At 62, I'd spent every long lunch for twenty years holding my tummy in. This spring, in a wildflower dress, I finally let go
Six things this flowing floral dress gets right that a wardrobe of "smart" fitted dresses never did, from a Perth woman who wanted to enjoy a three-course lunch without counting the minutes until she could go home and change.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and every September my friend Lorraine books a table for the spring racing lunch at the golf club. Fascinators, a sweep, three courses and a glass or two of bubbles. And for twenty years I've worn some version of the same navy fitted dress, because everyone said fitted was "smart" and navy was "slimming". I spent every one of those lunches holding my breath. By dessert I'd usually undone the top of the zip under my cardigan. Last year, when the pavlova came round, I said no. I wanted the pavlova. I said no because of a dress. So this is not a review. It's a woman who had the pavlova this year, 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. Perth Boutique call it an elegant dress with tummy coverage, which is exactly what I needed. Mine is the yellow floral, a white dress scattered with buttery yellow wildflowers, blue cornflowers and fine green stems. It's as sunny as a spring afternoon, which felt just right for a day at the races. Lorraine sent me the link with three words: "Room for pavlova." 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 twenty years of "smart" dresses taught me. A dress that's tight at the waist isn't slimming. It's just tight. You don't look any better in it. You just spend the whole day feeling every mouthful, and smiling through it.
A dress that's tight at the waist isn't slimming. It's just tight.
The Georgina is the first dress I've worn to a long lunch without once thinking about my tummy, and having worn it to the racing lunch, a birthday lunch and a Sunday roast since, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
Tummy coverage that doesn't announce itself
The front of the dress has soft pleats that fall from the neckline, and the skirt opens out into an A-line, so the fabric skims over the tummy instead of sitting on it. It isn't a tent, and it isn't a sack. It just doesn't cling, which is all I'd ever wanted from a dress for a long lunch.
Three courses, two glasses of bubbles and the pavlova. Didn't hold my breath once. Didn't touch the zip once, either.
A gentle waist, not a tight one
There's a subtle waistline, so the dress still has a shape and you don't look like you're in a nightie, but nothing about it is tight. The fabric has a slight stretch, so it moves with you when you sit, stand and, in my case, leap up to cheer for a horse.
Drew a horse I'd never heard of in the sweep. Jumped up and cheered anyway. Nothing to adjust when I sat back down.
Light, breathable fabric for a warm spring day
Spring in Perth can be properly warm, and that golf club terrace gets the afternoon sun. The Georgina is lightweight and breathable, so I was comfortable right through to the last race, while the women in heavier shift dresses were fanning themselves with the form guide.
29 degrees on the terrace. Me in sunshine yellow, everyone else in navy polyester. Guess who was still smiling at four o'clock.
Sleeves and a length that cover what I'd rather they did
The short sleeves cover the tops of my arms, and the skirt falls below the knee, so I didn't need the cardigan I'd packed "just in case". It's covered without looking covered up, which is a balance I'd been failing to find for years.
The cardigan stayed on the back of my chair all afternoon. First time in twenty years.
A print made for a celebration
The print looks like someone painted a spring meadow onto white: buttery yellow blooms, blue cornflowers and fine green stems. It's sunny and fresh, perfect for a garden party or a day at the races, and it photographs beautifully. Yellow, it turns out, is very hard to be miserable in.
Lorraine made the whole table line up for a photo. For once I stood in the middle instead of hiding at the end.
Pockets, sizes S to 3XL and a proper size guide
There are discreet pockets in the side seams, which turned out to be perfect for a sweep ticket and a lipstick. The Georgina comes in sizes S to 3XL, and in four prints: yellow floral, which is mine, the white with yellow wildflowers and cornflowers, plus red 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 sweep ticket stayed safe in my pocket all afternoon. It lost, but that's hardly the dress's fault.
This dress, against the "smart" fitted one
Most of us have been squeezing into "smart" dresses for years because we thought we had to. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Tight at the waist from the first course
Holding your breath through lunch
Undoing the zip under your cardigan
Hot and sticky by dessert
Saying no to the pavlova
Soft front pleats and a flowing A-line
Comfortable from bubbles to dessert
A gentle waist with a slight stretch
Light and breathable all afternoon
Yes to the pavlova
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've spent more than that on fitted dresses that made me count the minutes until I could go home.
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. With the lunch a week away, 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've been saying no to dessert because of your dress, this is the dress I'd hand you myself, while your size is still there. Book the lunch. Have the pavlova.
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.