Get Dressy: Comfort dressing ventures into voluminous territory
Lockdown has, once and for all, solidified my status as a huge dress enthusiast. Emphasis on huge. Even as I write these words, I am sprawled on my sofa, swathed in a voluminous dress that is effectively a parachute. I feel like I’ve hacked the metaphorical system- it’s the absolute height of comfort. “Why would you even think about wearing a dress when you could be wearing pyjamas?” I hear you ask, so here I am to present my reasoning.
I’ve found that putting one on gives me a sense of purpose or direction that I wouldn’t otherwise feel at the beginning of another day in quarantine. Especially when that dress isn’t afraid to take up a fair amount of room and doesn’t shy away from a few extra metres of fabric. You know, the kind that are hugely oversized, tiered, perhaps with puffed or exaggerated sleeves. Sack-like and nightgown-ish, but admirably audacious in their billowiness.
They won’t do anything for your figure but aren’t really designed to, which happily takes the pressure off. Weight? Age? Height? All blissfully irrelevant for once. This is a one-size-finally-fits-all type of solution. I mean, I love my PJ’s as aggressively as the next girl, but… there’s just something so alluring about getting dressed when it’s not even socially called for anymore. What can I say? I’m a rebel.
Please do not be under any illusion, when I say “dress”, that I mean anything remotely form-fitting. God, no. In fact, the roomier, the wider, the bolder, the better. I can still enjoy the act of getting dressed, and the faux normality that brings me, but without compromising comfort or restricting my body in any way. What’s more, these dresses are everywhere right now, so aren’t difficult to source. If anything, it’s far too easy. Yet again, my enabler the internet prevails.
I realise I have become quite passionate about dresses of the tent variety, but they’re somewhat lifechanging. Despite rising to en vogue status somewhat recently, (I owe my life to you, Cecilie Bahnsen) lockdown has offered this style another chance to thrive. So in celebration of what may be their finest hour, it’s time to trade in some stress for a dress.
I insist that you treat yourself to the most outrageously spacy design you can find, preferably in a violently electric shade. Think of yourself as Villanelle from Killing Eve, in her series 1 pink Molly Goddard moment. The only difference being that, all you’re trying to kill is a brand new excess of spare time.
With that being said, let me attempt to recruit you with a selection of my personal favourite dresses. If jumping on that particular bandwagon sounds appealing, then welcome to the cult- uhh no, sorry, club. There’s a maximum comfort dress out there for everyone- find one that takes your fancy, then style it with chunky sandals and your most extra accessories. If you’ve never been a casual dress wearer before, this is the perfect opportunity to experiment with a new lifestyle. I don’t mean to scare you- I’m simply calling it what it has become for me. So go wild, push the boat out and get yourself dressed.
Opening image: Cecilie Bahnsen SS20
