4.5 ★Earthy OrangeVelvet maxi dress
The catalogue flagship: a short-sleeve V-neck velvet maxi carried in seven colourways.
Fabric: Velvet

$52.99
Check price & buyStraps come off. The bodice is smocked with an elastic band across the bust that holds on its own, and the thin shoulder straps detach, so one dress is a cami sundress on a beach afternoon and strapless at a reception that evening. Tiered chiffon hangs below a high smocked waist, printed floral, in blue or army green. The chiffon creases in transit and the maker says so plainly, asking for a gentle iron before the first wear.
In stock at the last check, but the listing was running low; colours and sizes may thin out.
Two spaghetti straps, on or off. Off, the elastic smocking at the bust does the holding and the back is left open; on, it reads as an ordinary cami sundress. That is the whole case for choosing it over a fixed-strap floral.
Elastic shirring runs across the bust and again at the high waist, so the top half grips in two places rather than one. That is the usual reason a strapless cut with no fastenings stays where it was put through a long evening.
The maker warns that the fabric wrinkles in transit and asks for a gentle iron to bring the drape back. Better done in the week before the event than on the morning of it, since tiers hold folds longer than a plain skirt.
Strapless with the option of straps, which is a short way of saying it covers two dress codes from one bag.
Sizes run S to XL with an unusual middle step: M covers 8-11 rather than the usual 8-10. The smocked band at the bust and the shirred high waist handle the fit, the back is open when the straps come off, and there is nothing to fasten.
4.5 ★Earthy OrangeThe catalogue flagship: a short-sleeve V-neck velvet maxi carried in seven colourways.
Fabric: Velvet
4.3 ★Lake BlueLined chiffon with a fully smocked top and flutter sleeves, in lake blue, pink and a navy leaf print.
Fabric: Chiffon
4.2 ★Navy Blue 2Polyester chiffon in a vintage floral, with flutter sleeves and a smocked waist, cut to long midi.
Fabric: Chiffon
4.4 ★Navy FloralNavy, dusty blue or a yellow and dark green print, with a smocked waist, puff sleeves and pockets.