Why you need a LWD (just don’t wear it to weddings)
T HE heat can do funny things to a woman’s style. Did I ever imagine I would covet the sort of floor-sweeping white dress associated with bridesmaids or beach shoots in St Barts? For daywear? In the city?
I did not. Yet there I was, on the umpteenth day of the never-ending heatwave, in Sandro, my favourite French High Street brand, trying on a white, gauzy, lace-trimmed frock that wouldn’t look amiss on one of the Victorian dolls of my childhood. ‘I like it,’ I told the assistant. ‘But I think I look like I’m wearing my nightie.’
‘So?’ she shrugged, arranging her features into an expressive (read: exasperated) pout. ‘In this weather, it is cool.’ And she was right, of course. You see, the Long White Dress — or LWD — is having a moment. (And, yes, I did buy it.)
Long White Dresses, in all their shimmering, ethereal, slightly ghostly glory, were plentiful on the designer runways for summer 2018.
There were beautiful balloonsleeved, textured midi-lengths at Australian brand Ellery; intricate, super-feminine lacework at Zimmermann; and scalloped oyster satin and some of the most heartstopping dresses you could ever hope for at Simone Rocha.
Irish-born Simone, daughter of designer John Rocha, cited her childhood collection of Victorian dolls as inspiration.
But what has made these shamelessly romantic looks feel so relevant this summer?
WELL, the heatwave had a lot to do with it. When the temperature hit 30c, I found myself unearthing a white, broderie anglaise skirt I bought in a French market a few years ago. Everything else in my closet made me feel too hot.
In the world of culture, BBC2’s adaptation of Picnic At Hanging Rock also seems to have stirred our sartorial yearning for pintucks, petticoats and buttoned-up white lace frillies (the final episode airs on Wednesday).
Of course, the original Seventies film about schoolgirls who go missing in 1900 is regularly referenced on fashion designers’ moodboards.
Australia-based newcomer Lee Mathews, who specialises in breezy, floaty, voile, pintucked numbers, is a fan. She nods to the film’s influence in her work. Her Miller blouse (£215, net-a-porter.com) will help you keep the summer mood into autumn.
For other dreamy, cinematic Long White Dress references, watch Sofia Coppola’s Southern-gothic Civil War drama The Beguiled, starring Elle Fanning, an actress who has made the look her own.
And, of course, Coppola’s breakout hit The Virgin Suicides has several definitive LWD moments.
Happily, there are many options in the High Street, from the lace midi dress at & Other Stories (£85, stories.
com), which captures the Victoriana spirit while managing to not look twee, to Mango’s drawstring-waist dress (£49.99, shop.mango.
com) and shirt dress (£69.99) for LWD elegance without a frill in sight.
John Lewis’s Modern Rarity line has the ultimate linen tiered-hem dress (£120, johnlewis.com).
To keep your look grown-up and chic, simplicity is key. Avoid looking like a superannuated bridesmaid by keeping hair and make-up minimal; a pulled-back ponytail is best.
The same applies to accessories. Pared-back sliders in black or natural tones look perfect. No heels and no sickly, sugary colourways. There’s a trend to pair floorlength frocks with cowboy boots, which is probably best left to the young. If you are minded to protect your toes, try simple, white trainers.
And, rather like the patio umbrella you never purchase while the sun is shining, buy your LWD soon, while we’re still basking in the dog days.