Plus: Lisa solves your fashion dilemmas below
Everyone and their agent has been eulogising M&S’s fashion offering this season – which always makes a soul suspicious. It’s not as if we haven’t been here before with the nation’s most scrutinised clothier.
Thing is, none of us can vouch for everything on their website. What I can tell you is that this £49.50 fit-for-a-posh-do dress is great… well cut with a flattering silhouette that’s good on big and smaller boobs, skimmy over the tummy and 100 per cent breathable viscose rather than polyester, a fabric I avoid where possible because it’s sweaty and never going to decompose even after nothing else is left of our civilisation.
And, no, I don’t buy into all the recycled polyester being peddled these days. The process often involves chemicals. But on the high street, polyester is not always easy to avoid. Mango has a one-shoulder jumpsuit and Whistles a green-edged white-on-navy polka-dot dress, both polyester, and I have to admit, both look floatily good.
Back to M&S and polka dots. More specifically, polka dots on a brown background. Shades of Pretty Woman, it’s true, and no one in their right mind wants to compete with Julia Roberts. But it’s quite rare to find polka dots that aren’t on a black background (a bit harsh on some complexions), navy (a bit wintery) or white (sometimes good, sometimes bad, depending on the shade of white and the spacing of the dots).
Silk dress, £1,078, The Irish Twin
Some women dismiss polka dots as twee, or think they’re too old to wear them. Whaaat? As Julia Roberts didn’t quite say in Pretty Woman, a big mistake. Huge.
Sure, they can be cutesy. But Saint Laurent regularly returns to polka dots, and SL is an anything but cute aesthetic. The Irish Twin’s silk dress (above) is hardly Play School either – rather it’s a killer evening look you could wear year in and out. The label, founded by Jill Bauwens, who used to work for The Kooples (which, under her, was a good place to get that Saint Laurent look for less), produces small batches and builds to last. Hence the price.
Linen and cotton blend skirt, £165, Sezane
Generally, polka dot is a highly accommodating print that doesn’t overpower, unless the dots are too large for your frame. At 5ft 4in, I find the smaller they are, the more wearable. Dresses obviously make everything simpler, but if you wear separates, a polka-dot blouse is quite a straightforward add.
Saint Laurent blouse, £454.25, Vestiaire
Cotton shirt, £150, Essentiel Antwerp
Mix and match your dots with stripes or checks. Use them to demilitarise strict tailoring. A silky dot blouse will spruce up denim, make suiting look less severe… For a sophisticated look, Jill Bauwens suggests accessorising polka dots with big gold jewellery, which adds a touch of elegance. For a more relaxed vibe she pairs polka dots with vintage Levi’s or a white T-shirt.
As she says, ‘It’s about balancing the playful nature of polka dots with the chic and the classic.’ Style generally is.
Try these
Viscose dress, £265, Rixo
Pleated trousers, £79.99, Mango
Bikini top, £165 and bottoms, £130, Zimmermann
Lisa wears: Straw hat, £195, V V Rouleaux (in store at 102 Marylebone Lane, London, W1U 2QD); Polka dot dress, £49.50, Marks & Spencer; Leather shoes, £115, & Other Stories; Tiger’s eye and gold plated earrings, £85, Ballinger; Sunglasses, £50, Izipizi; all other jewellery, Lisa’s own
Hair and makeup: Oonagh Connor at Joy Goodman using Sweed and Living Proof
Styling: Sophie Tobin
Stylist assistant: Hansveni Dave
Location: Middle Temple Hall and private gardens can be booked for celebrations, & weddings, please contact: events@middletemple.org.uk
Lisa solves your style dilemmas
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