and big sunglasses and wore it when we were filming Coleen’s Real Women in Ibiza. It was a great summer look for me. Longer, fresh cotton styles worn with a big, tan-coloured, leather belt are also a look that I like, while silky shifts are great for evening. One of the nicest ones I saw was at Warehouse: it was cream with a lovely blue and red Paisley pattern on it. It must have been popular with everyone else, too, as I had to go online to get it! I also think that French Connection are really good for shift dresses.
A white cotton shift looks lovely and fresh in summer. Dress it up at night with a pair of glamorous jewel-coloured sandals
Getting the fit right
Shifts are great for those people whose figures might be slightly thicker round the middle and for anyone who has slim hips and legs. Wearing a big belt around the hips will add style – and shape – to your body, and stop your shift dress looking like a coal sack (a look I’m quite sure you will not be trying to achieve!). Fuller figures might want to try whipping out that big belt to pull the shift in at the waist – again, this gives definition and shape – while those with petite figures might choose a style that is shorter in length and that skims the body.
Dress, Temperley London; shoes, Jimmy Choo.
Fitting the shift into your style
Mini-shifts look fantastic with bare, tanned legs, and while flat shoes are generally the best bet when wearing mini styles, wedges look great with them, too. Opaque black tights and platform shoes can look quite funky if you want to wear mini-shifts in winter. I’d also say that printed styles speak for themselves and probably don’t need any extras. My favourite way to wear mini-shifts is in plain cream or white, which I accessorize with loads of gold necklaces and nothing else. You can also wear this kind of dress at night and do the same thing. If it’s in more of a party style, though, with lots of detail at the neck or something, I wouldn’t overload it because, really, the detail’s in the dress. I had a beautiful cream and black shift with sequined flowers around the top half of the dress – it just looked so lovely as it was. My brother’s girlfriend got a similar one from ASOS.com. Both showed me exactly why dresses are a one-stop style fix.
Photograph © Dave M. Benett/Getty Images.
Wearing platforms with a shift gives it a more on-trend look.
Shoes, Yves Saint Laurent.
THE GODDESS
Perfect for grown-up glamour
Grecian-style dresses always seem to be in fashion and this draped dress look is really one of my all-time favourites. Jennifer Lopez seems to like it a lot as well, and I love looking at those beautiful, long gowns she wears when she is photographed on the red carpet.
Dress, ASOS.
I think it’s the soft caramel and blush colours these dresses come in that also makes me like them – they’re just so classic and simple-looking. No wonder they are called Goddess dresses: the way the draped fabric moves so nicely on your body; the way your shoulders are on show, and the fact that they seem to highlight all your best bits, can certainly make you feel like a goddess! Topshop have a few variations on this style, and I saw a great goddess dress by Love Label in the Littlewoods Direct catalogue (where Amanda Wakeley also does a line). All Saints do ones that can be dressed up or down, and I’d also try ASOS.
Getting the fit right
Draped dresses look great on tall, petite or straight-up-and-down figures. All the folds of fabric and gathering that are the basis of these designs can make a curvier figure look fuller, but if the dress has a plunging neckline and good structure at the bust it can look really nice and sexy. Someone like Beyoncé carries it off brilliantly. Anyone with a small waist and fuller hips can also wear this look well. The goddess dress is maybe not the one I’d pull on if I was having a ‘sticky-out-stomach’ day, but I really wouldn’t be put off, as that’s not to say that if you don’t have a straight shape and you see one you like that you shouldn’t try it on (think of how great J Lo, with her famously curvy bum, looks in them); I’m just pointing out the pitfalls. So do try it on in different styles: you’ll know yourself whether it’s a look you feel comfortable wearing.
Fitting the goddess dress into your look
I think that this is a lovely, classic look that’s great for summer. During the day I’d wear a shorter, on-the-knee style in a neutral colour – like grey, coral or sand – and dress it up with some gold jewellery. Or I might wear a gold arm cuff studded with coloured stones, like jade or turquoise. I’d probably wear flat sandals with a fine thong in gold or natural leather, and a belt to match.
During the day I’d wear a short, draped style in a soft tone like coral or sand.
If I was wearing this look at night, I’d definitely go for a longer, maxi style, as I like full-length dresses and I think they work well for formal occasions. In fact, the Temperley London dress that I wore to the Beckhams’ Full Length and Fabulous party had elements of this look. I wore heels to add height, and I’d say that if you do the same it’s important that the dress is long enough so that only your toes show when you are walking. If it’s too short, the dress will take on a whole new look of its own and lose the classic, draped effect. The aqua-marine colour of my Temperley London dress was perfect for evening, and Boodles lent me a stunning jewelled necklace that night, which, I thought, was just the right side of bling. I had my hair pulled up in a classic bun shape, but I think long, loose waves look good, too.
Dress, Amanda Wakeley.
THE SHIRTDRESS
Perfect for everyday chic
Shirtdresses give you that classic ‘effortless chic’ look – someone like Claudia Schiffer might wear one with just a pair of great sunglasses and a smart structured handbag. Shirtdresses are brilliant for those days when you want to be smart but a little casual, too, and styles that sit just above the knee are definitely the most elegant. A shirtdress can look classically sexy, making it a good day-to-night outfit: I’d just add wedges or a nice round-toe court shoe in tan or some flat sandals and a wide belt to dress it up. Or I’d go for a thinner patent belt with gold detail on it.
Getting the fit right
The main thing with a shirtdress is not to wear it too tight or too baggy. If it’s too tight the buttons will pull open and you don’t want to expose more than you bargained for; if it’s too loose, it can swamp your shape. If shirt shapes tend to fit you round the back but pull at the bust, wear a lace-trimmed camisole or vest underneath. If you’ve got a leaner, straight-up-and-down body shape you’ll look great
