Special Occasion Dressing…Solved!

Nanette Lepore Asteroid Dress
Nanette Lepore “Asteroid” Dress

While I have most day-to-day situations covered with my current wardrobe, nothing throws me into air-gulping, white-knuckled panic like the idea of Dressing Up. I can cobble something together that’s passable, usually black knit pants and a sweater, but there are times that call for taking it up a notch. A niece’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah. A special date night with one’s Significant Other. Holiday Parties. I never feel prepared.

Le monsieur had made us dinner reservations for Saturday night at a Very Nice Joint™, and that morning I woke up on a mission to find a dress to wear. So we hit the mall near our hotel in search of something simple but not just another boring black dress. I thought the knits in DKNY might yield something workable, but all of the styles I tried seemed to be designed for someone much taller. It wasn’t just about the hem length; I felt the draping and detailing were a bit overwhelming on me.

The second store we tried was Nanette Lepore Though I’d often noticed NL on the racks in various department stores and thought some pieces exuded a certain charm, I never thought this brand would work with my curves. I’m happy to say that at least with some styles, I was wrong. The store Manager and Sales Associates were more than happy to keep bringing in different dresses for me to try. On about dress #6, we hit the jackpot.

Dressed for dinner
Same dress as above, except in violet instead of black.

This was a quick snap on our way out the door to dinner; I promise I’ll get a better photo of this dress to show you. It’s a ponte knit, so packable (!) and super comfortable. That patch right above the cutout is leather, which adds a nice little edge. Most of the Nanette Lepore dresses I tried hit me right at or just above the knee, so curvy petites take note!  I hadn’t anticipated enough to bring the right shoes but made do with my ancient Stuart Weitzman just-above-the-ankle boots. I’ll be able to wear this dress under a jacket for the Bat Mitzvah, and if I need to Party It Up, can just add some heels and bling.

What I noticed about all of the dresses (and a couple of jackets) I tried was how beautifully tailored they are. A lot of the dresses have princess seaming or ruching and all of the dresses I looked at were lined! No shapewear necessary. And even though they appear super short on the models, they hit me (and the average-height women working in the boutique) just at or above the knee.

Two other favorites among the dresses I tried were this black and white snake print dress (now on sale)…

Nanette Lepore snake print dress

and this blue print cotton and silk number. All were very flattering and again, beautifully tailored. I could picture wearing both to the office with tights, boots and a short jacket, as well as for special occasions.

Nanette Lepore blue print dress

What I really appreciated about so many of the Nanette Lepore dresses and other pieces I tried on is that they are simple enough to be styled for a variety of situations and levels of formality, while having distinctive details that take them up a notch from boring basics.

Added bonus: most Nanette Lepore clothes and shoes are made in the USA.

How do you handle “special occasion” dressing? Do you have a formula, or some go-to pieces in your wardrobe?

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39 Comments

  1. It’s a beautiful dress, but my first thought was ‘way to short’ for me ( I am 5’8). The way I handle ‘special occasion’ is hoping that I have plenty of time to shop. Due to work, I am covered nicely for anything daytime (including baptisms or funerals), anything else would have to be purchased.

  2. This is a beautiful dress on you…great design, flattering fit, good color…Score! I am like you…I almost HATE to receive a wedding invite…i go into a panic of what to wear…especially evening weddings!! I love NL designs and you found a perfect one for you…

  3. Too short in overall length and too short-waisted. These women look like they are wearing their little sister’s dresses. I hate this trend “little girl’s dress” trend. Bring back the natural waist.

    1. Louise, while they may look that way on the 5’11” models, on me they do hit at the natural waist which is a nice change! 🙂

  4. I like to start a season with a dress-up outfit in my closet. It’s a rare season where I don’t go somewhere that requires a nicer look. Assuming it will happen let’s me peruse sale racks and avoid panic purchases. It is the time of year when most of us should know what we’ll wear to the holiday party.

