My daughter is getting married at the end of July. Plans are coming along well but I have procrastinated on getting my MOB dress, mostly because I hate shopping and it didn’t seem as if it should be that hard to find something. I want a full length navy dress that’s pretty. How hard can that be? I’m lazy and don’t like shopping, so my approach has been to order 3 navy full length dresses at a time from Nordstrom, try them on and reject them for various reasons, return them to the Nordstrom, and repeat. Several times. I’ve now exhausted their options and have moved on to Macy’s. Honestly, I’m not that picky but for whatever reason I can’t seem to find anything just quite right. I like one of the dresses that arrived from Macy’s yesterday a lot and it would be a winner except it has this sash/bow thing that I just don’t like. It is detachable, but there is a seam separating the top portion of the dress from the bottom portion where this sash is so if I detach it, it would need something in its’ place. One of the reviews of the dress mentioned replacing the sash with a belt that the reviewer said looked much better. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do to replace the sash/belt? I’ve attached the link, but it may not show up in navy, you may need to go to “more colors” and select Midnight to see it in the navy. Thanks for any suggestions you may have!
Its a beautiful dress. Is it an evening wedding? Maybe a silver rhinestone belt (thin). Or for the day, a pearl belt.
I LOVE that dress. @BunsenBurner, your help is needed here!
Congrats!!! Thanks for thinking of me, sabaray. 
I will have to get to a computer because my stupid Iphone does not want to open the link (I am in the boonies babysitting a bunch of contractors).
I am not a long dress person, but that is beautiful C3!!! I too would want to replace the sash. I like the idea of something pearl based. Something jeweled and sparkly would not be me, but pearl-based could be classy.
That dress is beautiful @C3Baker .
I love the dress. I also love @lilmom 's suggested belts. If you don’t want any type of jewel on the belt, you could consider getting a thin metallic leather belt.
I agree that a pearl belt is classy and shouldn’t snag the lovely dress. I also agree a silver belt would be attractive as well. I’d worry rhinestones MAY snag the dress.
Beautiful! Could the bow/sash be made into a simple belt?
Bridal shops have options you can see and touch.
Good luck – I’m trying to find a dress for my son’s wedding this October, and I desperately need a petite size. Not having too much luck yet.
@VeryHappy - I found a petite evening gown at Lord and Taylor. They had a nice selection, and I didn’t have to alter it!
Very pretty dress! How much of a hem is in the dress? A seamstress may be able to take lace from there or a seam and turn it into a trim or belt. Take it to an alterations shop and see if they have any ideas.
Well, I have to admit that I actually like the ribbon/bow in the navy. If it is an evening event, which I’m assuming it is given the length, I’d go with the rhinestone belt and wear silver sandals. I think a pearl belt on that dress in navy would look strange, although the pearl belt itself is very pretty.
Lovely dress, although I must say that that is one HIGH slit in the back on the model!
ETA, I think part of the question is how much you want to emphasize the waist, and whether a contrasting belt would cut you in half. This dress is sleek and form-fitting. Visually, I think it would probably look better if you could get a dressmaker to make a simplified belt out of the ribbon that comes with it. Contrasting belts I would think would generally look better with a fuller skirt. I think it would take away from this dress.
if CB has decent legs I think the slit if fine. I know she is athletically fit so I say show the legs!
The dress should feel like “you” - no matter what. A satin bow like that would make me feel like a present. I own nothing with a bow of any sort! The lace from the hem of the dress is an interesting idea - with some sort of understated buckle or clasp? I also am personally not for anything tied in back.
CB3 pick something that screams YOU. Whether that is typical MOB dress or not.
Love the dress and would suggest having a seamstress make a belt out of the sash. I think the monochrome navy satin on navy lace would look better than a contrasting belt. She could use some stiffener to make the sash more belt-like and have it clasp in the back with hidden hooks and eyes. At least that’s what I’d do with it. My S is getting married September 3 and I haven’t even started to look. I guess I need to get going.
My first thought was also to remove the bow and keep the belt part of the ribbon. I think the bow looks fine, but I know it would become annoying to me. if removing the bow messes up the front of the ribbon, it looks like the streamer parts are long enough to make a new front half of the ribbon belt.
If you don’t find a belt you like, you could take the dress to a taylor/alterations place and have something made. Or even that belt re-made, as dragonmom recommends. It’s a great dress, and worth the extra hassle, I think.
I agree that using the ribbon to make a fabric belt that is exactly the color of the dress would work nicely. If you’re “handy” you could do it, or hire a dressmaker for a good price.
I bought that same dress for my son’s August wedding last summer, only it was knee length! It was also the French Coral color. I wore it with the ribbon bow. I loved it and I got many compliments on it. I just returned from a cruise and I wore it for a formal night dinner.
In the photos, the ribbon bow is elegant, though I know it can get in the way for some folk and just isn’t the style some may choose. It is a lovely dress in many attractive colors. Some day, I may be in the market for something of that nature, but likely not any time soon.