Virginia Chadwyck-Healey on the art of ageless elegance
Alternative ways to dress for life in the country, with Virginia Chadwyck-Healey
There is much debate about “mum dressing”. Each new article declares a different take on the “uniform” but usually it starts with “mom” jeans and ends with vegan trainers. There’ll be a khaki jacket here and a Breton top there. Throw in a floral tea-dress, a bold new one-piece swimsuit come holiday time (for the tum) and lots of long-wear make-up. This mix is a mother’s armour if, like me, you have to contend with spilt Shreddies or peanut butter fingers by 8am. Throw it all on and you can disguise all manner of honey sandwich smears as well as starting the day on a high, knowing you’ve actually got dressed rather than simply donned the gym kit for that non-existent gym class, yet again.
But I realise that I’m also talking to supremely glamorous mothers over the age of 50 or 60. Some of you may indeed be wiping up said spilt Shreddies as your grandchildren have left the table. You have exactly four minutes to clear the debris before the craft box is brought out, or CBeebies is demanded of you.
Today’s column brings you the ultimate, top-of-the-pyramid, reach-for-the-sky brand, Gabriela Hearst. Why? I realise the prices will make you shudder, but as the label’s website declares: “Gabriela wanted to create a brand that reflects a slower pace and process: where things are made with care and detail, where tradition is more important than trend, where there is a purpose to every piece.” Hearst aims to create a timeless collection, enabling the consumer to know exactly where the materials come from and who the team are that create the collections. This is, in Hearst’s words, “honest luxury” and it’s something I intend to delve deeper into in coming weeks.
The price. Well, you see, this dress is 100 per cent cashmere, but in a lightweight gauze
fabrication. More simply put, it’s like wrapping yourself in tissue – not an Egyptian mummy kind of loo-roll look, you understand. No, this is the kind of dress that makes you go: “Oh holy moly, this feels good!” But why this dress? Where am I going with this?
My point is, if you cover my face and replace it with that of a woman in her 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s or beyond, you see the ageless elegance of this style of dress. It works on all chests, most heights and a range of waists, the collar gives it clout, and the powder-blue fabric can be warmed up with the right blusher and lip colour. If ever there was an heirloom style to pass on and on, this is it. I wish dresses like this featured in every brand’s oeuvre, but only a few master the art.
This week, a high-profile baby was born and the Duchess of Sussex joined the mum brigade. She is already a fan of Hearst, so let’s hope Meghan gets the ultimate addition to her new “mum wardrobe” too. I hope you’re reading, Harry.