Simple Silhouette Bridesmaid Dresses

*This entry has also been published on my other blog, Stuff Lindsay Bought*

Last weekend, I went shopping for a bridesmaids dress for my sister’s wedding. Based on 

Violet

that  experience,  I  have written up two reviews; one on of the line of dresses I tried on and another on where I went shopping. Let’s start with the dresses.



 My sister has  five “maids” (if you hate that term, stop reading now because I am going to use it) and of course we don’t all look the same. So she’s decided that we can each pick our own dresses, with some conditions in place.


And I’m quite happy that my sister did lay down some dress parameters. The whole pick-whatever-you-want approach to bridesmaids’ dresses seems great on paper but in real life can result in some really random and weird combinations. Plus it can be stressful for both the maids and the bride since no one really knows what to get or expect.

My sister told me and the other maids that we’d be wearing pink, tea-length dresses from the 2009-2010 Simple Silhouette lines (aka the "Simple Collection") and I have to have to say, she made a great call.

 Now, I should warn you that Simple Silhouette’s 2011 bridesmaids line is sort of ugly. I’m not sure what happened between the 2010 and the 2011 lines but whatever it was, it should be undone because the older dress designs are genuinely attractive garments that most women would be happy to wear.

 

Senna



For the most part, these designs have clean, simple lines and similar skirts so they there is a cohesive look to them. At the same time, the top portions come in a wide enough variety of styles that most maids will be able to find a dress that feels and looks good.

Another nice thing about Simple Silhouettes is its extensive fabric options and the fact that all of its dresses, at least from the pre-2011 collections, are available in any of those fabrics.



I tried on over half-a-dozen dresses and they were all comfortable and flattering. Overall, this was one of the more positive shopping experiences I’ve ever because everything looked at least “good” (and unless I’m buying t-shirts, clothing shopping is usually a very frustrating thing for me).





Buttercup

I  think most maids would be happy to wear a Simple Silhouette dress except for one key detail: the price.

These are well-designed, well-constructed dresses and those facts are reflected in their cost. As a result, these dresses mostly run between just under $300 and just under $400 and if you’re getting a satin or silk dress, it’s going to be on the higher end (though you can get a bit of a discount if you’re buying three or more dresses in the same colour/fabric).



To help balance that high cost out, keep in mind that because the look of these dresses is so great, they really could be worn again (as long as the fabric choice isn’t too crazy).

Don’t believe me? Then check out Simple Silhouette’s Beyond the Wedding Day photo shoot.



Oh, in case you’re interested, the dress I picked is called the Violet and it's the first dress included in this entry.