S/O Long Dresses - Are They Really So Rarely Used?

ExpatPumpkin

Every now and then we talk about dresses and the consensus seems to be that women don't wear long dresses very often.  I've often read the opinion that it's better to have short BM's dresses, for example, because the BM's aren't likely to have the opportunity to reuse long dresses.  Really?

Is it true that you don't wear long dresses very often?  Just wondering because I have to wear them frequently, and I have more long dresses than short dresses.  Thoughts?

betrothed123

If I'm going to wear a dress it's always going to be a long one.  I don't feel comfortable in shorter dresses.

salt78

I prefer long dresses. I hate my legs.

anna.oskar

I never really thought about it.

I don't have any long dresses but that's just because I'm so short that most make me look funny,  Shorter skirts elongate the look of my legs. Of course, for formal I always go with a floor-length gown.

But i would wear long dresses more often if i thought I could pull them off. 

adamnkel

I prefer short dresses. Long dresses look funny on my.

MandahGirly

It depends on what kind of long dress - Most BM dresses that are long are super formal and would be hard to wear on a daily basis. I like both short/long dresses, expecially long summer dresses.

lpstl

I have several long maxi dresses that I wear more often than my short summer dresses.

My BMs actually chose a long dress; they didn't want to worry about shoes and were more confortable in the longer length. Honestly, unless you let your BM go pick out whatever LBD they want, the odds are really slim that they'll ever wear the dress again no matter what the length is.

opalsky007

I have maybe one opportunity to wear a long dress per year--unless it's black and then I can wear it to orchestra concerts.

Kati0105

My BM dresses are full-length.  I figure if they really want to wear them again they can always shorten them, but I don't honestly expect anyone to wear them again (which is why I made sure they weren't too pricey).  I was a BM/MOH twice this year - one dress was short, and one was long, and I probably won't ever re-wear either.

danieliza1127

I rarely wear dresses at all and when I do, they are short dresses.

As far as BM dresses though, I've been a BM 5 times and all but one were long dresses.  The dresses at my wedding were long dresses too.

I think any bride who thinks her BMs might wear the dress again are just kidding themselves.  Unless it's off the rack at a store or one of the Ann Taylor dresses, it just ain't gonna happen.

noelle24

I can count on one hand the number of times I've worn a long dress since graduating from high school.

I much, MUCH prefer short dresses.  Also, I feel like short or tea-length dresses can easily be re-worn when going out for a semi-nice to nice dinner.  Floor-length dress? Not so much.

arbolita

I do not wear them often - H and I do not go to very many formal events; even the weddings that we go to for the most part, I rarely see women in floor length gowns.  I don't think I've worn one since my last sorority formal.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I don't feel weird wearing a long dress. I'd just feel out of place wearing a floor-length gown at most events. Short BM dresses might be able to double as a cocktail dress.

Basically, both are fine. I just take my cue from what others are likely wearing. I haven't needed to wear a long formal dress in about 4 years.

tenofcups4me

I don't get much occasion to wear formal floor-length dresses now. But I've gone through stages where I was able to wear them more often. Most of my friends are already married now, but when I was in the height of attending weddings, there were occasions to wear them. And I used to travel a lot for business and be invited to the ocassional formal event.  

I currently have two gowns in my closet that I'd love to be able to wear again, but I'm not sure that I'll have the chance. (1 was a bridesmaid dress that I chose myself and love; the other is the dress I wore to my own second wedding -- the palest pink chiffon, very flowy, gorgeous...and I would love an opportunity to wear it somewhere.)

pumpkinpumpkin

I don't think I've ever worn a long dress for anything.

LauraT25

I haven't needed a floor-length dress since formals in college; I feel like short (knee-length or slightly above) dresses can be easily dressed up or down in many cases so they're great for different events, like weddings, a nice dinner, or even just going out.  I can't even think of where I would reasonably where a floor-length gown.

buttaflai

WR, I don't think bms re-wear dresses anyway.

NWR, I tend to wear shorter dresses because I am 5'3" and I look lost in long ones.

BecW2be

I wear both long and short dresses, but I rarely need a long, formal gown most often used for a bridesmaid dress. I think my groomsmaid wore a long dress, but she had worn it before, I think.

