Advertisement
At 62, I hadn't worn a white dress since my wedding day in 1985. This is a letter about the one that changed my mind
Six things this classic white midi gets right that forty years of "white makes you look bigger" never let me find out, from a Perth woman who'd been quietly avoiding the freshest colour of summer.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and the last time I wore a white dress was on the 9th of March, 1985, at St Mary's in West Perth, when I married Ray. Somewhere in the years after, I picked up the idea that white was for brides and younger women. "White adds ten pounds," my mother used to say, and I believed her for four decades. So every summer I watched other women at long lunches and Christmas drinks looking cool and fresh in white, while I stuck to navy, black and the occasional brave floral. So this is not a review. It's a woman who finally wore white again, telling you why.
The dress I'm writing about is the Delilah, a classic white midi dress from Perth Boutique, a small Australian boutique that dresses women our age. It's simple, soft and beautifully cut, the kind of dress that looks like it's always been in your wardrobe. My friend Lorraine, who never lets me get away with anything, sent it to me with one line: "Your mother was wrong about the white, Mags. Prove it." She was right, as usual. When Perth Boutique later asked if they could share my letter, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
Here's what forty years of avoiding white taught me. It wasn't the colour that was the problem. It was the dresses. White shows everything when a dress is tight, thin or badly cut, so a few bad experiences in a changing room were enough to convince me white wasn't for me. Nobody told me that a soft, relaxed white dress does the opposite: it lifts your whole face and makes you look like you've just come back from a holiday.
I'd spent forty years believing white made me look bigger. It turns out it just makes me look fresher.
The Delilah is the first white dress I've bought since my wedding, and having worn it for a month, to a long lunch on the river, to Christmas drinks, to brunch in Mount Lawley and out to dinner with Ray, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
A relaxed, flowing shape that doesn't cling
This is what made white work for me. The Delilah has a flowy, relaxed silhouette that falls softly and skims rather than clings. Nothing pulls across the tummy or the hips, so there are no tight lines for the white to show up. It hangs beautifully and moves when you walk, and it looked kinder on me than any navy dress I own.
Tried it on. Turned sideways. Didn't wince. Called Lorraine. She said, "Told you."
Soft cotton blend with a little stretch
It's a soft, breathable cotton blend with a slight stretch in it, which is the perfect combination for a Perth summer. The cotton keeps it cool and lets the air through, and that little bit of stretch means it moves with you when you sit down, reach across the table or climb in and out of the car. It's comfortable from the first minute to the last.
Long lunch by the river at Applecross, 33 degrees. Cool all afternoon. Didn't once wish I'd worn something else.
White lifts the whole face
This is what my mother never told me. White bounces light back up onto your face, so you look brighter, healthier and more rested than you do in navy or black. With a bit of summer colour on my arms and a pair of gold earrings, I looked like a woman on holiday. Three people asked if I'd been away. I'd been to Woolies.
Christmas drinks at the bowls club. Margaret from next door: "Have you had something done?" Only a white dress, Margaret.
A midi length that feels right at our age
It's a proper midi, falling below the knee, so it feels elegant and grown-up rather than short and summery. I can sit on a low garden chair, climb the steps at the jetty or bend down to the grandchildren without a thought about my hem. It's the length I always end up wishing every dress came in.
Sat cross-legged on the picnic rug with the grandchildren at Kings Park. The dress behaved. So did they, mostly.
Dress it up, dress it down
A classic white dress is the most versatile thing you can own, and this one proves it. With flat sandals and a straw bag, it's brunch in Mount Lawley. With gold jewellery and a little heel, it's dinner out. With a denim jacket on a cooler evening, it's a walk along the foreshore. I've worn it four completely different ways and it's looked right every time.
Dinner with Ray. Gold earrings, the Delilah, a little heel. He said, "You look like you did in 1985." Forty-one years, and he still knows exactly what to say.
Sizes 2XS to 4XL, and an honest word on white
The Delilah comes in sizes from 2XS all the way up to 4XL. Because the fit is relaxed, I ordered my usual size and it was right. There isn't a measurement chart on the product page yet, so if you're between sizes, ask Perth Boutique's team first. And my honest tip, as with any white dress: I wear nude underwear underneath, and it looks lovely.
Lorraine has ordered one. So has my sister. We're calling it the Delilah club. My mother would be horrified.
This dress, against forty years of avoiding white
Most of us didn't give up on white because of the colour. We gave up because of the dresses. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Tight, so white showed every line
Too short for a woman my age
Hot synthetic fabric that clings
Only for one kind of occasion
"White adds ten pounds"
A relaxed, flowing shape that skims
An elegant midi length
Soft, breathable cotton blend
Brunch, lunch and dinner out
White lifts the face, finally
About the price
The Delilah is $84.95 at the moment. The website says it's usually $160. I won't pretend I know what a dress like this ought to cost, but I can tell you I've spent more than that on navy dresses I bought only because they "wouldn't show anything."
Perth Boutique also take a bit off if you buy more than one: 10% for two, 15% for three and 20% for four, and it comes off automatically at the checkout. That's how my sister's order ended up in with mine. You can split it with Afterpay too, which works out at about $21.25 a fortnight.
Shipping was free with Australia Post, tracked and insured, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if it isn't right. After forty years of avoiding white, that's what got me to press the button.
flowy fit
length
Australia-wide
If you're 55, or 62, or 70, and somebody once told you that white wasn't for you, this is the dress I'd hand you myself, while your size is still there. Your mother meant well. She was still wrong.
Maggie
Delilah™ · Classic Midi Dress
Buy 2 save 10% · Buy 3 save 15% · Afterpay available
- Classic white that lifts the face
- Flowy, relaxed silhouette that skims
- Soft, breathable cotton blend with slight stretch
- Elegant midi length
- Dress it up for dinner or down for brunch
- Sizes 2XS to 4XL
- FREE shipping Australia-wide & 30-day money-back guarantee
Spring sale on now, while stocks last.
About the writer. Maggie Whitfield is 62 and lives in Perth with her husband Ray, a lemon tree that produces more than they can eat, and a standing Thursday coffee with Lorraine. She worked as a dental receptionist for twenty-six years and is now, in her own words, "saying yes to things."
This page is an advertisement for Perth Boutique. Individual experiences may vary. Perth Boutique · Free shipping Australia-wide · 30-day money-back guarantee.