Quite often I’ll buy something and then keep it in my wardrobe, unworn, for many months before finally plucking up the courage to wear it. It’s usually something with a print on it. I’m not an all-over-print kind of girl – I feel safe and chic in quite simple, pared-down clothing – so whenever I buy a loud print, I tend to roll my eyes at my own stupidity. The number of weird printed tops and skirts I’ve ended up eBaying after a year or two, almost unworn, is ridiculous. I want to wear them, but there’s always something a little off. To be honest, they tend to be impulse high-street buys (something I’ve steered clear of in more recent years, preferring to invest in higher-end staple pieces) but still – there’s a sinking feeling that goes with having to eBay a barely-worn garment!

With that in mind, I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I am with my snakey-print Issa dress that I bought on eBay. I adore Issa dresses and there’s always something that I want from every collection, but I also love trawling eBay to find older styles that are no longer available. There are some incredible prints and the cuts are always so flattering. My snakey-print one is quite low at the front, but not as low as some – there’s a lot of cleavage, but it’s in no way obscene! I’d feel entirely comfortable wearing it to visit Gramps in the Retirement Home, if I still had a Grandad left! Perhaps a more relevant example is the fact that I wore the dress on the tube, twice, and didn’t feel as though half of the male population were mentally popping their heads between my breasts and making that stupid hubbabubba noise.

Issa dresses are so gorgeously made – 100% silk, beautiful prints and well thought-out cuts that skim the hips, cinch in at the waist and generally do a good job of accentuating your best features. Wrap dresses, or “faux wrap” dresses such as the one I have one here, are great little investment buys. You can glam them up in heels but they also look smart with flat ballet pumps or sandals. They also manage to look quite sexy whilst hiding any wobbly bits that you might not want on show – upper arms, for example! I’m becoming quite enamoured with this particular dress style – knee-length, low-cut, long-sleeved – it’s effortlessly smart but with a cheeky hint of cleavage.

You can browse the Issa website here, or if you fancy trying your luck for an older print (I just missed out on a great dress with ducks on it!) then have a look on