The big fear when it comes to summer wedding parties at our age is looking overdressed. I’m at the stage – aren’t we all? – where a lot of friends’ children are getting married. If I had a pound for every time a mother of the bride has wailed, ‘What do I wear? I don’t want to look like the mother of the bride!’ I would have enough to buy several toasters.
They don’t want to look frumpy, stiff and old, is what they mean. Equally, they’re centre stage so can’t get away with sprucing up an old floral dress. We know the feeling.
I’m fairly proscriptive these days when it comes to weddings and big summer parties: striking, simple, structured, smart – the four Ss – are my guide. Here are my tips…
1. Wearing one colour is a great way to look polished and pulled together. Pick a dress with a sharp, clean silhouette – avoid linen, black or white. At the pricier end of the scale there’s Jasper Conran’s Blythe cotton mix full-skirted, sash-belted dress (£265, jasperconran.com) which looks terrific in cobalt blue. Boden’s poppy red, voluminous, short-sleeved, fit-and-flare dress is slightly more relaxed but still a good bet and in the hot colour of the season (£166, boden.com).
Talking of red, there’s been a lot of interest in Marks and Spencer’s red bubble hemmed skirt and top cotton co-ord (£39.50 and £29.50, marksandspencer.com) because it ticks all the ‘S’ boxes and you can wear the pieces separately on another occasion.
Strong colours are generally a better bet than light, pretty colours – especially when the sun goes down – and longer lengths, from lower calf to ankle, make everything look more contemporary. The fastest route to dowdy is a knee-grazing fitted dress.
2. This is the one time you can wear florals, providing they are bold (think botanical not bouquet) and the cut is unfussy – no tent dresses or tiers allowed. What looks freshest for a wedding is a print on a white or light background. Me+Em has some of the best floral prints (from £195, meandem.com) or take a look at Mint Velvet’s red-on-taupe floral print dress or its monochrome palm print style (both £199, mintvelvet.com).
3. The smarter, classic print option is polka dots. This summer there’s plenty of choice and it doesn’t have to be navy on chalk. Wyse does a white spot on inky green silk dress, with three-quarter sleeves and a ruffle hem that would be perfect for an evening wedding (£177, wyselondon.com).
4. Your shoes can clash. Red works as a random hit of colour, and silver and gold go with everything, as do black and neutral. M&S’s silver flat woven pumps are a good place to start (£45). I like the woven low kitten-heeled slingbacks (£49.50) in black or white.
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5. A hat is a good idea even if you end up carrying it. I’m going back to them after a long hiatus for extra voom and because it’s easier than a hair accessory. Keep it simple and big (a wide brim but not a saucer). Jasper Conran’s Faith and Filippa hats have 16cm downward-sloping, glamourising brims and suit all heights and ages (both £65). They come in several colours but black is the no-brainer. Don’t match your hat to your outfit and don’t go for plain straw.
6. Think hat, shoes, bling – i.e. strong statement jewellery. Look at Mint Velvet’s selection, in particular their gold tone floral earrings (£35, mintvelvet.com) or & Other Stories for minimal bold gold cuff bracelets (£37, stories.com), brass hammered earrings (£23) or a chunky, sculpted link necklace (£27). It has a good choice of silver too.
7. Get an umbrella rather than cover your dress with a jacket, and pray for good weather, is my advice. But a tailored, single breasted, bottom-covering blazer in black or off white (£69, marksandspencer.com) will work over most outfits.
8. Don’t wear a little skirt suit. Do wear a trouser suit if you’re a ‘can’t do dresses’ woman. Make sure it’s sharply tailored, elegant and flowing, and wear with a delicate blouse or waistcoat with nothing underneath (arms permitting). Mint Velvet does good pale pinstripes and a long-line waistcoat with matching wide-leg high-waisted trousers (both £140) in red which would look stunning with gold jewellery and a black hat. Just don’t upstage the bride.
