If you're like me and enjoy stuffing your face on a date night, a smock dress is pretty much an essential.
I recently took a trip to John Lewis on the hunt for a comfortable dress that still looked fairly dressy, and found one that was super versatile. The John Lewis ANYDAY Gingham Shirt Dress is priced at £38 and currently available online and in store.
The full product description for the dress online reads: "Nothing says charming like a bit of gingham. Except perhaps more gingham? Just to be on the safe side we've splashed this charming check print throughout. In a feminine take on the classic shirt style thanks to the oversized collar, we've finished with elasticated cuffs for a comfy fit."
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I can definitely vouch for the fact that this dress is comfortable, which I don't always find with shirt dresses. The fact that the gingham dress has a smock design is what makes it a real winner here, because the dress looks effortlessly smart without being uncomfortable.
I've been on plenty of date nights where I've worn a tight dress and ended up feeling incredibly self conscious, which is why I think this dress would be perfect for a meal out with some drinks. The gingham design makes it ideal for all year round, and if it's cold, you can just pair it with some tights, black chunky boots and a big coat.
The long cuffed sleeves add a pretty feminine vibe to the dress, and I really like the collar detail that makes the dress look smart without being too overdressed. Although this dress is a shirt dress, it doesn't feel stiff in the slightest like some shirt dresses can, it's super soft and a pleasure to wear.
I love the way the smock dress falls because it looks flowy and effortless. I find some smock dresses can look too baggy, and they actually end up looking quite unflattering because of this, but that wasn't the case with this John Lewis ANYDAY dress.
At first, I thought that £38 was quite steep for the dress, but the quality of the material and fit of the dress makes it worthwhile, in my opinion. You could also definitely wear this dress to work with a blazer and tights to make it look extra smart if you wanted to.
The versatility of this dress is what really drew me in. The older I get the more I'm starting to realise that there's no point in purchasing a different dress from fast fashion websites every month.
Fast fashion dresses almost always lack in quality and versatility, and although they can be great for a one off occasion, I'd rather invest money into something I'm going to definitely wear more than once. John Lewis dresses at the moment for me are the way forward, and I'd much rather quality over quantity.
Shoppers can purchase the John Lewis ANYDAY Gingham Shirt Dress here.
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