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At 62, I nearly didn't go to my 45-year school reunion because of what I'd have to wear. This is a letter about the dress that got me through the door
Six things this blue boho dress gets right that a wardrobe of "safe" outfits never did, from a Perth woman who wanted to walk into a room full of old classmates and simply feel like herself.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and in August an invitation arrived for the 45-year reunion of the Class of 1981, at a function room overlooking the beach in Scarborough. I put it on the fridge and avoided looking at it for three weeks. It wasn't the people. I was looking forward to seeing Debbie and Sue, who sat either side of me in maths. It was the thought of walking into that room. The last time those people saw me I was seventeen, with a waist and no worries about my tummy at all. Everything I owned was either too plain, too tight or too much. So this is not a review. It's a woman who went to the reunion after all, telling you what she wore.
The dress I'm writing about is the Luna, an effortless boho dress from Perth Boutique, a small Australian boutique that dresses women our age. Mine is the blue, a beautiful indigo and white print with lantern sleeves. My friend Lorraine, who never lets me get away with anything, found it for me and wrote: "You're going, Mags. And you're wearing this." 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-five years taught me about walking into a room. It isn't about looking young. Nobody at a reunion looks seventeen, and nobody expects to. It's about not spending the whole evening tugging, adjusting and wondering what people are looking at. I wanted a dress I could put on, forget about and just enjoy the night in. And for years, that dress had been impossible to find.
I didn't want to look seventeen again. I just wanted to stop thinking about my tummy long enough to enjoy the night.
The Luna is the first dress in years I've been able to forget I had on, and having worn it to the reunion, to a long lunch in Fremantle and to my nephew's engagement party, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
An A-line shape with proper tummy coverage
This is what got me through the door. The Luna has an A-line silhouette that falls away from the body, so it gives excellent tummy coverage without looking like a tent. There's room where you want it and shape where you need it. I didn't hold my breath once all night, and I didn't spend a single minute wondering how I looked side-on.
Three glasses of bubbles, the canapés, and the cheesecake. Didn't tug at my dress once. That's a first for any party since 1995.
A soft V-neck that flatters
The neckline is a soft V, which lengthens the neck and draws the eye upwards to your face, which is exactly where you want people looking when they're trying to work out if it's really you. It isn't low, it's just enough, and it's lovely with a simple necklace.
Debbie: "Maggie Hart! You haven't changed a bit." I have, Debbie. Quite a lot. But it was a lovely thing to hear.
A print with real character
The print is a beautiful blue-and-white geometric, with an ikat feel, like something hand-dyed you'd find in a market in Bali. It's bold enough to feel special and soft enough to wear at our age without feeling like you're trying too hard. And a busy print is wonderfully forgiving. It hides a splash of wine and it moves the eye away from anything you'd rather it didn't land on.
Sue asked where I'd bought it, then asked again later, after the third bubbles. I wrote it on a napkin for her.
Lantern sleeves that cover and flatter
The sleeves are soft lantern sleeves, gathered so they billow gently, and they're one of the prettiest things about the dress. They cover the upper arm without being tight or hot, and they add a lovely bit of movement when you talk with your hands, which, after a few glasses at a reunion, I certainly did.
Long lunch in Fremantle in the same dress. A sea breeze came through and the sleeves floated. Lorraine said I looked "like a painting." I'll take it.
A relaxed fit you can forget about
The fit is relaxed and easy, and it really does wrap you in comfort. It's light enough for a warm Perth evening, it moves beautifully when you walk, and it's the kind of dress you put on at six and only remember you're wearing when someone compliments it. That's what I'd been looking for all along.
Nephew's engagement party. Sat on a low garden chair for three hours, danced with Ray for one song. Comfortable start to finish.
Sizes 8 to 20, six colours, and an honest word on fit
The Luna comes in sizes S (8) up to 3XL (20), and in six colourways: blue, light blue, green, purple, red and white. Because the fit is relaxed, I ordered my usual size and it was right. I'll be honest, because I promised I would: there isn't a measurement chart on the product page yet, so if you're between sizes, ask Perth Boutique's team before you order. They're happy to help.
The reunion photo arrived by email. There I am in the middle row, in blue, laughing. For once I didn't ask anyone to crop me out.
This dress, against the "safe" outfits
Most of us don't dress for a big night. We dress to avoid being noticed for the wrong reasons. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Too tight, so you tug all night
Plain and forgettable in every photo
Sleeveless, so a cardigan stays on
Chosen to hide, not to enjoy
Asking to be cropped out of the photo
An A-line shape with real tummy coverage
A blue and white print people remember
Soft lantern sleeves that cover the arms
A relaxed fit you can forget about
In the middle row, laughing
About the price
The Luna is $74.95 at the moment. The website says it's usually $170. 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 "safe" outfits that never once made me feel like myself.
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 Sue's red one ended up in my next order. You can split it with Afterpay too, which works out at about $18.75 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. With the reunion three weeks away, that's what got me to press the button.
A-line fit
to choose
Australia-wide
If you're 55, or 62, or 70, and there's an invitation on your fridge you've been avoiding because of what you'd have to wear, this is the dress I'd hand you myself, while your size is still there. Go. Wear the blue. Stand in the middle row.
Maggie
Luna · Effortless Boho Dress
Buy 2 save 10% · Buy 3 save 15% · Afterpay available
- A-line silhouette with excellent tummy coverage
- Soft, flattering V-neckline
- Pretty lantern sleeves that cover the upper arm
- Blue and white geometric boho print
- Relaxed, easy fit for warm days and evenings
- Sizes S (8) to 3XL (20) · 6 colours
- 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."
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