MA Beauty Expert: Shop for Your Perfect Special Occasion Dress

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Donna Macdonald, GoLocalWorcester Beauty Expert

If it’s spring, it must be dress season. Graduations and weddings are just two of the occasions where a modern, pretty dress makes the day. If you are mother-of-the-bride this year as I am, or attending three graduation parties in as many weeks (hand raised here, too), a lovely new dress will see you through. And fortunately, designers have finally realized that the ease of a spring dress trumps staid separates for special warm weather events and parties at any age.

You may be overwhelmed by the plethora of styles and colors. Even prints offer a challenge because the last thing you want to look like at your best friend’s rehearsal dinner is your great aunt’s upholstered parlor couch. Here’s a quick guideline for choosing a beautiful dress that makes you look and feel beautiful:

Modern classics

We all know the LBD (little black dress) is always tasteful but what about navy? It shows that you’ve ticked off all the boxes in the elegance department but you’ve re-thought it all and then added a splash of rebellion. Navy accessorizes well with pops of color like unexpected butter yellow stilettos. It tricks the eye into thinking LBD but looks more hip. Think of navy as spring’s new black.

Florals

You can’t miss the garden party dresses – they’re in every shop and department store. And why not? Flowers and spring go hand in hand. Just be careful to keep the print simple and smallish. Floral dresses can look sensuous if the fabric is luxurious and the cut is crisp. Think surplice bodices that drape the décolleté and silky fabrics that hug the hips just-so. Then the flowers thriving on your dress will be feminine and sexy.

Eastern promise

An Oriental influence adds spice to the sparkle and many of the most gorgeous spring dresses are exquisitely distinct with Asian flair. Don’t shy away from a notched collar without trying the dress on. You may find it clings in all the right places. Lightweight silky brocades in bright colors are sophisticated and enchanting.

Sheaths

You’ll look like a tall cool glass of water in a simple column sheath in an inviting color. Sheaths are the easiest to dress up with statement necklaces or chunky pearls. Choose one in a Crayola color for bold chicness. If bare arms are your Waterloo, toss a tone-on-tone cardigan across your shoulders for Jackie O style that never dates. Dark glasses at the ready.

Princess

You may not be the bride but you can look like a princess. Choose a baby pastel dress in pink or blue and really amp it up with un-dowdy crystal accessories. We’re not talking evening bling but pretty soft-focus baubles that match a just-dusted-with-color dress. Some of these frocks have nipped in waists and flippy skirts that look great with nude pumps. Even women of a certain age can wear delicate hues if the hemline is not too short and the accessories are polished.

Lace

Lovely lace flirts yet reveals little. For figure challenges a slim-fitting camisole dress with lace overlay will offer the perfect amount of protection without the granny factor. Look for unusual colors such as shimmering orchid or taupe. These dresses are flattering because the lace hides flaws with its enigmatic designs. Lace doesn’t need too much in the way of accessories – just a killer pair of heels.

Expect to try on a lot of dress styles before finding the perfect one. Do remember that often a dress will look like a rag on the hanger but come alive on the body. A great place to begin your search is Party Dress Express in Fall River - a terrific warehouse-sized dress shop. You may have to sift between all the bridal and prom dresses first, but my perfect mother-of-the-bride dress was hanging there as if waiting just for me. 657 Quarry St., Fall River, Ma.

Donna Macdonald is a freelance writer who enjoys covering topics of interest to women, especially fragrance, style, beauty. She has also written marketing material for a women's book that hit the New York Times Bestseller list and netted her an up close and personal discussion on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Donna currently writes her own personal blog, alovelyinconsequence.blogspot.com where she also writes about issues close to a woman's heart. Donna believes that when a woman finds beauty in the world, she will find beauty in herself.

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