The Daily Telegraph - 07.08.2019

The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 7 August 2019 *** 21

Fashion cycle:

Radhika’s swap

picks include an

‘Aperol Spritz’ slip

dress, left, and a

navy camisole,

right. Below,

Lauren Bravo in a

slip dress and

Caroline Jones

wearing a skirt,

both found at

the swap

shopping can be stressful, this feels

more like being at a big party. Most

people have come alone, and happily

offer compliments and advice to each

other as they browse the rails. I hear

one woman telling another stranger,

“This doesn’t work for me, but I think

it will look good on you” – and it does.

One negative is the narrow range of

sizes (mainly small to medium) and I

come away with some items knowing

they’ll need to be altered. Lauren

Bravo, a fashion journalist, struggles

to find a decent selection in

her size. “Larger sizes are

harder to come by, even in

second-hand sales,” she says.

“It’s because they still mimic

the high street. But the only

way to change this is for more

of us to keep going along to

charity shops and swaps, so that

hopefully they keep getting

better and better.”

At times, it does get

competitive. There is a

browsing period before

the swap starts, and many

people sneakily move their

favourites into a corner so

they can stand by them until it’s time

to officially shop. “It’s a bit naughty,”

says one 49-year-old vintage lover,

who came along to the event after

seeing it on Instagram and is

hovering near a few floral items

she’s carefully laid out on the

side. “But everyone does it.”

With this permission from

a regular swapper, I follow suit

and manage to come away with

four items I adore: the once-loved

navy Cos and Aperol silk dresses, a

navy camisole and a brightly patterned

silk shirt that I liked two years ago in

Zara but couldn’t find in my size. Then

there’s a silk red Cos blouse I can’t

make my mind up over. It’s lovely,

but I rarely wear bright colours, and

I can easily see it becoming one of

those items that hangs in my wardrobe

forever, making me feel guilty each

time I look at it.

But then I remember the crucial

message of circular fashion, and the

whole ethos behind the rise of clothes

swaps. If I’m not spending money or

contributing to the harmful impact

of fast fashion, then it doesn’t matter

if I only wear this top once. All I need

to do is take care of it, enjoy it while I

have it – and then remember to bring

it along to the next clothes swap,

where I can exchange it for something

else that comes with its own rich,

complex story, doubtless filled with

JOHN NGUYEN/JNVISUALS guilt, love and buyers’ regret.

the dress of the summer

including Pandora Sykes, Laura

Fantacci and Blanca Miró.

“The high-summer nightdress style

has become the 24-hour summer

wardrobe staple. They are easy breezy

pieces, super-lightweight, easy to

pack,” says Elizabeth von der Goltz,

global buying director at Net-a-Porter.

Ease and versatility is certainly a

perk of the nightie trend. Though

far too lovely to actually go to bed in

to making sure these don’t look

like actual nighties: check for

transparency in both natural and

artificial light.

Coming in cool cottons and silks

and relaxed silhouettes with plenty of

waft, the daytime nightie is a stylish

summer dressing solution. And with

several interpretations of the style

currently on offer – from frilly to silky

• there’s a nightie to suit all.

(although the option is there), these

dresses can take you from garden

lounging and lunch with friends to

summer holidays: use as a poolside

cover-up, then restyle for al-fresco

dinners. The right nightie can even

work for summer events; Gwyneth

Paltrow wore a floor-sweeping lemon

gown with baby doll shirring on this

year’s Met Gala red carpet.

The opacity of the fabric is key

7 TIPS FOR

CLOTHES

SWAPPING

� Ignore the size

label and be sure

to try things

on, since sizing

is inconsistent

across different

brands (and

remember that

anything a bit

too big can be

altered to fit)

� Check for rips,

tears or stains:

condition is key

� Avoid “of the

moment” buys,

like that Zara

dress, as they’ll

date faster

� Look in your

wardrobe

before you go, to

remind yourself

of any gaps that

need filling

� ... but also go

in with an open

mind, rather

than a shopping

list, as you can’t

predict what

you’ll find

� Pay attention

to fabrics:

high-quality

compositions

will last longer

� Check the care

label, lest you

end up with a

whopping dry-

cleaning bill

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Fashion

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The boudoir

wrap

In silk, satin or linen and

with a fluid silhouette,

think of this as an

elevated version of the

housecoat (one that’s

far too nice to simply

stay indoors in).

None come more

luxe than those by

Antwerp-based label

Bernadette, whose

printed silk crêpe de

chine peignoir robes

(£880, selfridges.com)

draw inspiration from

vintage nightgowns

and can be worn

as dresses or open

over palazzos and

a camisole.

At the more

affordable end of the

spectrum, this Kitri

emerald jacquard

Odile wrap is a

great option for

summer evenings

and could be dressed

down with flats or

glammed-up with heels

and dazzling jewels.

