desert island dresses
the kind that could get you through lost luggage, airport break ups and sticky, summer nights
A detective search is floating around my group texts. From a chat with old friends from New York to another with Los Angeles friends rebuilding their wardrobes, everyone is looking for the elusive piece de resistance of summer: the do-it-all dress.
The kind of dress that’s somehow appropriate for walking around on vacation on a 90 degree day, but also with enough of its own agenda that you’re not embarrassed if you end up asking for a table at a fancy restaurant, desperate for chablis but also to sit for a second. That can be rolled or folded in a suitcase without too much wrinkle (you can also carry a handheld for that). Pure comfort, less restricting than even your pajamas, a temptation to keep on day after day, and drift into sleep.
Perhaps it’s black, but it still has something to say. A plisse fabric maybe, or a lace trim. Good over a swimsuit in an autumnal color, but also with a naked heel.
I tend to find a new one, or two, every summer. Sometimes it’s an old one I’ve worn too much, sworn to give a necessary break, and then rediscovered in my closet, a love affair rekindled. Oftentimes, it’s vintage, its starchiness already loved out of it by its previous owner, who in my mind lived on a farm in the Cotswolds or around the corner from one of the Antwerp six.
But whatever it is… it defines my summer personality. Last year, I had two (dresses and personalities). A Rose Room Collection verdure print house dress, well-suited for lunches in the Hamptons and days working by the pool, and an Attersee white linen mini, as good with the thong sandal craze as a gussied up Birkenstock. This year, if you read this column often, you already know that it’s a tent like plisse dress from Co (there’s one left, on sale, in a S here).
I’ve worn it to work meetings when it was so balmy out that anything more professional would have prompted a “aren’t you hot?”. Which is fine if you’re matte and nonplussed when you answer, but sets an awkward tone when you’re quite sure your brow is sweating and your hair has been pulled back in a tight, wet bun for days. I’ve worn it with these t-strap sandals on a long walk to dinner at Tekes, a must try if you’re ever craving vegetarian food in Paris (but the kind of vegetarian that pleases even my protein guzzling, carnivore husband). And when we escaped to a friend’s house in Capri, nestled so high up on the island that it fell on the sight line with the clouds, I wore it as I climbed the thin, vertical path coming home from dinner or the market.
There’s a desert island dress for every micro trend, every facet of your personality. My advice is to pick a part of your psyche you won’t get sick of. If you’re bored by the monotony of your life, then don’t pick a monotonous dress (add a subversive detail - a fringe, a subtle crystal - that gives you a sliver of joy, every day).
If you’re on the brink of profound change, perhaps a crisp organic cotton to ground you. If what you truly want this summer is to float in a remote sea, hair spilling out around you, detached from the daily workings of the world, then a vintage-inspired white nightgown to fulfill a pre-Raphaelite fantasy.
If this is your first summer post-divorce, pick a desert island dress with levity, perhaps a little swing. A reminder that life is out there, peeking over the mountains to reveal a vast, painterly sky.
And when fall comes, this is a gorgeous transition piece, which I’d pair with Rohe’s signature mandarin jacket, now in leather.
A TENT OR TWO
The only kind of camping attire I’m interested in.
THE LITTLE (OR LONG AND FLOWY) WHITE DRESS
Some other options: Khaite via TRR, Maryam Nassar Zadeh via TRR, Bode via TRR, this Chloe one (LOVE), a cotton jersey from The Row and this from Matteau.
JARDIN OF ROSES
POLKA DOT PARADE
LOUCHE WITH A SIDE OF LACE
MY PARIS BLACK BOOK 02:
You can see 01 here.
For a haircut that was sold to me as being approved by a chic friend’s pickiest friends (and delivered): Massato
To have the cliched but quintessential Paris moment of looking up at the sky (and the never ending columns) in wonder: Le Grand Cafe
For small bites and mocktails in Saint Germain: Cravan (hint: sit upstairs)
Curated vintage, in a hotel particulier in the 16th, and a tiny storefront in the 6th, with each piece marked with its provenance (designer, year, show if it sailed down the runway): ReSee and Les Archives
For creamy soba and dressed up sashimi in a fancy red lacquered room: Ojii
FROM THE ARCHIVES
pieces de resistance: to covet and to cherish
In this iteration of home decor as we know it, with so much accessible with just a few clicks, a new story, a truly individual point of view, is a rarity. We’re plagued by choice yet limited by the feeling that we all have the same choices to ponder, and it’s not uncommon to ruminate over something for days, or weeks, only to possess it and learn that
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Yes to everything 🙌🏼
I love everything and I am screenshotting every bit of your Paris guides as I’m heading there in early October!