Vinted Shopping: The Wedding

I have a big event coming up in October.  Its a wedding where I will be part of the wedding party.  It's tricky because I am step rather than a Mum.  I like the Mum on the opposite side, but she has lots of money.  The Mum on the same side is not someone I enjoy spending time with, but it's commonly a difficult relationship!  She is elegant and a bit of a social climber, she will be very well dressed and look great, even if it puts her in to debt.  The thing I have going for me is that I am younger than both, even if I am poorer and fatter.

So I am really anxious about clothing for the wedding, especially as it's a two day event.  I want to look good, of course.  I don't want to look poor, but I cannot afford to spend huge amounts of money.  I also have the added difficulty of not knowing what size I will be come the wedding.  Its hard to plan ahead.  I also make jewellery, so I want the chance to make things to match.

I had discovered a luxury brand that make beautiful ponchos, amongst many other things.  I found a beautiful poncho on Vinted by them.  It was purple devore with beading and a beaded fringe with tassels.  It seemed a really good answer for the second day.  Even if I lose weight, a poncho will still fit perfectly.  It was described as being brand new without tags.  When it arrived, it had clearly been worn as thee was a little bit of damage to the beadwork in places if you really looked carefully.  I sat with it before I clicked the delivery as OK.  I decided, that even if I had known about the damage, I would have still brought it and I still wanted to wear it.  It was the deceit that bugged me.

There is one tiny pull on the beadwork, which I can take through to the other side to hide it.  There are a few beads missing, but the beads are spread out and you would have to really look at the pattern to spot them.  No one is going to look at my clothes in that great a detail.  It's a stunning piece of clothing that would have cost maybe £80 brand new.

I had decided that the first day when the wedding takes place would not be a day for black, but I don't mind wearing black on the more casual second day.  So the easiest thing to do is pair the poncho with black top and trousers.  I already have a silky black cami I can wear.  I am not sure yet if I will end up wearing it.  If I get hot, I don't want to take the poncho off and have bra straps on show.  Black smart tops are easy to find though.  I could even just get a chiffon overlay top.  There are a lot of options.

Trousers are harder.  I am currently a size 28 but the wedding is still a few months away.  I could easily be a size 26 or size 24 down below by then.  Particularly if my uneven weight loss decides to even itself up and I just lose from down below.  I also find it hard to tell exactly how smart things are online.  Are they smart for work or smart for an occasion?  So much depends on the finish of the fabric.  Polyester can be used for silky smart things or jersey style t-shirts.

I eventually found a lovely pair of Joanna Hope trousers.  They were a size 26 with a black chiffon overlay.  i was really pleased when they arrived.  They turned out to have an elasticated waist and were made with a stretchy material that drapes nicely.  This means they fit right now, but unless I lose a lot, they will also probably still fit come the wedding.  The only problem is the length.  They are a little too long.  It isn't so bad in the main trouser but the chiffon is a bit longer and a trip hazard.  I will need to take them up or get it done if I am not brave enough.

The outfit for the second day is pretty clear though, even if I add to it or change it, I can think about jewellery to go with it.  I am also very happy with how I look in it (and I don't think I look poor or that it looks second hand!).

The first day has been harder.  I spent a lot of time looking at dresses.  It's harder to guess what size dress I would need though, because I want it to fit down below without it being baggy up top.  I thought a lot about Twisted Wunder dresses, because I like them and know how they fit, but they were not quite right.

Eventually I settled on a teal Ann Harvey dress and brought it.  Unfortunately, the lady selling it could not find it and had to cancel the sale.  I had to think again.  I actually found that dress again in the same size and cheaper.... but it didn't look as nice and actually put me off the dress.  The more I thought about the dresses, the harder it felt to buy one that really fit me well.

I spent a lot of time looking and looking.  There are some beautiful clothes on Vinted, very expensive outfits that would be perfect, but they are still expensive secondhand.  I also found it hard to sift through to find the occasion wear.  I did a lot of different searches.  Different types of clothes, different brands I knew did occasion wear.  I think I was looking at trouser suits when I found it.

