If you are planning a staple wardobe, you should give a black shift dress serious consideration. They always looks smart and the different looks you can create with it are endless. 
The only limit will be your imagination

Think cut, shape, fabric and colour

It’s time to shop smart, buy less and buy better. The cut and how the dress is made is very important. The cut should be in a classic style and the ideal length is just below the knee. That way it will always be timeless and never date. It should be finished to a good standard. Watch out for puckering, check that it has a decent hem and a long invisible zip so it’s easy to put on (and take off).

Dress your body shape. Shift dresses suit most body shapes. They are ideal for hiding those extra pounds around the mid-riff that won’t seem to budge. If you are pear shaped look out for a shift dress with an A line skirt.

The colours we recommend for a shift dress is the colour of gemstones. Any gemstone. A block colour is stunning and will suit any age group. If you are reorganizing your wardrobe don’t be influenced by the ‘current seasons’ colour  choose something that compliments your skin tone instead, and most jewels will. It’s a girl thing.

A black shift dress is going to be the most useful dress in your wardrobe because it is very versatile. It’s the number one dress to consider adding to your staple wardrobe. The key is to accessorise it by adding bright colours, the variations are limitless. It’s perfect for formal occasions, yet easy to jazz up when you want to change the look.

A patterned fabric is great for diverting the eye away from the figure, no need to accessorize and if you want a formal look you can just add a black jacket.

Believe in yourself
 
Bring some colour into your life! It will lift your spirit.

• A shift dress always looks smart

• A shift dress is versatile and can be worn for any occasion

• It will never date

• A shift dress is so comfortable to wear

• A shift dress is kind to the the waistline

• A shift dress gives you  a great silhouette, so you look elegant and feel good. Even on fat days

• It’s the only dress that is a completely blank canvas

• You can dress them up or you can dress them down

• If you want to add a bit of fun just add some funky chunky accessories

• If you want to be sophisticated add diamonds, but hey diamante works just as well

• You can wear them plain and just let the dress do the talking

• A shift dress looks sassy with heels and wicked with stiletto’s. Men will love you

• You can go casual and wear your dress with ballet pumps. Your feet will love you

“Express Yourself!”  How will you wear yours?

The shift dress evolved from the sack dress, a dress that was first shown by designers Hubert de Givenchy and Cristobal Balenciaga in the 1957 Paris collections. Although not dissimilar in cut to the famous flapper dresses of the 1920′s Charleston era, it didn’t have the glitz. The dress bombed at the show and received a lot of bad press. Many Parisian’s thought the dress was ugly because it had no shape.

Givenchy however, was already designing much of  Audrey Hepburn’s wardobe for her movies since meeting her during the filming of Sabrina in the 50′s. In 1961 he designed the iconic black dress Audrey wore in ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’. Givenchy had many famous clients including Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Grace of  Monaco. Both great fashion icons.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

During this time an American socialite called Lilly Pulitzer was living in Florida, her husband Peter owned citrus groves there. Lilly decided to make juice from the different fruits and sell them to tourists. She set up a fruit stand by the roadside in Palm Beach and the juices were very popular. Lilly asked a dressmaker to make her up some dresses that would help cover the stains from the fruits. The design was simple, a sleeveless dress with two front darts and the length falling just below the knee. They were made using brightly coloured and patterned cottons. Her customers loved the dresses as much as the juice and some wanted to buy them, so Lily started selling dresses too. The design became her ‘classic’ shift dress and at the time were affectionately called “Lilly” dresses. When Jacqueline Kennedy, who was an old school friend of Lily’s wore one of the dresses for a feature in Life Magazine it started a fashion trend throughout America.

By now the shift dress had evolved by following the female figure more closely, skimming the body line. Because there wasn’t much emphasis to the waist line they were very comfortable to wear and gave a flattering silhouette. This simple dress was a hit and became popular with women all over the world.

In 1966, Mary Quant queen of the mini skirt took the shift dress and turned it into the mini dress, which was worn 6 or 7 inches above the knee. A young 16 year was hired to model the dress, her name was Twiggy – the rest as they say is history.