    I’ll add Lepore to my browse list!

  5. The dress is great on you. They’re too short on me, but they do have nice designs. I have a few “good” dresses for special occasions like weddings and I just wear them over and over, which is actually sort of seldom as you know LA….

  6. That dress is perfect on you! As for special occasions, I have a few dresses I’m happy enough to recycle, not worrying too much if they’ve been seen before (and before, and before). I do keep an eye out and would refresh that stock if I saw something I loved — I would hate to go back to the scenario of my younger days which often saw me searching desperately for something in the week or two before an event. Much happier to have something on hand that I know I feel good in and have a range of accessories for.

  7. Perfect choice! A shift dress, one of my favourite colours this season, the front draping and the little neck details… it can’t get any better! I am looking forward to a photo all dressed up 🙂

    I have a couple of LBDs for special occasions and also shift dresses which I wear to work and can easily be restyled for evening functions with heels, a beaded cardigan or some jewellery.

    Annette | Lady of Style

  8. I love that you got this dress in violet instead of black. And I love it with the ankle boots, it edges it up a bit. Special occasion dressing for me usually involves sequins or a big sparkly necklace and either navy or black. Side note: Will you be back from Vegas in time to join Adrienne and me for “How I Wear My: Jeans”? You have SO many great looks in jeans, I’m asking pretty please, can you possibly send us two pictures so we can each add one of our posts? Think about it, anyway!

  9. I love this on you! Question: does the dress require special dry cleaning because of the leather patch? That’s been a concern of mine this season with all the mixed-material garments on the racks.

  10. Great lines and detail on this dress. You look fabulous and the boots give it an edgy vibe. I like the fit too.
    I have a pewter metallic shirt, a black skirt and some LBD’s in my dressy section of my wardrobe. Nothing that says WOW like this Nanette Lepore though ….nice that your husband shops with you too.

  11. You look great! I, too, panic at the thought of having to get dressed up and it’s so nice to have something at the ready in my closet.

  12. Wow, this is one gorgeous dress on you! So lucky to find it.

    Nanette Lepore is definitely cut for petites (unless one wants a very short skirt) so is completely unsuitable for me, which is too bad, because she designs knockout dresses for the price point.

  13. Sue, I love this dress on you, and the boots are a great edgy touch. will look forward to seeing more pictures. How nice that it is offered in violet, its nice to have a classy color for dress up looks and not all black. Thanks for this tip for petites!

  14. All three dresses are lovely, and I actually prefer the one you bought on you, rather than on the model. I just have one question: what happened to sleeves? Were they declared illegal? Are they extinct like dodo birds and dinosaurs? Are they ‘fashion don’ts’ like elastic waist jeans and 80’s perms? I seem to have missed the memo. And I know that I can wear a shrug/cardigan/jacket/shawl, but that defeats the purpose of a single dress.

  15. I’m with Carol, this looks much better on you than on the model – flattering, your style of Classic Dares To Rock. I even like the ankle boots:). Unsurprisingly.

    But I am surprised at how many people are scared of dressing up. Pretty much every year, around the holidays, I buy One Good Thing. In fact it doesn’t really feel like Christmas unless I’ve got some new party something. Even when I don’t have a lot of actual parties to attend.

    Then I wear each thing for 3-4 years. At any given time that means I have 3-4 things to wear, and that works just fine. It also means I can invest in good party wear – that’s how I have wound up with the designer duds in my closet. Which, many of them, having purchased, I find myself de-fancying with accessories and wearing them around.

    You’ve given me an idea. Maybe this will become a post. Thanks!

  16. You look great in that dress. But might I ask what you did about underwear (specifically, a bra)? It looks like the strap would show, and although younger people might like that look, I wouldn’t. And when I wear a strapless bra it always feels like it’s going to fall down.

