Dresses get shirty
by SUSANNAH CONWAY, femail.co.uk
April's fine weather has tentatively begun, nicely coinciding with the new summer collections bursting onto the high street.
As you strip off your wintery layers have a look at the shirt dresses offering a great new silhouette that is perfect for spring and summer.
Worn over relaxed linen trousers, or paired with knee-high boots or sandals, a shirt dress is smart and casual mixed in one perfectly formed garment.
Shirt dresses will flatter most figures in the way that cotton shirts suit all shapes and sizes. Leave the top two buttons undone to create an attractive V-neck.
Be sure to buy the right size. Too tight and your shirt becomes restrictive and uncomfortable, particularly in the bust area; too big and you'll be drowned in billowing fabric.
Thomas Pink, La Redoute, Next, Oasis, Gap and Freemans catalogue have shirt dresses in every imaginable fabric, from cord and gingham to crisp cotton and fashionable denim.
Gap have produced an extravagant belted suede shirt dress: click on the gallery links above to see what the other high street stores are offering.
For the perfect little summery dress Next have designed this white linen shirt dress with fabric belt, top left. Wear it over a bikini on the beach, or with wide-leg pants for balmy evenings.
Back home in Blighty, the dress can be transformed into work-wear with the addition of trousers, elegant sandals and a silk scarf knotted around your neck.
Marks & Spencer's indigo denim dress, above, is smart enough to wear to the office too. Try wearing a shirt dress unbuttoned over a shift dress or camisole and palazzo pants as an unusual alternative to long cardigans or structured jackets.
La Redoute's checked beige shirt dress (left) is a lesson in French-chic. Paired with flat pumps, sheer nude tights and a brown leather handbag this dress will effortlessly take you to work in style.
But remove the pumps and slip on some fabulous high heels instead, and you have a smart-casual outfit for evening. If only all dressing was this simple.
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