bridesmaid dresses round.....4?

i spent some time on nordstrom.com last night in the search of the ultimate cocktail dress to function as a bridesmaid dress that isn't a tube topped, shiny solid blob of color. i love this yellow one. it's sweet and somewhat retro, it's yellow....but it's $498. now is the time i'm about ready to believe in the talents of and but perhaps moreso the thriftiness in getting a seamstress. here's a $178 alternative. the one on the right i can't find on the nordstrom's website this morning, but comes in this amethyst color for a screaming $62 and in champagne for $44.90.

nordstroms has a lot of great cocktail dresses in their junior's section around the $68 price mark. very few of the rest of these are "junior" dresses, but i thought i'd throw this chart out there for reference...:

#3 also comes in black at a decent $118.

#4 is promising and runs $138


i used to be so against the sickly shiny sheen of bridesmaid dresses, and i'm horrified to think that they've grown on me, but i'm kind of drawn to #9 for its bold color, its Silk Dupioni fabric, the full skirt action, empire waist, and i think it would complement my dress well. i also like #8.

#14 would be more appropriate to complement a grecian inspired wedding dress, but i'm really drawn to these simple, summery dresses.


i can appreciate #18-32 but i would not force these upon my maids, mostly because of the boob-revealing halters and unflattering sheath silhouettes.



and a plain little number from banana, and a sweet little ebay number for around $40 that touts itself to be Anthropologie but i almost doubt it.


i scouted this alfred angelo purple dress (i'm sure it's available in all colors of the rainbow since it's an actualbridesmaid dress...it's one of the very very rare dresses that is given a solitary $ on the knot....so i'm betting it's even under $100.... i do like the neckline on the pink one..