A few weeks ago I raved about the Lola dress from Whistles – a throw-it-on sort of affair that hides a multitude of sins (three course meal plus two cherry beers and half a packet of cheese) yet still manages to look chic. It’s casual enough to wear with trainers (see last week’s Window Shop for ideas) but has a clever cut that looks chic with sandals and ballet pumps.
Now I bring you the All Occasion Shirt Dress. Something you could easily wear to a wedding – it’s perfect for weddings! – but just as easily take on holiday to chuck on in the evenings with a pair of spangly flip-flops.
This is the Prita dress from Diane von Furstenburg; I own it in two print variations, now, and am about to buy another. Made from lightweight silk crepe de chine, it just sorts of floats about around your body, but isn’t so voluminous that you lose all sense of shape. It feels cool in the heat, but isn’t one of these cheap, see-through affairs that you so often see on the high street. (There are great ones on the high street, too, but I’ve seen some shockers. You may as well go out in your nightie!)
If you’ve just had a baby, are in early pregnancy or, like me, have had a baby ages ago but still have a bit of a tum going on, this is your perfect dress. I mean it’s great for everyone and anyone, even if you have the torso of a bikini model, but if you’re not feeling too confident about your middle area and want to avoid the plethora of bodycon and – God forbid! – cut-out-midriff dresses that clog the arteries of online fashion then give the shirt dress a try. I think that it’s an incredibly stylish look.
I have bought both of my Prita shirt dresses (a year apart, so I’ve tested this shape well) from The Outnet here. I love that the front is cut shorter than the back, so there’s no flashing your knickers if you need to pick your mother-in-law up off the dance-floor/run up the escalator at Angel tube station/elegantly mount your steed. They are usually around £300, but I’ve snapped both of mine up for £150 – the dress shown above is £154 here. Not bad when you consider that this is a designer piece, and a silk dress on the high street would be getting on for the same price…
(You can also see this dress in Monday’s Get Ready With Me video. The amazing bag in the first picture is the Candy bag, on loan from Jimmy Choo.)
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