Is a fit and flare dress really meant to be that tight and restricting?

It's always going to feel that way.

Can you try on another dress in this silhouette that is in your size? Fit & flair shouldn't be too tight to walk. Mermaid or trumpet tend to be more restricting.

I didn't choose a mermaid because of how constricting it was when I sat or moved (I couldn't imagine dancing!) if try a different silhouette- I went with an A-line.

Definitely try on more. I couldn't do the mermaid style but felt fit and flares wee way more comfortable and less restrictive. May have just been that style?

I would try on a couple other fit and flares. I have a fit and flare and it doesn't feel restricting to me at all.

I loved my fit & flare and danced the night away in it! It was tight to sit in though. I would try on another one that actually fits you to get a better idea of what it will really be like.

Thanks for the comments so far. I tried on sample that was too small, so that's why I am thinking it was extremely tight and hoping that if I ordered my correct size, it wouldn't be that tight or that alterations would allow me to choose how tight it would be... Not sure if that's possible with alterations...

I had my heart set on fit and flare for over a year but when I tried on a ballroom with a corset and dropped waist it blew my mind how comfy and light it was by comparison

Alterations to change the shape of the dress would be extreme and expensive. Try on different dresses. It's all a matter of where the flare hits your legs. Are you shorter? Ordering in petite will raise where it flares.

The first dress is a trumpet that fit me perfectly. I couldn't walk in it. The second is another trumpet that fit me and was much easier to move in.

My dream dress was a mermaid. It was gorgeous. I didn't buy it because it was so tight, and I really really want to be comfortable and dance all night. I bought a flowy aline. I still have major dress regret, but I have to remind myself how hard it was to walk, sit, move. (The dress I loved was my size perfectly, needed a tiny bit taken out of hips).

My dress.

I have what I think is fit n flare or a trumpet although when I picked my dress up from alterations they called it a mermaid. I jogged through the fitting area and was completely able to move. The sitting isn't going to be fun, but I'm really not going to be sitting all that much. The one I tried on was to small and it was too tight on the legs, but the right size one was perfect. They only altered the sides not the leg area.

Sitting is not pleasant in my fit and flare, but walking normally and dancing mildly (which, given my dance skills, is a good thing) are not a problem.

Okay so I'm not even sure if my dress is considered a fit and flare. I have attached two photos. I think the first one is from the designer's website and it looks like a fit and flare dress, but the second picture is from a runway show and it doesn't look fit and flare at all.

The top one is definitely a fit and flare style. The bottom I would say is more of a sheath.

Popping back in. Is that the dress you actually bought? Or is it the dress you like? Its possible that in the first picture, there was a slip under the dress to help "poof" it out.

Also, please change your avatar to something other than the rings! They are associated with spam/trolls and it makes the forums easier for the rest of us to navigate. Thanks!

Mine is stretchy material...tight around the thighs but very movable.

I didn't buy the dress yet, but the two pictures I posted above are of the exact same dress, but look so different.

Mine is a fit and flare, and yes it's tight around the midsection and hips, but it flares out enough so that I can walk, dance, etc! I think the sample you tried on was probably making it harder than it would be if it was in your proper size

I kept thinking what I was trying on was a fit and flare and I felt very restricted as well and I was upset because I really liked the style. at the 3 bridal salon she told me that I had been trying on mermaid style dresses and there seems to be a fine line between fit and flare and mermaid. Once I tried on a true fit and flare I did not feel restricted at all!