I WAS SAVING MY NICE CLOTHES FOR SOMEWHERE SPECIAL. THEN AN ORDINARY TUESDAY CHANGED MY MIND.
Six little things the Gabrielle gets right about dressing at 67, from a woman whose wardrobe was full but who kept wearing the same old trousers.
I am 67, I live in Sydney, and a little while ago I opened my wardrobe to have a proper clear-out. It was not that I had nothing to wear. Quite the opposite. There were dresses with tags still hanging from them, blouses I'd bought for lunches that never quite happened, and a collection of black trousers I seemed to wear for everything.
Every time I took something nice off the hanger, I told myself I would save it. For a birthday. For a dinner. For when there was somewhere worth going. Then an ordinary Tuesday would arrive, and back into the trousers I went.
My daughter looked at the wardrobe and said, quite reasonably, “Mum, what exactly are you saving all these clothes for?” I had no answer. I had spent years waiting for an occasion to feel properly dressed, when most of my life was happening on perfectly ordinary days.
I found the Gabrielle while looking for a dress that would not need a reason to leave the house. It was on Perth Boutique, an Australian boutique, and the navy blue was the one I kept coming back to. No loud print, no complicated fastening, no need to plan an entire outfit around it. Just a simple midi dress with short sleeves and an easy, softly gathered shape.
It arrived, I laid it out on the bed, and I expected it to join the pile of things I would wear “one day”. Instead, the following morning I put it on to go and buy milk. It was the first time in years I had felt nicely dressed for absolutely no reason at all.
I had been waiting for a special occasion to wear something lovely. It took a Tuesday morning to realise I could make the ordinary days count, too.
After wearing it for the everyday things, I began to notice six details that explained why this dress had made it out of the wardrobe when so many others had not.
1IT DOES NOT ASK YOU TO DRESS UP FIRST
Some dresses seem to demand heels, a handbag and an invitation. This one does not. I put it on with flat sandals to fetch the shopping, then changed only my earrings for lunch with a friend. Same navy dress, no elaborate plan, and I felt right in it both times.
The best thing about it is how little thinking it takes. I can just put it on and go.
2THE SLEEVES MAKE THE WHOLE THING EASIER
I have a drawer of little cardigans bought solely to go over dresses with straps or bare shoulders. The Gabrielle has simple short sleeves, so I do not immediately start wondering what else I need to wear with it. I can see the neckline, the soft shape and the whole dress without adding another layer.
Sometimes the nicest feature of a dress is the one that stops you reaching for a cardigan.
3IT HAS SHAPE WITHOUT FEELING FUSSY
The gentle gathering gives the dress a little definition, but there is no stiff waistband demanding that I sit up straight for the entire afternoon. The skirt drops away into a soft midi shape. It looks like a dress I chose because I liked it, not one I chose because I was trying to disguise something.
I like that it has a shape of its own. I do not have to keep rearranging mine.
4THE SKIRT MOVES WITH YOU
There is enough room in the skirt for ordinary life: walking across the shops, sitting down with a cup of tea, getting in and out of the car. Perth Boutique describes the fabric as a silky-cotton blend, and the dress has that gently flowing look I had been trying to find without buying anything too formal.
I wanted a dress I could spend the day in, not one I was thinking about all day.
5IT HAS BECOME THE FIRST ONE OFF THE RAIL
After the first wear, it went straight into the wash and back into rotation. One spring morning I saw it hanging on the line among the towels and realised I had worn it three times that week. That is when I knew it was different from the nice dresses gathering dust in the wardrobe.
You can tell which clothes have earned their place. They are always either being worn or being washed.
6THERE IS A COLOUR AND SIZE FOR REAL LIFE
I picked navy because it goes with almost everything I already own. But the Gabrielle comes in other colours too, and the Australian sizing runs from AU 8 to AU 24. I rather like that. Not all of us want the same colour, and certainly not all of us are the same size. A favourite everyday dress ought to give you some choice.
Navy was my first choice. I have already been looking at the other colours.
THE GABRIELLE, AGAINST THE DRESSES I KEPT SAVING
Most of the dresses in my wardrobe were bought with something particular in mind. Here is why this one has found a place in my ordinary week.
ABOUT THE PRICE
The Gabrielle is currently A$57.95 at Perth Boutique, reduced from A$114.00. That is the price shown on the product page for the spring season as I write this, though of course it is worth checking the page for the latest price and your preferred size.
I have wasted enough money on clothes I hardly wore to know that a lovely dress is not much use if it spends its life on a hanger. What matters to me now is reaching for it again and again. That was the surprise with this one.
Perth Boutique also lists free Australian delivery, and there are several colours to choose from. My advice is simply to look at the colour and size options, and think about what you would wear on a normal Tuesday.
So if you have a full wardrobe but still find yourself putting on the same old trousers, perhaps the answer is not another outfit you keep for best. Perhaps it is one you are happy to wear tomorrow morning.
Maggie
