Plus: Lisa solves your fashion dilemmas below
You wait years for an invitation to a posh garden party or wedding to come along, and when it does, you descend into the seventh circle of futile outfit shopping.
It’s not that there aren’t plenty of pretty summer dresses around, but they all seem to be designed for Dua Lipa. Slits here, no bra there, transparency everywhere.
The fabric needs to be breathable and decent-quality (silk, broderie anglaise, viscose, Tencel).
Cheesecloth is way too casual. Most other cottons and linens are, too. Masses of sequins and anything that might catch the sun and inadvertently cause a forest fire are way too Alexis Colby. We’re in that cranny between garden and actual party. There’s nowhere to hide something a bit cheap-looking in full sunlight. If your budget is tight, this is the time to hire (the hat as well if you’re wearing one).
Viscose shirt dress, £245, Rixo; Silk-blend skirt, £495, Wiggy Kit; Silk wrap dress, £420, Jasper Conran
There are ways to make a simple dress look fancier: classic court shoes in satin or patent; gold or enamel cuffs; a stylish hat with a brim that will provide some eye-catching definition to your dress, rather than a fascinator; good underwear with plenty of support. This is not the time or place for bra straps to be on show. Opt for a neat clutch over a bulky work bag or a cross-body that will ruin the way your dress falls.
Jasper Conran’s silk wrap dresses are ideal – slimmer cut than his cotton versions, with a good degree of adjustable cover for full or small busts (we’ve tried them in the office). A V-neck is generally more flattering than all the round and square necklines on those What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? bouffy dresses that are everywhere. (They can be cute on younger women, but some things don’t travel well across age zones.) Nothing so tight that it will make you self-conscious, but nothing too voluminous either, unless you’re tall and confident. Silhouette-wise, you can’t beat a fit and flare in a soft, drapey fabric.
Colour turns basic silhouettes into something striking. Even if you usually wear monochrome, it’s worth at least trying some boundary pushing for fun.
Don’t attempt to belt something not designed to be belted – it will sit awkwardly. And avoid shirt dresses with cut-away shirt hems – they’re for holidays. You might need a top layer if it’s chilly. Sézane’s Betty cardigan (£130), which comes in a variety of shades, some with crochet trims, is very chic. Shoes should be block-heeled or wedges, so you don’t sink into the grass, or mid-height like mine here.
The toile de Jouy skirt here is lovely. There’s also a matching opera coat, which could be wonderful over slim trousers. A trouser suit can work too, although when I attended a garden party for the creative industries at Buckingham Palace recently (wearing the outfit I’m pictured in here), 95 per cent of the women there wore dresses, even though the dress code allowed for trousers. There’s something about a garden that brings out the traditionalists in us.
Try these...
Toteme sateen dress, rent from £35, By Rotation; Silk dress, £299, Nrby; Silk and viscose dress, £360, Cefinn
Textured-cotton dress, £325, Me+Em; Broderie-anglaise dress, £390, Essentiel Antwerp
Lisa wears: Crêpe dress, £535, and patent shoes, £350, both The Fold; Hat, from a selection, Jane Taylor London; Leather clutch, £365, DeMellier; Jewellery, Lisa’s own. Photographs: Sarah Brick. Hair and make-up: Oonagh Connor at Joy Goodman, using Naked Sundays and Ren
Lisa solves your style dilemmas
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