Dresses

This is the full dress collection: a hundred and seven styles, from cotton day dresses to floor-length satin gowns, designed in London and made for the way British occasions actually run. Sizes XS to XXXL and UK 6 to UK 26, with free UK delivery on every order and free 14-day returns.

If you already know what you are looking for, the fastest routes are by length, by occasion or by colour. If you do not, start here.

By length

  • Maxi dresses — sixty-two styles, floor-length. The most versatile length we sell: right for a summer wedding, a winter black-tie dinner and a beach holiday, depending entirely on the fabric.
  • Midi dresses — twenty-four styles, at or below the knee. Reads better in city venues and register offices than a full-length hem, and the easiest length to wear again afterwards.
  • Mini dresses — nineteen styles, above the knee. Built for nights out, birthdays and warm holidays.

By occasion

Most dresses fail not because of the dress but because of the brief. Work out the occasion first and the rest gets simple.

Formal dresses and black tie — floor-length, structured fabric, deeper colour. Our evening dresses cover this end, in satin and embellishment.

Weddings — the brief changes depending on where you sit. Wedding guest dresses for the congregation, bridesmaid dresses for the party, both avoiding white and cream.

Parties, birthdays and graduations — a birthday dress or a graduation dress wants to photograph well and survive a long night. Our party dresses and sequin dresses live here.

Summer and holidays — light cotton and chiffon, easy shapes, colour. The Holiday Shop gathers the sixty styles that pack well and recover from a suitcase.

Everyday — thirty-eight of these are cut as day dresses: sleeveless, unfussy, and worn with flat sandals or trainers rather than heels.

By colour

The collection runs heaviest in black, then green and blue. A black dress is still the most searched and the most worn, and we carry twenty-four across every length and fabric. Green — sage, emerald, olive — has become the most requested occasion colour in the UK and photographs beautifully in daylight and low light alike.

Beyond those: blue and navy, white, yellow in both bright and butter tones, pink from dusty rose to fuchsia, red, purple and champagne beige. Each style is shown in the colour it is sold in, so what you see on the page is what arrives.

By shape, and what suits what

A-line dresses skim from the bust and fall away. The most forgiving cut here and the easiest to wear for twelve hours — eighteen styles.

Bodycon and ruched follow the body and smooth through the middle. Sharpest in photographs, least forgiving on sizing — twenty-nine styles.

Mermaid sits close to the knee then flares. Formal and dramatic, and it wants your true hip measurement rather than your usual dress size.

Halter, one-shoulder and V-neck are the three necklines we carry most. A halter or one-shoulder gives structure at the top without covering the arms; a deep V lengthens the line. Twenty-six styles are backless or open-backed, which puts the detail where the camera usually is.

Sizing, petite and plus size

Most of this collection is sold in letter sizes from XS to XXXL, and a smaller group in UK numeric sizes from 6 to 26 including the wider W fittings. Our full measurements for both, in centimetres, are on the size guide.

Our dresses are true to size. Between two sizes, take the larger in satin and chiffon and your usual size in anything with stretch. Measure bust, waist and hips and order to the largest of the three — a dress can be taken in locally, it cannot be let out.

If you are petite, our maxi dresses are cut for around 5'7" without heels, so plan for a heel or a hem; midi styles are the easier route. If you are looking for a plus size dress, the ruched and A-line cuts hold their shape best across the widest range of measurements, and the numeric styles run to UK 26 in the same colours as the smaller sizes. For maternity, the empire-waist and A-line chiffon styles have the most room to grow into, and a lace-up back gives roughly a size of adjustment either way.

Fabric, and what it means in practice

Satin holds a clean line and reads rich in low light. Best for evening, least forgiving across the middle. Chiffon moves, breathes and forgives a warm room — the daylight and summer answer. Lace reads more formal than either. Sequin and embellished styles are for the evenings that ask for it. Cotton and jersey day dresses are the ones you will wear most often and think about least.

Delivery, returns and getting the size right

UK delivery is free on every order with no minimum spend, and takes around seven working days. Returns are free within 14 days with a prepaid label already in the box, so if you are between sizes, order both and send one back at no cost.

For an event, order three to four weeks ahead. Almost everyone needs one exchange, and the difference between a calm swap and a panic is entirely a question of when you ordered.