# Is This Dress 'Timeless'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241 "2011-06-12T20:16:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/21 "2011-06-13T13:55:38Z")
> [@HappyDays](#): > > I think the dress worn by Lilith in this clip from “Frasier” is timeless. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSBJBqbMosI&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSBJBqbMosI&feature=related) > > It is very similar to the dress you are asking about, but is shorter, more form-fitting and isn’t gathered at the waist. I still see women wearing dresses of this basic design. IMO, that is a pretty good indication of timelessness. > > I say do it; you will look fantastic! I agree – Lilith’s dress is much more stylish and flattering than Jackie’s. You could even go a little looser than Lilith’s skirt and be okay, but Jackie’s oddly poofy skirt doesn’t really work, then or now. I love that boatneck top, though. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/22 "2011-06-13T14:09:11Z")
Dated and _extremely_ unflattering. A dress that can make Jackie O look frumpy is doing something vile, indeed. And she looks like she just frumped in from Frumpville in that thing. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/23 "2011-06-13T16:29:52Z")
> [@YaraMateo](#): > > Something very dated about it. I can’t pinpoint what, though. That dress isn’t flattering. I LOVE Jackie, but it doesn’t flatter her all that much. I actually think fashion wise Queen Elizabeth looks better. Not only does dress flatter her odd shape, it looks like it would flatter most anyone who wasn’t too flat chested. Also, that dress looks more formal. Jackie’s dress looks like it was trendy at the time. The silhouette is just all shades of wrong. Seconded. QEII’s dress also looks more ‘timeless’. The skirt is too full/ballroom for most occasions, but the design is something I could see on the red carpet any year. Hard to tell in B&W. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/24 "2011-06-13T16:40:30Z")
I think the fabric is part of what’s making Jackie’s dress look dated as well. Don’t get me wrong, I still see dresses in department stores of similar construction, but to me, they look cheap and old. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/25 "2011-06-13T16:41:21Z")
In my very unfashionable opinion, I think Jackie’s dress looks a bit like a home ec project, because of the clunky-looking gathers in the way the skirt is attached. It also makes her look thicker on top than QEII, who really looks like she has a shape in that gown. But I am one of the least fachionable people I know, although I’ve watched every season of Project Runway. StG ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/26 "2011-06-13T18:45:00Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Forgive my fashion ignorance but I thought the “LBD” was the last word in timeless. A friend of mine had her bridesmaids wear their favorite LBDs. Darned sensible and considerate if you ask me. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/27 "2011-06-13T19:01:19Z")
Jackie’s skirt on this dress looks horrible by today’s standards. It’s like a tube that got gathered at the waist, there’s no shaping and there’s too much fabric at the top of the skirt. I don’t think your current dress has enough fabric in that area to create this look anyway. Instead of looking at actual dresses to find one to model your dress remake after, maybe start at the fabric store and look at formal wear patterns. I do think if you change just the skirt it will still look like a wedding dress. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/28 "2011-06-13T19:18:29Z")
I’m no dress expert. There are those pleats around the waist I wouldn’t expect to see often today, but overall the dress is fairly “timeless.” However, the long gloves are very dated. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/29 "2011-06-13T19:23:00Z")
> [@Zulema](#): > > Jackie’s skirt on this dress looks horrible by today’s standards. It’s like a tube that got gathered at the waist, there’s no shaping and there’s too much fabric at the top of the skirt. Agreed, especially on that last bit. It looks like it tried to have a bustle and failed. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/30 "2011-06-13T19:27:02Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I’m no dress expert. There are those pleats around the waist I wouldn’t expect to see often today, but overall the dress is fairly “timeless.” However, the long gloves are very dated. But sexy. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/31 "2011-06-13T20:30:20Z")
I’ll also vote “dated.” I don’t care for that skirt at all. By the way, was anyone else struck by how tiny Queen Elizabeth is? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/32 "2011-06-13T21:25:13Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > Does this link work? [http://lisawallerrogers.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/queen-9.gif?w=323&h=353](http://lisawallerrogers.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/queen-9.gif?w=323&h=353) > > I’m only thinking about the skirt, sorry I didn’t fix that above. My mom had/has that dress [she doesn’t throw anything away, though i am not sure if it survived the house fire that hit the living room wing of the house] The problem with the dress is that it has funky rippley wrinkles where the bodice and skirt meet, that could be fixed with a wide belt/cincture of some sort. You need to be cylindrically thin/slender to make it look right. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/33 "2011-06-14T03:39:11Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’ll also vote “dated.” I don’t care for that skirt at all. > > By the way, was anyone else struck by how tiny Queen Elizabeth is? My mom calls her the corgi because she’s short and seems stout/oddly shaped. ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/34 "2011-06-14T07:09:00Z")
Originally Posted by \*\*YaraMateo \*\* I actually think fashion wise Queen Elizabeth looks better. > [@panache45](#): > > I’m convinced you and I aren’t looking at the same photo. Apparently most of the posters in the thread are not looking at the same photo you are. Queen Elizabeth’s dress is more timeless, prettier, much more flattering, much more fashionable and all around about 100x better than Jackie’s. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/35 "2011-06-14T12:17:22Z")
> [@tesseract](#): > > Originally Posted by \*\*YaraMateo \*\* > I actually think fashion wise Queen Elizabeth looks better.Apparently most of the posters in the thread are not looking at the same photo you are. Queen Elizabeth’s dress is more timeless, prettier, much more flattering, much more fashionable and all around about 100x better than Jackie’s. I agree – that’s a classic shape that you could still wear today (if you ever had cause to attend such a formal event). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241/36 "2011-06-14T13:28:37Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > I agree – that’s a classic shape that you could still wear today (if you ever had cause to attend such a formal event). Well, and if you had Her Majesty’s knockers nuclear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-dress-timeless/585241.md?page=1)