I'd probably cut a long BM dress off to wear more often, but honestly most every BM dress I've ever bought I've never worn again because they were NMS, long or short.

cupcake_rampage

I also don't wear long dresses.  I have literally never been to an occasion formal enough to warrant one, and generally the long casual dresses I've seen, I don't like for one reason or another.  I'd like to, though, as they look very comfortable, and am trying to expand my wardrobe...

fangsiting

The last time I wore a long dress was 2003 to a law school ball.  I did buy a maxi dress for the honeymoon and my wedding dress is long, but if I have any wedding dress regret, it's that my dress isn't short.  I have skinny calves, I'm short, & I love shoes, so I stick to short dresses. 

eastunder1

I hate long dresses.  Baring a knock-your-socks-off Oscar-worthy evening gown (and how often do most of us wear those?) I think women look better in short dresses.  Plus sized, hate your claves, whatever.  Shorter looks better in my opinion.  I feel like all long dresses do is hide a person, to wear the dress is wearing them, not the other way around.   Again, stunning Oscar De La Renta long dress - awesome.  Most off the rack long BM dresses and every day long dresses - Fug.

I have to wear a long BM dress for a wedding next year.  Barf.  I'm praying she has a change of mind and goes short. 

goheels05

[QUOTE]The last time I wore a long dress was 2003 to a law school ball.  I did buy a maxi dress for the honeymoon and my wedding dress is long, but if I have any wedding dress regret, it's that my dress isn't short.  I have skinny calves, I'm short, & I love shoes, so I stick to short dresses. 
Posted by fangsiting[/QUOTE]

Ditto.  Other than maxi dresses which are casual, I haven't worn a long dress since I went to my ex boyfriend's fraternity formal in 2005.  Personally I just don't have anywhere to wear them.  I've been to one wedding in the last 5 years where a long dress might have been appropriate for me to wear as a guest.

saschaduran

I never have occasions to wear a long formal dress.  I prefer cocktail length or mini.  Since I usually have my shoes as the focus of my outfit, I like to show off the shoes and my legs...where I never gain weight.

I like maxi dresses for summer though.  I have a few beautiful formal long dresses I have bought because they were so pretty and they still have tags on them.  No where to wear them.  Even to an expensive dinner, I would feel overdressed.

Jazzy_belle

The only time I wear long dresses are in the summertime-Maxi  dresses. Other than that I wear short ones.

janedoe1113a

I rarely ever wear long dresses because they make me look shorter than I already am.  I do plan on wearing a long dress on our cruise one night.

thesuninherhead

I never wear long dresses, unless they're the really basic maxi-dress style (not formal).

Koopa17

The last wedding I went to had the BMs wearing long black dresses with pickups.  And under them they wore black tennis shoes (like skechers with the elastic, not lace).  The bride did the same, with white shoes.  It looked like shiit in my opinion.  I hate long dresses anyway, but to ruin a formal dress with those shoes was just dumb.

salt78

Pickups are NMS, but I think they look pretty sometimes on wedding dresses. I cannot stand bm dresses with pickups. In the bp photos all I can focus on is the millions of pickups.

Koopa17

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_long-dresses-really-rarely-used?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:3e4a8347-6bf5-4225-a1c1-8a62a24678f2Post:4bf4ce75-8790-444e-b160-37c2b2956a68">Re: S/O Long Dresses - Are They Really So Rarely Used?</a>:
[QUOTE]Pickups are NMS, but I think they look pretty sometimes on wedding dresses. I cannot stand bm dresses with pickups. In the bp photos all I can focus on is the millions of pickups.
Posted by salt78[/QUOTE]

I agree, I like some wedding dresses with pickups, but it just seems like too much on a BM dress.

salt78

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_long-dresses-really-rarely-used?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:3e4a8347-6bf5-4225-a1c1-8a62a24678f2Post:d96cd462-4220-43b3-8922-54b8c8805687">Re: S/O Long Dresses - Are They Really So Rarely Used?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: S/O Long Dresses - Are They Really So Rarely Used? : Oh my gosh, I'm going to be a BM next year and the bride showed us the BM dress she likes and it has pick-ups likes there's no tomorrow. I thought she was joking. Good thing she let us veto it. I will never ever touch pickup dresses with a ten-foot pole, let alone wear one.
Posted by Champagne Supernova[/QUOTE]

Hahaha that sounds godawful. Thank goodness you talked some sense into her!

ootmother2

I've never seen a BM dress, long or short, that could be reworn.

M chose her BM attire to be a cream silk strapless top and a long pastel plaid skirt. (PIB)

The tops were worn a dozen times, who doesn't need a nice top for the evening?

The skirts, not so much.  Two of the BMs made them into sundresses and two had them shortened.  Two, I don't know.

I wear a long  dress maybe 6  - 7 times a year.  M, probably 3 or 4?