1:06 PM Why we can't resist a white summer dress | |
Whether it's short and sweet, long and fluid or something pretty in the middle, white dresses continue to capture the imaginations of designers and shoppers summer in, summer out. But why does the garment have such an enduring appeal? Picture Julie Christie running with abandon across the Wessex countryside in Far from the Madding Crowd , white dress wafting as she gathers speed past the poppies. Or Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, trussed in Cecil Beaton's white lace gown in My Fair Lady , bending over the railing to holler, "Come on, Dover! Move your bloomin' arse!" Each was a scene-stealing moment, perhaps for the obscenity reverberating around the racetrack in Doolittle's case, but largely because of the white dress and its utter exquisiteness. A raft of designers tapped the garment's romanticism for their spring/summer 2015 collections, from the cut-outs forming blossoms at Valentino to the intricate lacework on Chloé's Seventies shirt dress via the criss-cross ties closing Louis Vuitton's flippy mini. This explains why, of the 1,860 dresses on Net-a-Porter over 25 per cent are white - the website's buying manager Ben Matthews says the style is "synonymous with summer" - and it's a similar story on the high street. At ASOS, after black, white dresses are the best stocked category, with 299 to choose from out of 3,389. "A little white dress is an instinctive choice in summer…it never loses its appeal," says Alannah Sparks, Farfetch's fashion editor. The website has seen a significant increase in sales of white dresses compared to last year, which Sparks attributes to the staple's "utter simplicity": "Choose the right one and it will really go the mile for you, whether it's a crisp white shirt dress…or a crochet number." Net-a-Porter has sold more than double the number of white dresses compared to last season, a leap which Matthews says is down to the way designers have worked with the colour. "Last year white was tied into purity and minimalism whereas this season the key trends focus on the Seventies…a much more relaxed way to wear white." Left to right:
Good news! Dresses with sleeves come in a multitude of guises this summer, from COS' T-shirt style with a low-slung peplum to Vanessa Bruno's homage to the Seventies rendered in Broderie anglaise. The tee shape is flattering on all silhouettes, but if you prefer more coverage than it affords, try Topshop's judo-style wrap dress (bracelet sleeves show off the slimmest part of the arm). Left to right:
Disguise your undergarments Left to right:
Wear cotton in the city Left to right:
Synthetic fabrics are a one-way ticket to sweat patches so swap polyester for pure cotton when the temperature peaks. These four are 100 per cent cotton and have slightly more languid silhouettes, which means you'll feel (and look) cool for summer proper. Left to right:
Embrace a roomy silhouette Left to right:
Breezy cuts are the name of the game here. Toast's shirt dress has the volume of an artist's chemise, while J.Crew's kimono-style neckline will look smart for a summer spent in the office. What Alannah Sparks calls "rose-tinted, Woodstock" style never goes amiss (especially with "Seventies" being the trend buzz word) so give ASOS' off-the-shoulder, spotty dress a spin. Little White Lies off the shoulder dress in spot, £95, ASOS Get a floor-grazer Left to right:
The maxi length is where boho, or what Jacqui Markham terms "haute hippy", really comes into its own. Case in point: the whispers of embroidery on this Maje dress' sheer overlay and the cut-out sleeves and skirt of Sandro's floor-sweeper; both playing peekaboo to expose lithe limbs to their full potential. Having said that, maxi doesn't have to mean floaty and lacy. Raey's utility shirt dress is anything but romantic, adding a dash of sharpness to your summer wardrobe with its angular hem, functional pockets and rolled-up sleeves. Raey utility textured long dresses uk, £350, Matches Fashion | |
|
Total comments: 0 | |