When the heat feels as oppressive as in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing; how do you do the right thing with your wardrobe? Summer has landed and with it comes this annual conundrum. One of my friends, a teacher, asked me how we should dress for the new climate and stay professional-looking at work. Simple, I said.

The shirt dress is my sartorial solution.

What started a couple of years ago with an oversized shirt and skirt, has graduated to the one-and-done dress. The combination of structure and just the right amount of wafty-ness makes the cotton shirt dress perfect summer workwear. Avoid looking too buttoned-up by adding a pair of statement sandals like Tilda Swinton at the Three Thousand Years of Longing photo call at Cannes (or as styled in this Me+Em outfit). Alternatively, pile on a few bangles or layer-up a group fine chain necklaces.

Just be sure to choose good quality, natural fabrics with status that’ll keep you cool, last the day and look the business.

Summer is the season when we wear the least clothes and experience the most problems. If I’m perfectly honest, I much prefer dressing in the cooler months, when you can play around with structure, layering and texture, to create an outfit with depth and interest. High summer presents a different challenge. How to feel like you’ve got your summer style sorted and get through the day without looking dishevelled.

This week Kristin Scott Thomas absolutely nailed it when she posted a picture of herself on Instagram in a couple of Jasper Conran shirt dresses.

The classic shirtdress

This lovely ‘light olive’ number from Hobbs has a classic 1950s shirt-waister silhouette. And, I can confirm that when road-tested on a scorching hot day, it felt light, airy and chic. One thing to note: the Hobbs dress has a dropped waist. Fine if you don’t mind the gap between the tie belt and the low slung seam… For durable, plain cotton shirt dresses Cos, is always a safe bet.

My teacher friend is petite and wears a lot of Boden. And KST got it right, Jasper Conran’s dresses are so good right now. The Blythe shirt dress is an absolute cracker, the label brings back this style in new colours and prints each season. The higher price tag is justified by the beautiful craftsmanship and quality fabrics.

See also, Samantha Sung (available HERE and HERE).

The remix

When it comes to summer dressing, I do prefer a pared-down frock. One that doesn’t look as big as the Acoustic Tent at Glastonbury. Fewer flounces, less faffing. On a recent trip to Fenwick’s I spotted the standout shirtdress, above.

From another label to look out for, in the sale, Delhi-based Lovebirds. The husband and wife team, Gursi Singh and Amrita Khanna are putting an interesting spin on classic silhouettes with their asymmetric designs and off-kilter pattern placement. For shirt styles with a little extra something, I’d also recommend Palmer Harding (keep an eye on The Outnet for reductions), Kemi Telford and the Australian designer Alémais (available HERE, HERE and HERE).

Now, this might be because I have a ridiculously long body and often find the shaping on dresses (and jumpsuits) is not in the right place, but the Check Mate dress (above) bothered me. The underside of the sleeve is attached to the elasticated waistband and didn’t allow enough room for complete freedom of movement.

Fine if you want to introduce a few cheeky tricep exercises throughout the working day, not great, for me. But, there are plenty of other designs from Lovebirds worth looking into.

For sustainable style, Gather & See ( HERE and HERE) is a one-stop shop (now stocking East Clothing). And don’t forget if you’re looking for a light cotton ‘resort dress’ for your summer holiday, I have created just the thing for the TNMA Edit in collaboration with Sarah O’Keefe.

Stay cool.

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STYLE NOTES:

The first shirtdress I’m wearing is the Roxie at Hobbs (£129 – currently on sale).

The leather tote bag is from Mimi Berry. The jewellery is from Branch. All loaned for the shoot and returned. Sandals are my own from Ancient Greek (similar here and here).

The second shirtdress is the Check Mate loaned from Lovebirds at Fenwick.

The sunglasses are my own from the recent Linda Farrow x Cos collaboration. The leather sandals were on loan from Air and Grace, and the jewellery, from Branch jewellery.

This feature was compiled by Helen Johnson. Photography: Matt Monfredi. Hair and make-up: Anna Durston.