A global field guide to design, (life)style and secret finds est. 2007
Fashion Find: Pleat-back dress from COS
I think it's a well-established fact that I'm a fan of a nice loose frock. Loose in fit. Not in morals (although that might be fun, too). I remember a particularly hot and sticky commute on the Central line in London around five years ago, and I was wearing something rather fitted and decidedly not floaty, nor loose.
One look at a cotton poplin tunic at Comptoir des Cotonniers with a deep pleat in back, and I couldn't wait to rip off my clothes. In the store's dressing room, naturally.
Subsequently, I wore that poor dress to death - even in the cooler months, when I teamed it with a jacket, denier tights and boots. It's looking faded and a little thin these days, so I was heartened to find some very similar styles in COS right now.
This soft cotton poplin dress in a pretty abstract print has a deep pleat at the back, perfect for wafting around in comfort and style. It also ticks my "very handy features" list of sleeves and pockets, and I can just imagine popping it on, slipping into Birks and heading out on a hot summer's day.
Now all of this is particularly relevant to our lovely UK readers who, if my Twitter feed is anything to go by, are in a state of meltdown. But Australian readers (OK, Melbourne peeps) might like to take note: these frocks are in-store at COS in Melbourne now, and they're not only great to keep for summer, they're also a perfect trans-seasonal dress to wear with a denim jacket and trainers, or when Australian winters take a warm turn.
If prints aren't your thing, there is also a simple and chic pleated-back dress available in navy and green, as well as an A-line dress in a rather fetching chalky pale blue. It's another loose, oversized fit, with wide cuffed sleeves in a lightweight blend of cotton and linen.
It's that combination of simple, sleek and graphic lines with voluminous cotton fabric that make these high-street frocks look way more expensive than they are. Which is what COS does best.
If only they'd open a Sydney store... (or an online Australian shop.)
I think it's a well-established fact that I'm a fan of a nice loose frock. Loose in fit. Not in morals (although that might be fun, too). I remember a particularly hot and sticky commute on the Central line in London around five years ago, and I was wearing something rather fitted and decidedly not floaty, nor loose.
One look at a cotton poplin tunic at Comptoir des Cotonniers with a deep pleat in back, and I couldn't wait to rip off my clothes. In the store's dressing room, naturally.
Subsequently, I wore that poor dress to death - even in the cooler months, when I teamed it with a jacket, denier tights and boots. It's looking faded and a little thin these days, so I was heartened to find some very similar styles in COS right now.
