Welcome back to In Defense of the Dress, where we take another look at dresses that brought on the divisiveness the first – or second, or third – time around. This entry, as you will see, has very definitively split the hofdame family. You weigh in and tell us what you see because we can’t reach a consensus to save our sartorial souls.
The Facts
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, wore this one-shoulder, slinky coral gown to the Paralympic Ball in September 2012. I have very few facts on the dress, so we have to work with what we see here: it’s very definitely one shoulder, and that shoulder strap is gathered into a decorative clip. The dress is fitted through the bodice and falls smoothly to the floor. Sophie accessorized the dress with pearl drop earrings, a small clutch, and a great tan.
The Case for the Dress
OC: I think she looks foxy and I wish we’d see more of this gorgeous, healthy woman.
LG: Love this! Yes, there is a lot of Mary action going on here, but this dress is perfection in every other way. The fit is amazing and the color is smashing.
The Case Against the Dress
The Handbag: I have one word for this dress: BOSOM. It’s all I see. I try to cast my eye over the rest of the dress to evaluate it objectively and I just come back to BOSOM. There is nothing wrong with Sophie’s fine figure at all – I should be so lucky myself – but when a dress draws the eye to one part of the body I feel it’s letting the wearer down.
LiL: Where to begin. I don’t like this AT ALL. The color is all wrong for her, and does very little if anything for her figure. Except to draw the eye to her chestal region as Sudsy stated above. She can do so much better.
