At 62, I'd hosted Christmas lunch for fourteen for twenty years, and spent every one in old shorts and an apron. This is a letter about the dress I finally wore
Six things this breezy floral cotton dress gets right that twenty years of "I'll change later" never did, from a Perth nanna who always meant to get dressed up for Christmas and never quite got round to it.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and for twenty years Christmas lunch has been at our place. Fourteen of us, sometimes sixteen, round two tables pushed together on the back verandah. Every year I have the same plan: get the ham in, set the table, then nip upstairs and put on something nice before everyone arrives. And every year, the doorbell goes while I'm basting, and I spend the entire day in old denim shorts, a T-shirt and Ray's striped apron. I've looked through two decades of Christmas photos. The grandchildren grow up, the tables change, and I'm in the same apron in every single one. So this is not a review. It's a woman who finally got dressed for Christmas, telling you why.
The dress I'm writing about is the Sadie, a breezy floral summer dress from Perth Boutique, a small Australian boutique that dresses women our age. It's soft white cotton blend, covered in pink, lilac and buttercup-yellow wildflowers. My friend Lorraine, who never lets me get away with anything, sent it to me in November with the message: "Put it on BEFORE the ham this year, Mags. I'll do the basting." 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 twenty years of hosting taught me. The woman who cooks is always the last to get dressed. You tell yourself it doesn't matter, it's family, nobody's looking at you. But the photos last forever, and somewhere along the way you notice you're never in your good clothes in any of them. Not because you don't own any, but because the good clothes are too hot, too fiddly or too precious to wear near a roasting tin in 38 degrees.
I was at the centre of every Christmas for twenty years, and in every photo I looked like the help.
The Sadie is the first dress I've owned that I could actually put on first thing on a hot day and wear right through, cooking, hosting, dessert and the washing up. Having worn it to Christmas lunch, a garden party in Guildford and two long Sunday lunches since, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
Soft, breathable cotton blend for a hot kitchen
This is why it worked. The Sadie is made in a soft, breathable cotton blend, light and airy, and on a Christmas Day that hit 38 degrees with the oven on since seven, I stayed comfortable. My good synthetic dresses would have stuck to me by eleven. This one let the air through all day, from the ham to the pavlova.
38 degrees, oven on, fourteen for lunch. Still comfortable at four o'clock. Still in the dress at nine, doing the dishes.
A flowing shape that's kind to every figure
The skirt falls loose and flowing from the waist, so it skims everything and moves beautifully when you walk. It doesn't cling anywhere and it doesn't need to stretch, because there's room in it. After a Christmas lunch, that matters more than I can tell you. I went back for seconds of pudding and the dress didn't mind at all.
Second helping of pudding. Then a third, very small one. The dress did not judge me.
A tie waist that gives you a shape
There's a soft fabric tie at the waist, so you can pull it in as much or as little as you like and finish it in a bow. That's what stops a flowing dress turning into a tent. It gives you a waist without anything tight, and you can loosen it a little after lunch without anyone being any the wiser.
Loosened the tie one notch after lunch. Nobody noticed. My daughter-in-law said I looked "really pretty, Mum." First time she's ever called me Mum.
A collar and buttons that make it look put-together
It has a neat little collar and buttons down the front, like a shirt dress, which makes it look smart and finished without any effort. It's the difference between a sundress and a dress you'd wear to a garden party. And when you're hosting, a button front means no zip to wrestle with at seven in the morning while the oven's heating up.
Garden party in Guildford. Same dress, flat sandals, a straw hat. A woman asked if it was vintage. I said no, it's from Perth Boutique, and she wrote it down.
Sleeves to the elbow, and a print that hides a splash
The sleeves come down to about the elbow, so my arms are covered but they're out of the way when I'm carving or serving. And I'll be honest, because I promised I would: on Christmas Day there was a drip of gravy. But with that busy wildflower print on white, nobody could find it, including me. That's the thing about a pretty print. It forgives a hostess.
Found the gravy spot when I washed it. It came out in the wash. I'd never have found it otherwise.
Sizes S to 5XL, and an honest word on fit
The Sadie comes in sizes S all the way to 5XL, so nobody's left out. Because the shape is flowing and the waist ties, I ordered my usual size and it was right. I'll be straight with you: there isn't a measurement chart on the product page yet, so if you're between sizes, do what I did and ask Perth Boutique's team first. They're happy to help you pick.
Looked at the Christmas photos. There I am, in the middle, in flowers, holding the ham. The apron's on the hook where it belongs.
This dress, against the shorts and apron
Most of us who host don't decide not to dress up. We just run out of time, every single year. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
"I'll change before they arrive"
Good dresses too hot for the kitchen
A zip to fight at seven in the morning
Every spill shows on a plain top
The same outfit in twenty years of photos
Put it on first thing and keep it on
Soft, breathable cotton blend
An easy button front and tie waist
A wildflower print that forgives a splash
In the middle of the photo, finally
About the price
The Sadie is $89.95 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 "good" dresses that stayed in the wardrobe every Christmas because I was too busy to put them on.
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 my daughter-in-law got one too, for her own Christmas next year. You can split it with Afterpay as well, which works out at about $22.50 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 Christmas coming, that's what got me to press the button.
tie waist
blend
Australia-wide
If you're 55, or 62, or 70, and you're the one who cooks, hosts and holds the whole day together, but you're never dressed for it in a single photo, this is the dress I'd hand you myself, while your size is still there. Put it on before the ham. Let someone else baste.
Maggie
Sadie™ · Breezy Floral Summer Dress
Buy 2 save 10% · Buy 3 save 15% · Afterpay available
- Soft, breathable cotton blend
- Pink, lilac and yellow wildflower print on white
- Flowing skirt that skims every figure
- Fabric tie waist
- Neat collar and button front
- Sizes S to 5XL
- 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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