  17. True. The dress looks perfect on you. On the model, not good at all.
    I lack a LBD / or a skirt+jacket ensamble.
    I´ve been postponing getting one. My plan is to have one made for me, as I have the design ready.
    We will see…

  18. Salivating over those Nanette Lepore dresses! Thanks for opening my eyes to the brand. Your choice looks really cool on you.

    As for how I handle dress-up/formal occasions, the answer is: badly.

  19. I’m not quite sure about this trend toward heavy footwear. It reads too much like work boots to me. And let’s get over this feeling that we need something new and different because otherwise people will remember that you wore it last year. As far as I am concerned, if the don’t remember it…it didn’t look that good the first time around.

  20. I love Nanette Lepore, and have a cocktail dress in blue that’s very flattering if I do say so myself. I also have a cute pantsuit that – alas – is too small for me now, sadly. I fear that I am getting a little old for Lepore’s flirty girly style, but I still look for her things…..! You look quite nice in that dress.

  21. That dress looks terrific on you. The “go to” dress up look for me is typically black, possibly brown – pencil skirt, fitted top, great accessories, high heels.

  22. I also panic over dress up events. I don’t know where to start. After a lot of anxiety, I put together an outfit for two weddings this summer. But now I have a holiday party. I usually default to my mom’s (60’s vintage) embellished cashmere sweater and black velvet pants. I’m shoe challenged due to awful feet, so that makes the project even more daunting. I’d love to own a smashing, but classic LBD.
    Kathleen

  23. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Nanette Lapore, but good heavens, that dress looks gorgeous on you. I agree with those who say that it looks better on you than the model, and you’re right that your petite stature makes the dress look different. My concern would be my bra strap showing, but it sounds like it’s not problem for you. Anyway, love the color, the tights and the boots — much funkier and more interesting than the LBD with pumps look, at least for me.

    I love a good dress-up, but I’ve come to terms that my lifestyle doesn’t suit dresses, especially tailored ones, and nor does my body (I’m an inverted triangle, and dresses that fit my bust and shoulders are like tents from the waist down). And I live in a hipster mountain college town where getting dressed up is wearing one’s decent jeans and hiking boots out to dinner. My solution is separates and knits. I don’t feel like me in tailored clothes anyway — I crave movement and flow in my clothing. A little knit pencil skirt is my go-to for most everything in my life now, and I can get something shimmery and flowy on top, or add a colorful scarf. It works for any occasion I need — we go out to dinner for Thanksgiving at a nice local place, so that’s about the fanciest event of my year. But the knits allow me to dress up and get funky while still being able to run around and not look pretentious or fussy in my environment!

    Again, you look lovely!

  24. I have more party/wedding/dress-up outfits than I really need, but at least that means I’ve always got something to choose from. I don’t get rid of those sorts of dresses – I still wear a gorgeous aubergine silk shift that I bought over 15 years ago. But I do add to the collection when I find something special – the other day I added a new pair of beautiful wide leg pants and a vaguely Japanese style top.

  25. The dress is a great choice and looks very chic on you! I agree with Lisa. I like the boots!

    Dressing up is one of my favorite things to do; my vintage collection provides many possibilities and I never have to buy anything new.

  26. The dress suits you very well, I love the cut and the length, but cannot wear it myself as it does not compliment my body shape. I have a “go to” look for special occasions- I always have something ready in Black and would only change accessories depending if it is during the day or night. For weddings, I would wear knee length dresses if it’s during the day, and for evenings, the safest option is a dark colour with a slight heel. The flare dresses look as if they are to short, and reminds me of school dresses, just above or below the knee would have looked more balanced.
    I also tend to gravitate towards the vintage look these days.
    FF

  27. Wow, that is a great dress on you! Not only flattering but with a modern edge too.

    I recently tried on about 12 black dresses in a department store to find the right one. I’ve worn it twice already and I’m sure it’ll go to my work Christmas do. It’s a nice flattering cut for me: kneelength, gathered at the waist with heavy silver/grey/black beading around the reasonably high neckline.