Summer linen

It is wonderful once again to be in sandals instead of boots, and to feel cool, crisp linen on my skin.

Speaking of linen, it was rather a shock to find that my 'new' lavender linen Boden dress is now four years old, but on the upside, this means I am due a new frock, as I can now feel justified in wearing the Boden one for every day and not only for posh.

I therefore wore it on Monday to go shopping, along with a long white linen coat with a Nehru neckline from Hobbs (lots of cover to please the dermatologist, since I am now sworn off the sun forever and aye). 

Being a long-time sewist, I can run up a summer frock in the course of an evening, so when I buy one it's got to offer me something special, such as a good print, piped seams, a lining, or an invisible zipper. So I knew pretty exactly what I was looking for from my new dress:

1 Pale blue.

2 Floral.

3 Quality linen.

4 V-neck.

6 Sleeveless, so it can be worn alone, over t-shirts or under a top layer. Besides, nothing dates a dress like the sleevehead. 

7 Long, so I can go bare-legged.

And above, folks, after a bit of scouting around, is the very dress.

This little Monsoon number cost me £7.50 on Ebay, though I had to bid for it twice (I dropped out at about 16 quid the first time it appeared, when it was better photographed and therefore looked more desireable). So I hope it will be winging its way to me (or at least splashing) very soon. 

I did notice, however, that my criteria for a dress were only met by certain makes, so thought I would share the information. Here, in no particular order are the brands that seem to me to go that extra mile when it comes to design offerings that will suit a mid-life babe:

1 Monsoon - good silk dresses as well as linens in vibrant colours and nice prints as well as plains.

2 Boden - excellent stretch, wrap viscose dresses, plus linens with flare and interesting edgings.

3 Hobbs - arty, intellectual dresses with interesting design details. In fact my favourite linen items are all by Hobbs.

4 Per Una - flirty, feminine dresses with lots of volume at the hem, plus the same design in skirts.

5 Laura Ashley - basic linen dresses with thin cotton linings.

6 Phase Eight - pretty dresses with feminine details.