There was a time, not long ago, when clothes for a certain type of woman revolved around one specific shape of dress. If you can picture the silhouette in question — think a fitted smocked top, blouson sleeves and a flared skirt — you’ll also know that it had to be floral. You may also be aware that the aforementioned frock was big on the internet. It was also popular with smiley TV presenters, who clung to their floral frocks in an attempt to keep their style credibility in check.
Happily, there is a new era emerging, with the dress reborn in, dare I say, a sophisticated new form. The really marvellous thing? There is not a whiff of florals.
Everyday dresses — by which I mean the sort you wear to work, to the pub on a Friday, to your mate’s kid’s dog’s first birthday — are a pared-back breed. The best of them are simple in shape: think shirt dresses, cap-sleeved A-line numbers and, my personal favourite, full-length tank styles that can be worn with just about anything.
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This vibe shift is the result of a trickle-down effect from the catwalks, which saw plentiful bold shapes and bright colours this season. Collectively, we’ve had enough of the frou-frou frills that have dominated for the past few seasons and designers have adapted accordingly, with brands such as Gucci and Prada avoiding florals. Even floral fanatics — see Wes Gordon at Carolina Herrera — are reining it in, with block colours and simple A-line shapes a focus.
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On the high street, retailers such as Whistles and John Lewis are finding their customers increasingly drawn to motif-free dresses and pared-back prints. Whistles counts its button-through Estella shirt dress among its bestsellers, while Me+Em — once the home of the floral — is going all out on cap-sleeve styles in block colours that its customers adore. “We’re definitely seeing an increase in customers coming to us for more muted styles, which lend themselves to a multitude of styling options,” says Clare Hornby, founder and CEO of Me+Em. “The versatility of these neutral dress styles and how hard they will work in your wardrobe makes them more appealing.”
What binds this new generation of dress is that they are feminine without being girlie or, worse, dowdy. They are also highly versatile, with neutral block colours very much dominating. Indeed, the best are dynamic enough to be worn in a host of ways — whether that’s dressed up for work with a blazer or made park-ready with sandals and an oversized raffia tote. “But what if I really, really love prints?” I hear you groan. To which my response is, stripes are your new best friend. Without the tweeness of florals, an elegantly shaped stripy dress is a foolproof way to incorporate a flash of colour while retaining a level of cool.
The shirt
• White oversized dress, £210, thefrankieshop.com
• Stripy dress, £220, bymalenebirger.com
• Belt, £205, dehanche.com
• Black sandals, £45, urbanoutfitters.com
• Khaki poplin dress, £119, massimodutti.com
• Denim dress, £115, cos.com
• Sunglasses, £99, jigsaw-online.com
• Mary-janes, £46, zara.com
• Blue silk dress, £460, apieceapart.com
• White pleated dress, £350, Mother of Pearl, net-a-porter.com
• Bag, £425, demellierlondon.com
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The minimalist
• Strapless dress, £350, Eres, net-a-porter.com
• Green dress, £356, ba&sh, saksfifthavenue.com
• Suede tote bag, £870, toteme.com
• Bracelet, £60, jigsaw-online.com
• Crinkle dress, £70, Gap, zalando.co.uk
• Red dress, £250, meandem.com
• Sunglasses, £276, Versace, selfridges.com
• Mules, £116, Dolce Vita, revolve.com
• Beige dress, £97, arket.com
• Navy dress, £350, Polo Ralph Lauren, net-a-porter.com
• Sandals, £195, russellandbromley.co.uk
The new stripe
• Diagonal stripe dress, £215, Staud, mytheresa.com
• Blue and white dress, £189, whistles.com
• Earrings, £94, anisasojka.com
• Sunglasses, £125, chimi-online.com
• Halterneck dress, £75, kitristudio.com
• Bias-cut dress, £60, mango.com
• Red sandals, £30, schuh.co.uk
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• Blue dress, £30, hm.com
• Green dress, £239, Faithfull the Brand, net-a-porter.com
• Bag, £324, byfar.com
• Beige sandals, £95, dunelondon.com
