wedding crashers

i haven't worked a shift at fred in the last month, where at least three chicks per day were in the store looking for a dress to wear to an upcoming wedding. yep, it's wedding season, and time to buy dresses appropriate for any summer style wedding. i can't believe how many people struggle with finding the perfect dress to wear. i get asked a zillion questions, can i wear a black dress? is a maxi dress too casual? can i wear a dress with white in it? i don't know if it's just me, but i don't think i've ever questioned what to wear. i didn't realize there were any rules other than don't wear a white/ivory dress...but apparently, there's a lot of confusion. i say, wear whatever you feel comfortable in. i would never wear a white dress anyway; i'm a slob. a calamity, if you will. i drop my coffee on me on average twice a week. so i always tell customers, wear a dress that makes you happy. one that you will wear again. one you can style dressier for the wedding and more casual so you can wear it again. steer clear of white, and you're fine. and don't dress too risque. so those are my rules. i asked my coworker and friend, annie maederer, a couple questions, since she's the queen of getting dressed up, what her thoughts were on weddings. here's her take on what to wear:

what would you wear to a summer wedding that is black tie? a black tie summer wedding requires a formal dress. because it is summer, i would recommend a short dressy cocktail dress. black cocktail dresses always look formal (and yes, it is perfectly acceptable to wear black to a wedding nowadays) and you can differentiate yours with a statement necklace. fred currently has numerous styles of black strapless dresses and is always stocked with statement jewelry. because it is summer though, why not opt for a vibrant or saturated color dress instead? fred has a stunning silk cobalt blue dress. even though it's a shorter style, the silk makes it formal and accesssories can help dress it up even more. black patent or strappy metallic heels always dress things up more too.

how about a "normal" summer wedding? a normal summer wedding really allows you freedom to wear any cute, fun dress. i love this time of year because it's when fred has the most dresses in stock. there are so many styles and patterns to choose from. my favorite is the brand minuet. they make solid colored dresses with unique origami detail, ruffles, box pleats, or flower appliques. they always seem to look great on everyone and sell out immediately when we a get a shipment in! their dresses come in the perfect colors for summer too: magenta, teal blue, yellow, green, etc. there really is such a wide selection of styles and brands of dresses at fred right now and the majority of them would work for any summer wedding. and i'm so thankful we don't have to worry about what tights or jacket we need to wear with them anymore too!

what do you recommend for an outdoor summer wedding? for me, an outdoor casual wedding reception is all about the appropriate fabric choice. i would stick to any cotton or jersey fabric--nothing too formal like silk. and even thought it is casual, it's not a backyard bbq, so a dress is still the most appropriate option. since it's outdoors, i would stay away from black and opt for a colorful flower pattern, which is one of the biggest trends this season. and one more important thing to remember: don't wear stilletos! you'll have sinkage issues in the grass, so a cute strappy metallic flat sandal or wedge would be best.

so, there you have it. your wedding dress dilemmas solved. here are my top picks for dresses we have at fred right now--come scoop 'em up fast:

and don't forget to check out our new store luscious, right next to fred! talk to you next week! here's this week's installment of knock it off. please disregard beyonce's missing arm. :)

Knock It Off