Dress to impress

Would you believe that I have barely worn a dress in the past six months?

I have gone from being a total dress and skirt wearing girlie to someone who now just naturally will reach for jeans and trousers. I’m not really sure how this happened but with so many dresses in my wardrobe, I am making more of an effort this season to mix it up a little bit.

I think one reason for this is that I have developed a complete aversion to wearing tights so in the winter months I stuck to trousers but now that it’s considerably warmer, I’m going to get a bit more adventurous with my outfits.

When the weather hots up you really can’t beat that feeling of popping on a gorgeous, lightweight and easy to wear dress. The right dress does all the talking and you don’t even need to think that much about styling, in fact more often than not the simpler styling really is the better. Often, a great summer dress is going to be in a bright shade or have a gorgeous print so let that make an impact and pair it with a simple summer sandal.

I have a selection of dresses that are my summer go-tos so for now there isn’t really a gap there that needs filing. However, I spotted the stunning Elora dress from the boutique Charlotte and Tess that I feel would really be the perfect addition to my or indeed many a wardrobe. This sort of dress is super versatile, and this is in part to the beautiful sleeve detail which you can wear off the shoulder or in a more classic on the shoulder way.

It could take you from garden gatherings to summer occasion wear and pop it in your luggage because this dress is begging to go on a city break with you. The floral print and flowy silhouette gives it an effortless and romantic feel and if you don’t already have one then you need to get a dress with this seersucker elasticated bodice.

It is so, so flattering. I would love this for a day two summer wedding outfit worn off the shoulder.

Also, when it comes to summer dresses, you don’t have to go for bright colour or print, you can easily pack a style punch with a simple style in a fresh neutral colour. Obviously, the white dress comes into its own in summer but for practical reasons, not all of us can go about our day to day lives in white.

I, for one, look grubby after an hour wearing white as I manage to spill coffee all over myself instantly. If you're not like this then I am jealous of you and I wish you a long and glorious summer looking resplendent in white. I am quite the fan of black or navy dress, preferably in linen and one that will look so chic with an espadrille and straw bag.

I like to wear this sort of look and pretend to be French for the day. For more structured styles that I think can also work quite well for smart casual workwear is the polo neck maxi dress. Sounds sort of like it shouldn’t work but I have two that I bought in H&M a few years back, one in cream and one in black that I have worn a lot each summer. Wear buttoned up and with some heeled mules for a dressier look or for more casual, sporty feel wear with trainers.

Here’s to a season of dresses.