50-60 year old woman wearing these flowing shapeless gauze spaghetti strap dresses looks like a time-traveling refugee from the hippie commune. If she is less than thin, she looks sloppy & like she’s trying to hide her weight in a muumuu (even if she has a waist). Different things for different phases of life.

PP here and while I’m glad you have found styles you like (and think the people complaining about “looking old” are internalizing misogynist expectations for women), why do you have to denigrate other people’s choices here? I’m not in my 50s or 60s, but if a woman that age wanted to wear a long dress with thin straps, more power too her. I think women should wear what makes them feel good. If for you that’s shirt dresses with belts in bold prints, great. Someone else might feel best in something gooey and unstructured. No one is wrong. People are different. I don’t see why we have to be nasty to one another about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm 42. My perfect summer dress is:

1. A light, 100% woven cotton, and NOT a knit jersey that get too hot, but mustn't be too see-through. If gauzy, it has to have a cotton lining at certain areas. Linings are often not cotton, so that reduced options.
2. It has cap sleeves or similar to protect my shoulders from the sun.
3. It has a waist because that's my best feature.
4. It goes down below the knee because I don't like my knees but not too long because it gets in the way when I walk the dogs.
5. It's a nice color or pattern.

Which is why I don't have a lot of summer dresses!

Same. I don’t know why this is almost impossible to find.

“Impossible to find” poster here, and I found these at Talbots. They’re pretty traditional, but I bought one and they’re cool and comfy while looking put together. They have the first one in a couple of different prints. The third one doesn’t have sleeves, but it meets the other requirements.

These are dresses my grandmother would wear. Why does everyone want to look so old?

I mean, it's Talbots. It was geared at women aged 30-40 two decades ago, and now those women are in their 50s and 60s. The people who want to wear these dresses are not trying to look old, they are just older than you and have slightly different taste. It's not my thing but in DC I encounter women who dress like this a lot and you know what? They look polished and comfortable so good for them, even if it's not what I'm looking for.

Exactly. Even if they look cute on a 25-year old (who is six feet tall and weighs 90 pounds), a thin 50-60 year old woman wearing these flowing shapeless gauze spaghetti strap dresses looks like a time-traveling refugee from the hippie commune. If she is less than thin, she looks sloppy & like she’s trying to hide her weight in a muumuu (even if she has a waist). Different things for different phases of life.

You know that women don't time travel from age 25 to age 55, right? And that there are different body types beyond just thin or "less than thin" (WTF does even that mean)?

How about, different things for different *people*. You took one dress out the two dozen or so posted on this thread and made sweeping generalizations about how all women should dress. Thumbs down.

[Anonymous]

It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

[Anonymous]

I’m 50, and the currently popular dress styles look god awful on me. I don’t think it’s age related, but personal preference for my body type. I am 5’8”and have narrow shoulders, muscular arms, massive boobs, long & very narrow torso, big butt, and short muscular legs. Fit & flare are the only style dress I wear, though I often try others because I love how flowy styles look on others. Generously cut styles make me feel & look like I borrowed my grandmother’s housecoat sans the knee-high hose and slippers; looked lovely and homey on her though! (She was the best grandma and a “leg model” in her day, but not my personal style icon.)

[Anonymous]

I am 55 and thank all the recent posters from preventing me from wasting my money- i was about to go out and by a bunch of these awesome dresses. NOT. i am buying them anyway.

[Anonymous]

I have two questions:

1. Where on earth are people wearing all of these LONG sleeved dresses? They are everywhere! I like them - but I'm too cold in them in the fall and know I will be too hot in them in the summer - do you just own it waiting for the perfect day?

2. Does anyone else get what I would describe as "loose back fabric" when they try on these shapeless dresses? I have a small waist and bigger hips - without a waist in the dress it looks like my back as a tent on it...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two questions:

1. Where on earth are people wearing all of these LONG sleeved dresses? They are everywhere! I like them - but I'm too cold in them in the fall and know I will be too hot in them in the summer - do you just own it waiting for the perfect day?

2. Does anyone else get what I would describe as "loose back fabric" when they try on these shapeless dresses? I have a small waist and bigger hips - without a waist in the dress it looks like my back as a tent on it...

For me a long sleeve dress in the summer is all about the fabric. A very lightweight cotton voile or thin washed linen with long sleeves can be really helpful if you are trying to stay cool and avoid the sun -- I appreciate the coverage and in all but the worst humidity, can find this more cooling even than a short sleeve or sleeveless dress because if the fabric is a light color it can keep the sun off of you.

The issue is that very few clothing items are made with 100% natural fibers these days, and if the fabric has rayon or other poly fibers in it, it's probably going to make you hotter. But stores like H&M or the Gap will call something a "linen dress" when it's actually a linen blend, and you'll wonder why this supposedly cotton dress is so hot. It's not cotton!

