At 62, I found a dress covered in the same poppies and cornflowers my mother grew in her front garden. This is a letter about the day I wore it back there
Six things this wildflower dress gets right that I thought florals had stopped doing for women my age, from a Perth woman who'd decided flowery frocks were for her mother's generation.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and my mother Joan grew the best cottage garden in Bunbury. Poppies, cornflowers, daisies, and every kind of little purple wildflower she could get a seed of. She wore floral frocks to match, every day of her life, with her secateurs in the pocket. When Mum died six years ago and we sold the house, I quietly decided florals were for her generation, not mine. Too old-fashioned, I thought. Too "nanna". Then one night this spring I was scrolling on my phone and stopped dead, because there, on a dress, was Mum's front garden. So this is not a review. It's a daughter who went back to that garden, telling you what she wore.
The dress I'm writing about is the Georgina from Perth Boutique, a small Australian boutique that dresses women our age. Mine is the red floral: a white dress covered in red poppies, blue cornflowers, yellow daisies and little purple wildflowers, painted so softly it looks like watercolour. I showed my friend Lorraine and she said, "Order it before you cry on your phone." 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 I'd got wrong about florals. It was never the flowers that made a dress look old-fashioned. It was the shape, the heavy fabric and the fussy little prints. Put a fresh watercolour garden on a white background, cut it into an elegant shape, and it doesn't look like your mother's frock. It looks like spring.
It was never the flowers that made a dress look old-fashioned. It was everything else.
The Georgina is the first floral dress I've owned since Mum died, and having worn it back to Bunbury, to the Kings Park wildflowers and to lunch with Lorraine, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
A print that looks hand-painted
The print is soft, loose and painterly, with poppies, cornflowers and daisies scattered over white as if someone had painted them straight onto the fabric. There's enough white behind them that it feels fresh and light, not busy or heavy. It's the furthest thing from the stiff little florals I'd been avoiding.
Took Ruby to see the wildflowers. A lady by the kangaroo paws asked if my dress was part of the display. Ruby said, "No, that's my Nanna."
An elegant shape, not a frumpy one
This is what changed my mind. The Georgina is an A-line with soft pleats at the front and a subtle waistline, so it has a lovely shape without clinging anywhere. It skims over the tummy and falls away gracefully. It's feminine and grown-up, nothing like a shapeless frock.
Lorraine looked me up and down and said, "Your mum would've loved that." Then, "Actually, she'd have pinched it."
Pockets, just like Mum's frocks
There are discreet pockets in the side seams. Mum never owned a dress without pockets, and now neither do I. They hold my phone and my keys, and on the day I went back to Bunbury, they held something much more precious.
The new owners gave me a little paper twist of poppy seeds from Mum's garden. I carried them home in my pocket. They're in a pot by our back door now.
Light and breathable for a spring day out
The fabric is lightweight and breathable with a slight stretch, so it was comfortable on a two-hour drive down to Bunbury and on a long walk through Kings Park in the sun. Nothing pulled, nothing stuck to me, and I could kneel down in a garden bed to look at the flowers without a second thought.
Knelt down in Mum's old garden bed to smell the poppies. Got up again with grass on my knees and a smile on my face.
Sleeves and a length that feel right
The short sleeves cover the tops of the arms, the neckline is a soft, rounded one, and the skirt falls below the knee. It's the length Mum always wore, actually, and I understand why now. It's comfortable, it's graceful, and you never have to think about it.
Wore it to church. Three women asked where it was from. One said, "It's so cheerful." That was Mum's favourite word.
Sizes S to 3XL, four prints, and a proper size guide
The Georgina comes in sizes S to 3XL, and in four prints: red floral, which is mine, the white with poppies and cornflowers, plus yellow floral, light blue floral and blue floral. There's a proper size guide on the page with the length, chest and sleeve of the dress in centimetres, and it says that if you're unsure, go a size larger. I measured, I checked, and it fitted first time. If you're still not sure, ask Perth Boutique's team before you order. They're happy to help.
The poppy seeds have sprouted. Ruby checks on them every time she visits. I've told her they're Great-Nanna Joan's.
This dress, against the "old-fashioned" florals I'd avoided
Most of us gave up florals because the ones we remember looked fussy and frumpy. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Stiff, fussy little prints
Shapeless, sack-like cuts
Heavy fabric that clings in the heat
No pockets
Looking like your mother's frock
A soft, hand-painted wildflower print
A flowing A-line with soft front pleats
Light, breathable and a little stretchy
Discreet side pockets
Looking like spring
About the price
The Georgina is $49.95 at the moment. The website says it's usually $166.50. I won't pretend I know what a dress like this ought to cost, but I can tell you no dress has ever meant more to me, at any price.
You can split it with Afterpay, which works out at four payments of $12.49, and Zip is there too if that's what you use.
Shipping was free with Australia Post, tracked and insured, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if it isn't right. That's what got me to press the button.
a size guide
to choose
Australia-wide
If you're 55, or 62, or 70, and you gave up florals because you decided they were for your mother's generation, this is the dress I'd hand you myself, while your size is still there. Wear the garden. Somebody who loved you would want you to.
Maggie
Georgina · Elegant Floral Dress
Afterpay: 4 payments of $12.49 · Zip available
- Flowing A-line with soft front pleats and a subtle waist
- Cut to give gentle tummy coverage
- Light, breathable fabric with a slight stretch
- Discreet side pockets
- Short sleeves, a rounded neckline, and a length that falls below the knee
- Sizes S to 3XL · size guide on the page · 4 prints
- FREE shipping Australia-wide & 30-day money-back guarantee
End of season 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.