Tips on buying an outfit for a special occasion.

1. Most importantly, choose a shape that suits you! It might sound a bit obvious, but I wonder how many of us don’t do this! To look good at an important function, you must wear an outfit that fits you well, and that flatters your body shape. Get a second opinion from someone you trust, or go to a shop where you know that you will get help with finding the right shape. This is particularly important if you are the mother of the bride, as it is generally true that the older you are, the better fitting your clothes need to be.

2. Don’t be too rigid with colour matching! If you are a close relative of the bride, e.g mother of the bride / groom you will want to speak to the bride, ask her what colours she is having for her dress, and the bridesmaids, etc, so that you don’t clash. The key is to tone in, not to colour match everything too much!

This applies also to accessories. Don’t go for the bag, shoes and hat all in the same colour as the outfit – it will look overdone and old fashioned. It is best to keep one of your accessories the same colour as the outfit, e.g the hat, and then go for shoes and bag that tone in. This is why pewters, silvers and golds are very popular for accessories at the moment.

3. Be aware of etiquette – it usually is there for a reason, so that you don’t upset anyone! But again, don’t be too rigid, you have to be able to dress for your personality as well. The importance of certain things will depend on your relationship to the bride. If you are a close relative, you will need to consult the bride on colours, if you are a friend of the bride, you can pretty much wear anything you want. The only no no really is that you shouldn’t upstage the bride, whoever you are! Cream or white is generally considered in bad taste if you are a similar age as the bride, although a mother of the bride could look very good in cream/ beige.

4. How formal your outfit is will also depend on your relationship to the bride. If you are the mother of the bride or groom, you will probably need to invest more thought and money into your outfit, as you are going to be under the spotlight more. Remember that you will be in a lot of the photos on the day, so you outfit has to be something you will be happy to look back on for years to come. For something really special, you could have a couture outfit made for you, e.g Suzanne Neville of London has a niche collection aimed at mother of the bride. This will set you back £1500 – £2000, but it may be worth considering as an investment if you’re looking for something really special.

As a friend of the bride, you may wish to choose something that you can wear again. There are so many pretty dresses out there, which would look lovely at a wedding, but wish you may may be able to dress down afterwards and wear to work, for example.

5. Match the outfit to the occasion. Find out what sort of wedding it is going to be. Weddings come in all shapes and sizes these days. A sign of style is wearing the appropriate outfit for the appropriate occasion.

Evening weddings are now very popular , and are very difficult to dress for, as you have to try and cover all angles. If you’re not sure, ask the bride for an idea on what she expects people to wear. She will know the exact format of the day for sure! Oher factors to consider are the time of year; the time of day the ceremony is being held; is the wedding ceremony in a church, followed by a reception in a hotel, or is the ceremony also in the hotel.

6. Be prepared! Wear the right underwear when you go trying on. A  good foundation – a pair of magic knickers and good bra can make all the difference when you’re trying on outfits.

7. Trends – follow fashion trends in general. Feminine, florals are very popular, but don’t wear floral print all over – mix it up with a plainer skirt for example. Soft chiffon fabrics are great for an on trend look. Jackets should be tailored and nipped in for a flattering look. Paule Vasseur offers wonderful tailoring in its suits.

Don’t assume that mother of the bride has to be frumpy, and look like the queen mother. There are designers out there that design for the modern Mum. Linea Raffaelli is perfect for elegant mums on the big day, and the metallic fabrics are perfect on trend for Spring Summer 09. These outfits are modern classics, and are worth investing in.

For details on “When Should I Buy for Mother of the Bride?”  click here.