It doesn’t matter which particular colour it is: the single-hue dress is ubiquitous this season. You might choose red, as I did here, but you could just as easily plump for, say, plum, or channel Cluedo’s Mrs Peacock in the drawing room, though perhaps not with lead piping as your accessory of choice.
And then there’s the La La Land yellow dress, which immediately turns its wearer into tapdancing catnip for any miserabilist artistic types lurking in the vicinity. Yeah, maybe better to steer clear of yellow, on second thoughts. Then again if Mr Glass-Half-Empty looks like Ryan Gosling, perhaps not.
It’s easy to forget that a couple of years back we were not, any of us, sporting such frocks. Indeed, when it came to daytime attire we tended not to wear dresses at all. We saved them for evening, and they were usually black. But now it’s all about the day dress.
Brands such as Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta have been quietly turning out stunning day dresses for years for ladies who lunch, and yacht, and summer in places that begin with H (the Hamptons, Hydra). But we have labels like Gucci and Vetements to thank for them going mainstream among ladies who sandwich, and bus, and may go away in the summer, but not for long enough to merit turning that noun into a verb.
Gucci’s and Vetements’ day dresses tend to be easy and breezy – forgiving at the waist and hemline. A great day dress makes life easier, especially in summer. Dress, shoes, bag, done. Admittedly, we Brits sometimes have to add a raincoat, but, gloriously, not as much this year.
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Certainly there’s none of that faff about which top half goes with which bottom, and I am not just talking sartorially. There’s nothing more forgiving of even the most generously proportioned behind than a carefully chosen frock. The all-over fabric allows the eye to glide over one’s larger bits, especially when you’re wearing a single look-at-me colour.
So if you fancy yourself in fuchsia or emerald – or think other people might – a dress is the most flattering way to put it to the test. The key is to go for a floaty fabric, a crepe or chiffon. I give you, as corroborating proof, this picture. (Sigh.) I usually look good in red, but this rib-knit style does me no favours at all.
LK Bennett’s sleek, cap-sleeved Ire style comes in ruby or sapphire (£195; lkbennett.com), Hobbs’ cold-shoulder Sienna in hot pink (£119; hobbs.co.uk). Kitri’s tie-sleeved sunshine yellow Titania style is particularly pretty (£125; kitristudio.com).
Shoot credits
Styling Prue White
Hair Ernesto Montenevo at David Artists
Make-up Julie Cooper at Terri Manduca using Nars and Aurelia Skincare