Judy

Hello all, I know we have pretty much covered the Travelsmith travel thing, but I am looking for the perfect little black "travel" dress. I ordered one from a few differant catalogues and was not very fond of them, however, I did a search on google.com. Finally, found some articles from consumer reports that tested the dresses: Travelsmith, LL Bean and Norm Thompson"s black travel dress. Norm Thompson's came out the best(as far as wrinkling went) and so I ordered one! Have any of you gone the travel dress route? I would like to wear it year round too! I just wondered what some of your opinions were!
Judy

Kimerley

Judy, I bought a sleeveless black dress at Esprit for $80AUD last week. It is exactly like the one Audrey Hepburn wore in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" except it does not have the frill at the bottom of the dress. Very glamorous!
Folds up beautiful, can be handwashed. I bought a steamer iron.. you leave your crushed clothes on the hanger and steam away the wrinkles. The iron folds up for travelling.
Now I just need the hat........

wendy

I bought a long, short-sleeve matte jersey dress from Target. Folds into nothing, not wrinkely, and about $30. I think to find a dress you like, you're going to have to spend some hard-core mall time.

judy

Kimerley: Sounds like a great dress! I would need the Audrey Hepburn figure to go with it ;-) Wendy: Shopping??? Moi? You have got to be kidding! NOT!
I tell you, I will search high and low to get the ideal black travel dress. Thanks for the input! Judy

Diane

I bit the bullet and ordered the short sleeve, midlength black dress from TravelSmith. It fits, looks good, and was virtually wrinkle free even though it came through the mail in an envelope. I've ordered other things from their close-out items, for warm-weather travel this Spring. We'll see...I used to love to shop, but just don't have time anymore. Incredibly quick turnaround.

lisa

One thing to consider is buying separates instead. I have a lightweight black knit skirt that packs down to nothing, and pair it with everything from simple, solid-colored T-shirts in various colors & styles to silk sweater sets. I like the flexibility of this better than a dress, because you can mix and match and not get tired of wearing the same exact dress. Plus, if you pair it with a black sleeveless sweater, it looks just like a sheath dress. Also, it gives you more flexibility to deal with whatever the weather is that day (can wear it with long sleeves or short). Just like a black dress, it can also be dressed up or down with flats or heels, jewelry, etc.

karen

I bought a black travel dress and vest combo from LL Bean this year and could hardly believe it when it emerged totally unwrinkled from my suitcase, even on the return trip home, when it was crumpled into a ball! I'm just hoping they come up with a summer version in a lighter weight in time for Italy this June.

Ess

I agree with Lisa about the versatility of a skirt as opposed to a dress. I bought a black knit skirt from the Gap on sale for about $20 or $25. I could carry it in a coat pocket, it folds up into nothing and doesn't wrinkle. It's knee-length, pleated and looks great with literally everything, from boots to beach sandals, tee shirts to dressy tops. It's the best article of clothing I ever bought. I just wish I could have bought it in a couple of other colors - I get tired of living in black!

Shanna

Sew. Knits of all weight and wearability are available. Many "skimmer" style patterns are only two pieces, front and back, some with darts to fit, variety of necklines and lengths, usually cap sleeves. I made a navy blue I wear constantly, dress up or down, heels or sneaks, silk scarf or bandana, pearls, belt, jacket or blazer. Put a long-sleeve turtleneck under it. Call it a tunic and wear it over pants. Wash in sink, hang dry overnight, wear. Make it in 2 hours. About $8. Make several. Tired of it? Gifts taking up all the luggage space? Throw it away.

Beth

You may receive this catalog, but LL Bean has a "travellers" catalog with travel clothes, gear, shoes, etc. I just received one today, in fact, so a new (perhaps for spring/summer) one has just been printed.

AC

Hi Judy:
I never leave home without my slinky jersy knit black and burgundy skirts from Dress Barn. They were about $20 a piece and I love them. Dress'em up or down. Never wrinkle and wash and dry in about 30 minutes in a hotel sink if necessary!

elvira

Last fall I found a jersey knit dress at Target (pronounced tar - zhay) for $14.99. It was crammed into a suitcase for two weeks and came out unwrinkled.
A couple of years ago we went to La Scala; I found a panne velvet long-sleeved, long-skirted dress for about $15 - looked great, took up little room and did not wrinkle. My recommendation for a dressy outfit is panne velvet!

nerds_r_us

Y'all are a bunch of nerds! Why don't you wear something a little more trendy and up to date instead of the "little nerdy black travel dress". Its no wonder we have such a bad rap for being "ugly americans". Y'all are going to Europe and wearing the same damn ugly dresses! Oh yes, no wrinkles! Too bad you look like a moron!

jersey?

Who the hell wears jersey?

Why don't y'all become a little team! Y'all have matching uniforms, you're little black ugly nerdy jersey dresses!

Mom

Oh, dear, sounds like a couple of kids need a nap!

janice

school must be out - an otherwise perfectly rational exchange of information has been invaided by idiots...
Lands' End gets my vote - every time.

Ang

I prefer to just bring along dresses and skirts on my trips that I already own that I know from experience will not wrinkle. Quite a few times I've bought things for both my husband and I that were supposedly wrinkle resistant that turned out to be quite wrinkly. I would hate to pack a new dress that I think will be wrinkle free and then get to my destination to find it a wrinkled mess.

prepared

My favorite topic, clothes and what to wear! I think one of the "nasty" posters got it wrong when they questioned jersey. Matte jersey is very in - it is knit that IMHO looks very "old" and out of date. (kind of like a school marm or librarian)

I think its very important to always have a "little black dress" which can be worn for many occasions and dressed up or down. (I have two or three!) It makes it even better if your "little black dress" resists wrinkles and travels well.

My two cents worth - Lose dresses from places like Travelsmith they are a little out of date and on too terribly trendy. (Not sure about the LL BEAN one, haven't seen it) My vote is to just go to the mall and find a black dress - you don't need the dress to be labeled "traveldress" for it to be acceptable. As I stated before, matte jersey is very "in" right now and the bonus VERY WRINKLE RESISTANT!!! Look for something in this type of material, but try to get a more modern cut and style (not so sack-like) The Black Travel Dress is a must, but it doesn't have to come from one of these places that reads "Traveldress." Maybe you are already own the perfect traveldress and just don't know it!

Judy

Thank you ladies, I assume you all are ladies(except the Brittany Spears wannabees, they are young girls). I wanted a classic black dress that travels well(re. little or no wrinkling. And I agree that that "one size fits all concept" will not work for "everywoman". So I just wanted your input on this. I can't wear gen X's and Y's clothes and not look ridiculous. I have a 20 something daughter(I don't want to be too specific here, if you know what I mean?) By the way, I popped off to Talbot's this afternoon (they are having a great sale FYI)and picked up a long, merino knit wool funnel neck dress(Black, of course) for 48$. Great with a scarf! A steal IMHO. I will just have to look for a lighter knit for summer. Thanks all once again and Shanna: Wish I could sew! You talented! Judy

whatever

WHATEVER! Britney Spears wannabe? i think not! So I got style and you look like you're wearing a potatoe sack! I wonder who looks better?