By day, try Sleeper’s

linen shawl-collared robe

(£185, the-sleeper.com)

with stylish bamboo

buckled belt.

The Seventies

smock

Last seen in Laura Ashley

circa 1975, the ruffled-hem

floral smock has become

one of the summer’s

surprise sartorial big-hitters

and makes for a stylishly

retro take on the trend.

Florentine linen house

Loretta Caponi (of which

Madonna and Nicole

Kidman are fans) leads

the smock revival thanks

to its exclusive collection

with MatchesFashion.com,

which comprises cotton

maxi-length styles in kitsch,

ditsy prints. The elasticated

frilled collars give the dresses

extra versatility, as they can

be worn high-necked and

demure or off-the-shoulder

and sassy. Style with slides

for the beach, switching to

strappy sandals for evening.

Sleeper’s versatile dress

can be worn belted or loose,

while Topshop’s bestselling

pintuck smock (£49,

topshop.com) has a frilled

yoke for prairie appeal.

For a bohemian take,

Dilli Grey’s tassel-tie maxi

(£79, dilligrey.com) is

loose-fitting – handy if

you’ve decided on two

scoops of ice cream.

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The vintage

nightgown

With pretty lace panels,

broderie anglaise trims,

puffed sleeves and petticoat

skirts straight from a Jane

Austen novel, the white

vintage nightie makes for a

romantic take on the trend.

US label Dôen has

become a go-to brand for

dresses with period drama

appeal: Alexa Chung wore

its empire-line Rowan in

bias-cut silk to Glastonbury

this year. LoveShackFancy

offers feminine styles with

throw-on-and-go ease; wear

the Selma crochet maxi

dress (£528.34, net-a-porter.

com) for sunny picnics –

though make sure you sit

on a blanket to avoid grass

stains. On the high street,

Zara and & Other Stories

have myriad iterations.

Give your white nightie

a contemporary twist

by teaming it with sleek

accessories; a pair of leather

sandals will work while

the weather is warm, then

come autumn, replace with

lace-up boots and layer

over a trench. Heeled mules

and statement jewels will

elevate the look for

dressy occasions.

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Viscose wrap

dress, £165

(kitristudio.com)

Linen smock

dress, £230

(the-sleeper.

com)

F

or about 25 minutes

of the hottest day

ever on record in

the UK, I was loving

life, a happy sun

worshipper. For

the other 23-and-a-bit

hours? I was sweaty,

stressed and had a heat

rash. No dress I changed

into proved The One to

take on 38.7 degrees.

Dressing for the heat is

all about practicality –

choosing the lightest-weight

option, the most breathable

fabric, the colour that will

best disguise sweat patches –

which doesn’t leave much

room for fashion

experimentation. But I’ve

realised that there’s another

sartorial joy to be found in

summer: dressing for the

evenings.

While in winter I usually

wear outfits from day into

night, cooler summer

evenings put dressing for

dinner (or drinks) back on the

agenda. The silk! The satin!

Both ruled out in the glaring

daytime heat thanks to those

sweat patches, but back on

the menu once the sun goes

down. Satin midi dresses

veer into city-wedding-guest

territory, so instead I’ve

looked to separates, and found

myself returning to a beloved

old combo: jeans and a “nice”

top. A silky blouse with

mid-blue jeans and strappy

low heels is a no-brainer

for smart/casual evening

dressing, though I updated

it (for karaoke) with cream

palazzo trousers instead.

Also: accessories. You can

have so much more fun with

bags when you don’t need

to ensure that you

have room for a mini

fan, umbrella and

four packs of

blotting paper.

Since I only need

to worry about my

lipstick, phone

and keys, I go for

a silk or velvet

pouch. I picked a

burgundy fringed

one up in the Mango

sale, but its new

season iteration is

fabulous and

feathered.

Hair up (still the

best way to go if the

temperature has only

summer evening shoes. The

ones to be spotted in this

season are strappy mules in

white or metallic: & Other

Stories is doing the best. By

day, I rarely opt for any kind of

heel – they’ll always hurt after

10+ hours of wear – but I’ll do

a mid-height block for dinner

or drinks.

GETTING DRESSED (WITHOUT THE FUSS)

�rissy urner

dropped a few degrees) means

you can show off great

earrings. I love pearl drops or

dangly coloured gems that

complement both pastels and

jewel tones nicely. Carousel

(carouseljewels.com) is great

for this, but for a bargain,

head to Reserved and Zara.

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Mismatched earrings, £7.99

(reserved.com)

Fenty Beauty lipstick in Hot

Blooded, £18

(harveynichols.com)

Blouse, £49

(kitristudio.com)

Leather sandals, £29.99

(zara.com)

Satin midi skirt, £65

(stories.com)

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Cooler

summer

evenings

put dressing

up back on

the agenda.

The silk!

The satin!

Finding

the joy of

dressing

for dinner

once again

Feathers bag,

£49.99

(mango.com)

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