...attending a wedding in Scotland.

Hi everyone!  We are back and digging into fall fashions!  Before we start with a series on 'what 2 wear this fall', we received a fashion question from a reader:

"My brother is getting married in Scotland - early November. So it will be a little chilly. I have a vision of wearing a green dress, as I feel I look good in green. My budget is around $300. Where could I get the perfect green dress. ... Also after having twins my body is less than perfect, so not too clingy.  Thanks in advance for any advice."

Happy to help! Lisa can relate to working with a new, post-twin figure.  Her twins are 6 years old now, she has learned about cuts that work best for her and believes in the power of Spanx for special occasion wear.  We feel that green in textures (velvet, lace, silks) will be fresh and on trend this season, though there's not a ton in the stores yet as we head into August.  But, the first round of fall dresses is out, so we jumped in to see what was out here.

First stop was Reiss.  This UK company produces great dresses that are around that price point and perfect for weddings and other such occasions.  If you are Kate Middleton, you wear Reiss a lot.  We found this intruging, 2-layer dress, which should work well for 'no clinging' with the structured underlayer.

Images from reissonline.com.

It's such a different dress that it caught our eye.  Stick a black blazer or wrap over it if you need to cover shoulders for a church service, add some black pumps, and it's done.   At $340, it's a little over budget, but it's worth a look.  Disclaimer:  Reiss has a very strict, 14-day return policy, so if you order, you have to be able to turn it around quickly if the dress doesn't work for you.

The next dress we found is out-of-budget-bounds at $475, but so fabulous we had to show it.  Found at shopbop.com, this Issa faux-wrap, silk jersey dress (a favorite fabric) has tons of ruching in the belly area, long sleeves and a great v-neck.  

Image from shopbop.com.

The best part about this dress is that it's a classic that you will wear for YEARS.  A perfect investment dress.  Issa runs a little on the small size, so if considering it, order up one size.  Note that shopbop.com also has a tight return window of 15 days.

If the Issa dress price is too much to swallow, consider looking at Rent the Runway, currently featuring an Issa wrap dress in a fabulous green for rental at $125.  (We haven't personally used Rent the Runway before, so if anyone out there has, please let us know about your experience.)  The feedback on the Issa dress was amazing.  

A little more sea-green, this Donna Morgan dress is well within range at $148 at Nordstrom.  The asymmetrical waist is flattering, and the fit information says to order up one size.  I'd pair this with nude heels, gold earrings and bangles.

Image from nordstrom.com.

A little 'warmer' dress for November-in-Scotland weather, this Tory Burch Kathy silk dress stood out to us.  Right on budget at $295, it's perfect for a wedding, and we love the emerald green color.  I'd style it with a big, gold cocktail ring, drop gold earrings, and a nude pump.  It's hard to see in the picture, but it has a keyhole neckline.  We can see this dress at holiday parties too.

Image from net-a-porter.com.

(Note that Net-a-Porter has a tight 14-day return time frame as well.)

Zara just got in a lovely green, lace dress with gathering at the waist.  The price is most certainly right at $89.90.  Sizing runs a little smaller at Zara; be aware.  We like the emerald tone of the green and lace will continue to be big through the fall and holiday seasons.

Image from zara.com.

Lisa also spied this printed, sequin dress at Zara, with a more structured look, but still enough room in the a-line skirt to move around in.  And, at $99.90, it's another dress that's wedding-worthy and well within budget.

Image from zara.com.

Finally, we looked at J.Crew's fall offerings and liked the Louisa dress in silk chiffon for $250, either in gallery green or monterey pine (shown below).  The pleating at the bust and skirt are universally flattering.  

Image from jcrew.com.

There you have it - the best of the green dresses.  Good luck with shopping and let us know what you find.  We'd love to see a photo of the final outfit! ~ LB & JH