UPDATE: I was pretty set on wearing the black floral to the wedding and the snakeprint dress for the tavern gathering the night before. And then I started debating with myself again. I'm not sure why. But I got out a dress I've had for a number of years that could also work. Photos added onto the discussion below.
I went to AllSaints today to look for a dress to wear to my niece's wedding in Seattle in May. Dress code is "cocktail." I was attracted to AllSaints 2-in-1 dresses, which pair a pretty dress with a coordinating cropped pullover. I have a blush pullover from AllSaints that I thought I might use to create that look, if I could find or make the right dress to go with it. And I like a lot of their dress styles in general. My goal was to find something that I could wear with blush pumps and matching bag that I already have.
I was pleasantly surprised with the number of options the store had in stock for me to try. I narrowed the choice to two, which I brought home to consider further.
Photos 1-8: I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep this one, called Jules Tanana, a black floral silk chiffon sleeveless near-maxi with some interesting asymmetric panel detail in solid black. I can layer my blush pullover over it, 2-in-1 style, and remove the pullover if I get warm. I can see being able to wear it year-round, with different shoes, boots, and jackets.
Photos 9-11: I also liked (and brought home) the Nora Waimea in snakeskin print, a body-con midi in mesh knit with diagonal ruching on the lower front. I wouldn't wear the pullover for the wedding with this one, but I brought home an ivory cardigan that the sales staff and I thought could work. I can also see this dress working with different jackets and boots for most of the year.
In some photos of the two dresses above, I'm wearing a necklace and earrings I bought from AllSaints, also: the Darcy beaded two-tone necklace and Eryka crystal huggie hoop earrings. (Finds aren't working for me on the AllSaints site.)
Photo 12: I liked the Hanna Sanibel, a mesh knit black floral mock-neck A-line midi, but not as well as the other two.
Photo 13: And the Tia Colca was gorgeous, but the colors were a little too warm for me, and the fit around the shoulders wasn't as comfortable. I think Angie has this dress in a different colorway.
I thought you might like to see the try-ons, and I'm open to your thoughts.
