Dear Knot ladies -- I am looking for a dress. I am 5'5", size 14-16 in normal clothes, with a 42DD chest. I am an adult who has a very good idea what is flattering for me and what is emphatically NOT flattering. I want the following things in a dress:
STRAPS, for the love of god. Not an illusion neckline with weird little cups that don't support anything, but STRAPS or sleeves. Not because I'm Amish, but because I need straps to put a bra inside of.
Which means I also don't want a plunging back. I also don't want a weird illusion back that is sheer to my waist either.
I don't want a strapless dress that is altered to have straps, because they always looked tacked on, and they rarely supply any support. I am not interested in wearing a corset. This is a party I plan to enjoy, and a strapless dress and a corset means I will spend the evening counting the minutes until I can take off the damned corset. Fail!
I don't want a mother of the bride dress, because although I like some of the styles, I find very few are produced in ivory, because as MOB, your supposed to wear some other color.
I also am looking for a long dress with no train, but those are impossible to find in wedding dresses too, so I'm thinking I'm going to have to just hack the thing off, which is crazy, but??? I hate the weight of a train, even if it can be bustled so that I can walk and dance like a normal human.
I love the front of this dress, but the plunging back once again is a problem for having any kind of support garment:
http://www.allurebridals.com/products/8800Please don't reply telling me how the right fit will make me think that a strapless dress is a good idea. I would have to quit my job and become a pilates instructor and have breast reduction for that to be a remotely good idea, and it ain't happening.
Also, does anyone else find it just insane that we are supposed to fork over $1500 for a dress that we don't actually get to try on, unless we are magically 5'8" and 120lbs? I don't understand how I can commit to any dress that I can't actually tell is going to fit me and be comfortable. And comfortable doesn't mean "yes, you can sorta breath in it, as long as you ignore how itchy the lining is" I mean comfortable enough to dance and hang out in all night.
Does anyone else find this entire dress shopping thing dreadful?