I don't get that back tent thing but have narrow hips. I would either try a belt (which I do often with some of these sack dresses to give them some shape when I want it) or just decide this style is not for you. Whenever current fashions are just not working for my body type or not my thing, I like to hit up thrift and consignment stores because it means it's a good time to pick up stuff from a few years ago that suit me better but are no longer considered on trend, which means I can usually get them for a bargain. I don't care about being trendy, I just want to look and feel good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

It's a cruel joke on the people who lob that as an insult because they are going to be miserable when they age, assuming we all get that lucky.

I really do think people should make a real effort to stop internalizing that old = bad and worthless and ugly. It doesn't - and the sooner you can disabuse yourself of that pointless prejudice, the sooner you can come to terms with your own aging process.

Steps off soapbox.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

It's a cruel joke on the people who lob that as an insult because they are going to be miserable when they age, assuming we all get that lucky.

I really do think people should make a real effort to stop internalizing that old = bad and worthless and ugly. It doesn't - and the sooner you can disabuse yourself of that pointless prejudice, the sooner you can come to terms with your own aging process.

Steps off soapbox.

Just because you want to dress in a certain way doesn't mean that you can't accept aging. I am 59 and I would not wear any of these dresses. I do not find they look good on me as a 5'1 118 pound women wearing tons of fabric that overwhelms me. Somehow, if you are older, everyone seems to think you should wear shapeless long dresses. It is nothing to do with aging, it just doesn;t look good on me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

It's a cruel joke on the people who lob that as an insult because they are going to be miserable when they age, assuming we all get that lucky.

I really do think people should make a real effort to stop internalizing that old = bad and worthless and ugly. It doesn't - and the sooner you can disabuse yourself of that pointless prejudice, the sooner you can come to terms with your own aging process.

Steps off soapbox.

Just because you want to dress in a certain way doesn't mean that you can't accept aging. I am 59 and I would not wear any of these dresses. I do not find they look good on me as a 5'1 118 pound women wearing tons of fabric that overwhelms me. Somehow, if you are older, everyone seems to think you should wear shapeless long dresses. It is nothing to do with aging, it just doesn;t look good on me.

Right, which has zero to do with people who use "old" or "you must be over 50" as insults. Thanks, though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

It's a cruel joke on the people who lob that as an insult because they are going to be miserable when they age, assuming we all get that lucky.

I really do think people should make a real effort to stop internalizing that old = bad and worthless and ugly. It doesn't - and the sooner you can disabuse yourself of that pointless prejudice, the sooner you can come to terms with your own aging process.

Steps off soapbox.

Just because you want to dress in a certain way doesn't mean that you can't accept aging. I am 59 and I would not wear any of these dresses. I do not find they look good on me as a 5'1 118 pound women wearing tons of fabric that overwhelms me. Somehow, if you are older, everyone seems to think you should wear shapeless long dresses. It is nothing to do with aging, it just doesn;t look good on me.

Right, which has zero to do with people who use "old" or "you must be over 50" as insults. Thanks, though!

If I'm 42, I don't want a dress that makes me look 55 or a dress that make me look 25 because, well, I'm neither; rather, I'm 42!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

+1

I don't know how you people plan to avoid reaching the age of 50 and beyond and experiencing the associated changes in your bodies. Fill me in on your secrets.

~61 year old DCUM'er

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

+1

I don't know how you people plan to avoid reaching the age of 50 and beyond and experiencing the associated changes in your bodies. Fill me in on your secrets.

~61 year old DCUM'er

I don't know - maybe diet and exercise? Not eating crappy food, smoking and drinking like crazy. it is not rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

+1

I don't know how you people plan to avoid reaching the age of 50 and beyond and experiencing the associated changes in your bodies. Fill me in on your secrets.

~61 year old DCUM'er

I don't know - maybe diet and exercise? Not eating crappy food, smoking and drinking like crazy. it is not rocket science.

How old are you, PP? If you are one of the lucky ones who can prevent your body shape from changing with just with diet and exercise, good for you. Most if us are not so lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so interesting how prejudice is almost universally frowned upon EXCEPT ageism, which is rampant in almost all the forums on this site. Accusing someone of being old (expressed as an insult) or looking old is routine. Why is this OK?

+1

I don't know how you people plan to avoid reaching the age of 50 and beyond and experiencing the associated changes in your bodies. Fill me in on your secrets.

~61 year old DCUM'er

Missing the point of critiquing a dress for making one look older than they are. No one was insulting 55 year old bodies or suggesting that 55 year olds should try to look 40.