What? A maxi dress: a 1970s-inspired, floor-sweeping, often patterned, casually glamorous gown. Think sirens such as Talitha Getty, Joni Mitchell, Jane Fonda.
Where? Other than Mustique? Try Etro, Roberto Cavalli, D&G, Missoni, Bally or Jean Paul Gaultier – and then try not to feel like you need to be standing on a sun-dappled terrace gazing out over an azure sea, or romping through fields of bluebells.
Why? What do they say on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Let’s ask the experts.
“A 1970s maxi-dress is great for almost any summer party,” says Alice Temperley. She should know: she is famous not only for her ability to create the perfect party dress but for throwing one of the best parties of the season every July at her family home in Somerset. According to the designer, a maxi-dress works “barefoot, outside, at people’s houses, on the beach, in the country” – you name the occasion, you can wear it. “It’s dressy and casual all at the same time. Plus dresses are very easy to wear and if you are a host it’s important to be comfortable.”
Temperley also has some tips on how to comport oneself in a hostess dress: (1) pay attention to environment – “I use candles, lanterns, taxidermy, anything to make it feel eclectic and amusing”; (2) think appropriate numbers – “For a dinner party, six to eight; 12 is too much if you have to clear up”; (3) be seasonally aware – “In winter, you can be more opulent, but unashamed glamour can look a bit stupid in summer. When it’s dark you can really dress up. But either way, you always need one great thing in an outfit to look at – if I‘m having a formal dinner party, for example, I’ll often wear a long black dress and costume jewellery – it gives you a topic of conversation straight away.”
Should you invest? Do birds fly? Does Barack Obama orate? Does Carla Sarkozy add glamour to the Elysée Palace? Come on. Comfortable, easy, subliminal associations with Jerry Hall in her heyday ... this look has no drawbacks – except, perhaps, droopy jersey and a badly tailored bodice. So if you go the high-street route, do try on the dress before you hit the fantasy highway for Ibiza.
