I WAS GOING TO SIT QUIETLY AT THE BACK OF THE SPRING CELEBRATION. THEN I TRIED ON THE GREEN DRESS.
Six things about a flowing green maxi dress that made me feel ready for a family celebration again, after years of trying to blend into the background.
I am 67, I live in Sydney, and when the invitation arrived for my niece’s spring garden wedding, I wrote the date on the calendar and immediately began worrying about what to wear. Not about the flowers, the food or whether it might rain. Just the dress. I used to enjoy getting dressed for celebrations. Somewhere along the way, I had started treating them like something to get through.
I still had an old navy outfit hanging at the back of the wardrobe. I had worn it to a retirement lunch, two birthdays and a christening. It was respectable, which is another way of saying I never particularly liked it. But it was familiar. I took it out again and thought perhaps I could just sit quietly at the back, smile for the photographs and be perfectly comfortable without anybody noticing me.
My daughter heard me say that and asked, “Mum, why do you keep talking as though enjoying yourself is something for the younger guests?” I laughed, but she had caught me. That evening I went looking for something different and found the Emmeline at Perth Boutique, an Australian boutique. After hesitating over the photographs for rather too long, I ordered it in Dark Green.
What had caught my eye was the green: rich rather than showy. Then there was the wrap V-neckline, the softly gathered bodice, the sheer flutter sleeves and the beautiful high-low skirt, shorter at the front and flowing longer at the back. It was unmistakably a dress for a celebration. That made me nervous, but also rather excited.
When the parcel arrived, I laid it out on the bed and stood looking at it as if the dress might tell me whether I was allowed to wear something lovely. Then I held it up beside the window, looking at the way the skirt fell and the soft shaping across the front. It felt like the opposite of the old navy outfit I had worn for years without ever truly liking.
I tried it on and went to the full-length mirror. I was expecting to find reasons it was too much. Instead, I saw a beautiful green dress and thought about how long it had been since I had looked forward to a family photograph.
I thought I had outgrown dressing up. Really, I had simply stopped giving myself permission to enjoy it.
After that afternoon at the mirror, I understood why the Emmeline had caught my eye. There were six little details that answered the worries I had been carrying into every invitation.
1THE DARK GREEN IS ELEGANT WITHOUT BEING LOUD
I have enough black and navy in my wardrobe to last several lifetimes. The Emmeline’s deep green felt like a gentle change: elegant enough for a garden wedding, but not loud or difficult to wear. It worked in my mind with the simple shoes, earrings and handbag I already owned. I did not need to build a brand-new wardrobe around it.
The colour has a presence of its own, without asking me to wear anything complicated with it.
2THE WRAP NECKLINE LOOKS BEAUTIFULLY FINISHED
I had begun choosing high necklines purely because they were familiar. Here the deep wrap V-neckline gives the dress a clear, dressed-up shape all on its own. I liked that it made the neckline part of the design, rather than something I had to finish with another necklace or scarf.
I like that the neckline is already part of the occasion look. It does not need rescuing with accessories.
3THE RUCHING GIVES THE BODICE ITS SHAPE
The soft ruching through the bodice and waist is what gives the dress its lovely gathered shape. There is a sense of definition without a severe, boxy line. It is the sort of detail I could see in the mirror and appreciate without being distracted by what my body looked like twenty years ago.
I wanted to appreciate the woman in the mirror today, not spend the afternoon comparing her with the woman I used to be.
4THE FLUTTER SLEEVES FEEL RIGHT FOR SPRING
Spring afternoons in Sydney can be warm, and I did not want to spend a celebration wrapped in a stiff jacket. The Emmeline has light sheer flutter sleeves: a little movement at the shoulders, and a pretty finish to the upper half of the dress. On the hanger they looked delicate; in front of the mirror they made the whole shape feel softer.
The sleeves add a softness I was missing in my old, stiff occasion outfits.
5THE HIGH-LOW SKIRT MAKES MOVEMENT PART OF THE DRESS
The flowing high-low chiffon skirt is the part that turns the Emmeline from a pleasant dress into an occasion dress. It falls shorter at the front, then sweeps longer behind. I liked the thought of walking from the garden into the reception with a dress that moved beautifully, instead of one I would keep tugging into place all evening.
Some dresses look lovely standing still. This one made me imagine walking into the celebration.
6THREE COLOURS AND AUSTRALIAN SIZES TO CHOOSE FROM
Perth Boutique lists the Emmeline in Dark Green, Venetian Red and Brown, with Australian sizes AU 10 through AU 20. I chose the green because it felt like me, but I appreciate having options. Before ordering, I would always check the size guide and the particular colour available, rather than making assumptions about fit from a photograph.
The best colour and the right size are the ones that make you feel like yourself. Always check the size guide.
THE EMMELINE, AGAINST THE OUTFIT I WAS GOING TO WEAR
I was going to go in an old navy outfit because I did not want anybody to notice what I was wearing. The green dress made me rethink the whole thing. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
ABOUT THE PRICE
Perth Boutique currently lists the Emmeline | Elegant Maxi Party Dress at A$94.99, reduced from A$231.00. The store shows the dress in three colours and Australian sizes AU 10–20. Prices and availability may change, so check the product page for the latest details.
I have bought special-occasion outfits before that never felt like me once the evening came. For this one, I kept coming back to the details I could actually see: the wrap neckline, the ruched bodice, the soft flutter sleeves and the long sweeping skirt. Sometimes being careful with money also means choosing the thing you genuinely want to wear.
Perth Boutique currently advertises free shipping within Australia. The product page also provides returns information and size options. It is worth reading those details before ordering, especially for a particular date on your calendar.
If you have an invitation sitting on the sideboard and an old outfit waiting in the wardrobe because you think dressing beautifully is something you have grown out of, perhaps you have not. Perhaps you just need to find a dress that makes you look forward to the day again.
Maggie
