Unlike most British women, who pull on skimpy summer clothes the second the sun offers up the weakest of rays, I remain fully covered until the last possible moment. As a consequence, the first time I venture out with bare legs I feel positively naked. It was not until a couple of weeks ago that I bit the bullet and wore a dress.
For the first half an hour I felt like a fraud — and couldn’t stop staring at the extreme whiteness of my legs, but by the end of lunch they had changed from blue to a charming alabaster — helped by a pedicure and perfect red toenails — and I felt as light and airy as my outfit.
Summer dresses are a breed apart from smart work dresses, evening dresses or party dresses — although a good dress will perform more than one role. The problem that can arise with the prettier versions — and this year the fashion is for whimsical little chiffon numbers — is that they don’t seem serious enough for office wear.
Admittedly the sleeveless, plunge-neck versions probably won’t be worn to work unless you are lucky enough to work in a very relaxed or fashion-conscious environment, but there are plenty of more subdued styles to choose from.
A very flattering shape is the wrap dress, although avoid this style if you have either a very large or very small bust. There are many versions on the high street — this one from Next is excellent value. If you fall in love with the style, wrap dresses have become a must-have item. The cult Diane von Furstenberg dresses in imaginative prints and bold colours or plain black for purists are worth the several hundred pounds they cost as they are investment pieces.
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For the very wealthy or the fashion-obsessed, we’ve included this mint print wrap dress from Clements Ribeiro. This is a beautiful dress with its froth of layered chiffon and delicate mint green print. But at £705, even I would find this purchase hard to justify. Something to aspire to I suppose.
Wrap dresses are not the only style of summer dress but they are one of the easiest to wear. For more suitable office dressing, a simple shift is a classic but doesn’t really capture the romance of summer that is so beautifully obvious in the light styles fashionable this year. Even a die-hard minimalist will find it hard not to embrace her softer side.
There is virtually every shade of the rainbow in the shops this summer. Floral patterns are also hard to escape, often as big and bold as the colours themselves. As you have probably had drilled into you by now, green is the colour of the season, my choice being either a delicate mint or a brighter grass green.
Just remember to get a pedicure and leg wax before you start and if you are flirting with a number of different shades of clothing, classic 1950s red nail varnish goes with almost everything.