What I Wore: The perfect day dress

It’s Wednesday..

..so it’s what I wore

Animal print shift dress – La Redoute, black opaques – Wolford, watch – Michael Kors

I love wearing dresses but good day dresses can be hard to find. It’s easy to feel too dressed up in a dress I think and then you get the ‘Oooh where are you off to?’ comments at the school gate (when the reality is that you’re just heading home to clean the bathroom, you know?) I have to say that I would much rather be over dressed than under dressed. That’s just who I am. Sequins on the school run, anyone? But that said, I don’t want to feel trussed up like a prize turkey. I might like wearing dresses but they have to be practical too as I still need to be able to bomb up the road chasing behind my children on their scooters. I do think that it is possible to find that happy medium though and for me, that comes in the form of a shift dress. The perfect day dress.

Back in the day when I used to have A Very Important Job the classic shift with matching suit jacket used to be my power outfit of choice. I think this is what put me off wearing them for a long time after walking away from my corporate life to be honest! But the shift dresses I used to wear back then were a much smarter (tighter!) fit than the ones I am talking about here. My perfect shift dress now comes with cap or short sleeves and has a very loose fit. This more fluid style of dress is much more flattering not to mention comfortable and is also really versatile. I can wear a long sleeved top underneath or pop over a cardigan on chillier days and it gives it a whole new look. When buying new clothes these days, I often look for things that can be worn with things I already have in my wardrobe. The older I get, the harder I expect my wardrobe to work for me if that makes sense?

The shift dress I’m wearing today was an absolute bargain in the sale from La Redoute. You know me, I can’t resist a bit of animal print but I love the muted tones of black, cream and teal in this dress. It’s made from a lovely silky material so hangs really loosely which I like and it’s perfect to throw on with just some plain old black opaques and ankle boots. One of of the very best things about finding your perfect style of day dress is that mornings suddenly become so much easier. Dress, tights, boots and you’re ready to go! Add a scarf or cardigan and you have a new look in an instant! I guess this comes back to what I was saying the other day about ignoring the fashion rules and finding my own style. I’ve found the perfect day dress for me.

So that was me, what have you been wearing this week? What makes a perfect day dress for you?