Updated to add: Duchesse at Passage des Perles has scoured the internet for tasteful mother of the bride styles. See her picks at Rebelling against Mother of the Bride drag.
Here are your instructions:
For each dress you may offer an estimate of the age of the wearer, personality trait(s), and perhaps also how she relates to the bride (mother, grandmother, stepmother, or other). And any other comments.
Dresses from Nordstrom.com:
Do you like any of these looks for me?
Welcome back!
Thanks Wendy!
Okay, I’ll go first:
1- 58 year old mother of the bride; in control.
2- 38 year old stepmother, doesn’t realize she’s tacky.
3- 68 y o, could be mother or grandmother, comfortable
4- 48 yo professional
5- 45 and powerful
6- any age, overweight but still tasteful (maybe artistic)
7- any age, unique (but only for a formal evening wedding)
8- 46 yo, aware
9- 50, either careless or carefree
10-42, cold
This was fun, but I think if I do it again, I’ll do it on a smaller scale!
1. 60s, traditional mother of bride
2. young 20s, flirtatious friend of bride
3. 50s/60s, sweet mother
4. 40s, traditional but modern mother
5. 40s, modern, fashion-forward mother
6. 70+, traditional mother or grandmother
7. 40s, classic, very formal, but bold mother
8. 40s/50s, fashionable, modest mother
9. 30s/40s, young at heart friend of bride
10. any age who can wear it well
I’m guessing #4, 8 or 10 are your styles.
I’m looking at No 5 for you !
1. 50’s and above
could certainly be the mother but also the grandmother. Powerful, gimlet-eyed, steady.
2. if that’s the mother, couple should live far away. It may be the inebriated mother who’s the ex and her husband left her for a younger woman.
Seductive. Cougar, in common parlance.
3.Could be as young as 40’s. Sedate, traditional, cooperative.It’s not *her* day.
4. 40’s and above. On somebody with the right complexion, this could be stunning in an understated way. Otherwise, mousy and timid.
5. I love this dress but it’s so saucy she looks giftwrapped. Would be less obvious with a tailored belt.
6.I dunno, earnest and well-meaning? Looks very MOB but maybe not in the best way.
7.This dress is great. She’s old (MOB) but not dead. Romance trumps hahtness.
8.Awfully fussy, even on the hip chick.
9.This is a clever dress in that color. Might be cloying in other colors – pastels – and beauty pageant in red, fuschia, electric blue.
10. This looks like the Cosmo girl to me.
Dress color and time of the wedding limit some choices; but here’s a stab:
1. 45-65; mother, step-mother, grandmother, aunt, older friend
2. 30 yo Fox anchor, reporting on crash near wedding
3. 40-60; same as #1
4. 20-40; friend, sister, guest
5. 15-25; same as #4
6. 25 and up; anybody
7. 30-45; anybody who could wear it (color is a problem here)
8. 45.-50; mother
9. 15-25; maid of honor or guest
10 25-40; guest (hope she has a sweater)
Doesn’t it depend on the mood and formality of the wedding? None of these dresses look very good quality. For a formal evening wedding I like # 7 and for an afternoon wedding #10 but I fear it is poly-satin.
1. MOD attending evening wedding where men wear kilts
2. MOB who is third wife of FOB and has had a little work done
3. MOB age 90
4.MOB from Pipsipoo, Kansas
5. MOB from Miami
6.MOB wishing to ensure there is still employment for Hong Kong beaders
7. Elegant MOB but some will nix black for a wedding or try to read something into it
8. MOB who bought gown in a consignment store,very 90s look
9. MOD absolutely determined to buy dress she can cut short to wear again- again too dark
10, MOB with bubbly, festive streak and good figure
4) The closest to something you would wear
6) Very tasteful, beautiful on the right figure and personality
7) I don’t think the MOB should ever wear black. Never.
10) Looks like something Stacey London would wear
I like this one, although it’s hard to tell if it would be right for you because of the way the model is standing.
http://www.donnaricco.com/productdisplay.aspx?p=425
This is kind of fun! And I’ve loved reading everyone’s answers. 🙂 My turn…
1) late 40s-early 60s mother of the bride; wants to look good but knows her daughter is the star of the show
2) 20-35 second wife to the old, rich father of the bride who wants to remind everyone that she indeed is what it’s all about; potentially sister (although I would have shot my sister if she would have worn that to my wedding) or friend of the bride; dramatic, bossy
3) 75-100 grandmother, great-grandmother, older aunt, someone who wants to look respectable buts doesn’t have any desire to look of this century
4) 20s- ?? sister, friend, aunt, etc. Not so much a mother of the bride dress. Appropriate, classic
5) mid20s – 50s mother of the bride, maybe sister
6) 50s – 70s mother of the bride, grandmother; artsy
7) 20s and up – cellist, pianist, violinist, maybe mother of the bride but I would not pick black for her; elegant, understated, sophisticated
8) 30s – 50s – mother of the bride; froo-froo (is that how you spell it?), fussy, artsy
9) 20s – 50s – mother of the bride, bridesmaid, friend, sister
10) 20s on up – bridesmaid, friend, cousin, sister, anyone really; smart, cute, together
This is fun! Here are my favorites, for what it’s worth… 🙂
1, 5 and 8 have a certain wow factor and they’d look great on you.
I agree with Melvin on 4 – it looks classy and refined.
I love everyone’s comments about 2! I was going to say that she looked like the bride’s jealous cousin who is hoping to detract attention from the bride. 🙂
7 is my least favorite. It looks a bit too harsh…
Can’t wait to see what you come up with! You’ll look fabulous no matter what!
My first instinct was that the only one I could see you in was #4, but in a different color.
I love #5 but it looks like too much embellishment for you.
#1 is dramatic and lovely, and #8 is very fashionable and would be a great choice if you want a long dress.
1. 45+ very secure mother-of-the-bride
2. 23, unaware
3. 50, classic, apathetic
4. 30s, focused
5. 48, in a witness protection program
6. Any age, dramatic
7. 37, countercultural
8. 40s-50s, doesn’t know how to buy a dress that fits
9. 40, amateur seamstress
10. 28, inoffensive
I like the fourth for you. I think you could also pull off the seventh provided the
skirt and waist are long enough.
I think #4 is marvelous–gorgeous both with and without the jacket (I clicked through). That shade of chocolate is a knockout!
I think 4 or 8 would look great on you!
I’m a big fan of both 4 & 5. I think either style would look great on you, and the colors would be scrumptious. (Of course, my view could be skewed right now. I’m hungry, and was contemplating warming a brownie and topping with blackberries before reading this post.)
#1 – I can see this being for any female relative, though it would take confidence and the right hair to keep it from being frumpy.
#2 – FOB’s trophy wife, who is the same age as the bride, if not slightly younger.
# 3 & 6 – Either a 60+ MOB, or Grandmother.
I was inspired to do a post on MOB dresses- jump over and see!
(Passage des perles).
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