Floral Puff Sleeve Smocked Maxi Dress in Coffee Brown

A smocked bodice is one of the quietest pieces of clever design in a wardrobe. It gathers the fabric into elastic panels that grip gently at the chest, which means the dress holds itself up and shapes itself to you without a single zip, hook or fastening involved. Add puff sleeves at the shoulder, a ruffled finish and a floral print across coffee brown, and you have a dress that looks romantic while being genuinely straightforward to wear.

The fabric is 95% cotton and 5% spandex, and the body is not lined. That is a good ratio for a dress like this. Cotton carries the print properly and breathes when the day gets hot, while the small amount of spandex is what gives the smocking its stretch and the fabric its slight give. Coffee brown is a more interesting choice than the usual summer pastel. It is warm and grounded, it makes a floral print look considered rather than sweet, and it sits beautifully against tan leather and gold.

Sizes run S through XL. Length measures 49.6 inches on a size S and rises to 52 inches on an XL, so this is a full maxi across the range. The waist runs 26 to 33.9 inches and the bust 31.5 to 39.4 inches from S to XL, with the smocking giving at the bodice. Because the top does the gripping, the skirt is free to fall long and loose, which is the whole appeal on a hot day. Wear it with flat sandals and a straw bag through the daytime, add a denim jacket when the evening cools, or put a heeled sandal and gold hoops with it for dinner. It is the sort of dress that gets packed for a holiday and then worn four days out of seven.

Why you will love it

• Material composition: 95%cotton,5%spandex
• Stretch: Slightly stretchy
• Body: Not lined
• Features: Smocked
• Smocked bodice with puff sleeves at the shoulder
• Floral print on a coffee brown ground
• Sizes S through XL

Care

• Machine wash cold.
• Tumble dry low.