Alright, let’s talk about 2017 dress trends. I remember that year quite clearly because it felt like suddenly everything had… stuff on it. Ruffles, weird sleeves, cutouts. It wasn’t just simple shapes anymore.
My First Look
I first noticed it just browsing online, maybe looking at some shop websites. Suddenly, shoulders were everywhere. Like, tops and dresses specifically designed to show off your shoulders. Off-the-shoulder was the big one. I thought, okay, looks kind of nice, summery maybe? Decided I’d have to see them in person.
Hitting the Shops
So, next time I was out, I made a point to check out the dress sections. Man, they weren’t kidding. Off-the-shoulder stuff was hanging everywhere. I grabbed a few to try on.
- The Off-the-Shoulder Reality: Tried a blue cotton one first. Looked okay standing still in the fitting room. But then I moved my arms. The darn thing either rode up towards my neck or slipped down too far. Felt like I’d be fussing with it all day. Not practical.
- Ruffle Overload: Then there were the ruffles. Ruffles on the sleeves, ruffles down the front, ruffles on the hem. I tried on this floral print dress – which, florals were also big, especially those slightly darker, moodier prints – and it had these huge ruffles on the sleeves. Honestly? I felt kind of silly. Like I was drowning in fabric. Put that one back quick.
- Statement Sleeves: Bell sleeves were another thing. Found a plain black dress with massive bell sleeves. Looked dramatic. But then I thought about actually doing anything in it. Eating dinner seemed like a hazard. Imagined dragging those sleeves through my food. Nope.
What I Actually Ended Up With
It wasn’t all fails, though. I did find a couple of things that worked for me.
Cold Shoulder Top (Okay, not a dress, but related): I found a simple black jersey top with just cutouts on the shoulders – the ‘cold shoulder’ thing. Less fussy than the full off-the-shoulder style. Actually wore that quite a bit. It was comfy and felt a little bit trendy without being ridiculous.
A Floral Midi: I did cave on a floral dress, but it was a more classic shape. A midi length, wrap style, with a smaller floral print. No crazy sleeves or tons of ruffles. Just a nice, easy dress. That one got a lot of wear over the next couple of summers.
Looking Back
So yeah, 2017. It was definitely a year for experimenting with dress shapes. For me, the super trendy stuff like the massive ruffles and the tricky off-the-shoulder styles didn’t really stick. They looked good in photos, maybe, but weren’t great for just living life. The simpler takes on the trends, like the cold shoulder or just incorporating the popular prints like florals into classic shapes, were the things that actually ended up being worn. Always comes back to comfort and practicality for me, I guess. Learned that sticking to what you know works for your body and lifestyle is usually better than jumping on every single trend train that comes along.