It is a pair of trousers and a top in lilac by a company called JJ's House who sell a lot of Mother of the Bride occasionwear.  Its clear an outfit like this would be well out of my price range brand new.  It is a pair of trousers with a chiffon overlay and a top with a chiffon overlay.  Both silky and plain but classy.  Both size 24 and I have no idea on the amount of stretch to the fabric, so they really might not fit at all....

Obviously the lilac would need a jacket or something.  I found a beautiful Koko jacket in navy blue material that's kind of tasseled to give it texture.  I have some Koko clothes I adore and it makes me sad Lovedrobe discontinued this brand.  I had to buy it, even though it was a size 22.  It came this week and it is gorgeous and brand new with tags.  Unfortunately, it is just a little too tight over the shoulders.  It might fit for the wedding, but probably not.  It feels like a different outfit anyway....

So the lilac arrives today and I will see how it fits...  Maybe that will help me to decide what to wear with it.  I have however found a lovely navy skirt in a size 22 that I think would go great with the jacket.  It feels meant to be, for the future...  If I have enough sales in time to get it.  

I also spotted a pair of size 22 trousers I like in black.  I  love elasticated stretchy polyester trousers.  They are hard wearing and wash well but dress up well for going out as well as being good for work.  I had six pairs size 30 to 32 but they are now hanging off me.  I find it hard to identify them sometimes.  Polyester comes in so many forms, not all of them stretchy and silky.  I have ended up with the wrong type before and they just don't fit me as well without that drape.  With the chiffon overlay trousers, I have a smart pair of black trousers in a size 26.  This additional pair of trousers in a size 22 would look after me for occasions for some time to come.

So hopefully the lilac looks great and I love it... then I have to think about a cover up.  I keep looking at boleros, jackets, shrugs and shawls....  so many.  Maybe I should make a nuno felted shawl.

Then there is jewellery and shoes...  Jewellery I love as I can make it.  Shoes... ugh.  I have size 9 feet but they are short and very wide but I also have a very high instep.  All this means that many shoes that are wide enough to fit are just way too long.  Shoes that also fit over the top of my foot have to have long enough straps to fit etc, they just need to be roomy.  I like trainers and mens shoes.  I find heals very uncomfortable and hard to walk in, when I can get them to fit.  Its a problem.  I think plain black shoes for the second day.  It's more casual, even my poncho is ever so smart.  I have no idea for the first day yet, it's going to depend on what I put with the lilac, if it fits.

Update:  The lilac does not fit, plus its a darker greyer sort of lilac I do not like quite so much.  The top fits fine but I very much doubt the trousers would fit by the wedding.  So it's back on the hunt to see what I can find that isn't black and might fit me and look nice.  Definitely feeling a little disheartened.  I have however brought the navy skirt to go with the jacket.  Not that I think I will be able to wear this outfit to the wedding either.  

I have now ordered a size 24 dress by Julien MacDonald.  It's got a very large flower print on black background.  I really like it and would wear it our anyway, after the wedding, so it is not such an issue if it doesn't fit yet.  That said, I am not sure I am going to get it.  The seller sometimes fails to send things and gets 1 star automatic reviews for this.  They don't have much more time to send it, so we shall see....

Update 2:  The dress fits!  And I love it!  

But there are some issues...  It's a very thick scuba material that will be quite warm.  It also displays the exact shape of my body a little more than I am comfortable with.  I am lucky in that I have a waist but my bottom half is much bigger than my top half.  I still have quite the tummy and a sort of second bum above my main bum.  Its shrunk a lot but it still forms a sort of ridge and my tummy is slowly turning into a saggy apron.  I either need to lose more weight so that the dress is not quite so revealing or wear shapewear.  Shapewear seems a good idea because I just need some smoothing out....