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14th Apr 2020
The humble house dress is making a comeback, but its roots go further than you may think
When I say the words ‘house dress’, you may picture the equivalent of a house coat or house shoes — cosy, probably in some sort of fleece material, and with absolutely no semblance of style whatsoever. But the humble house dress does not have to be so beige — when it’s all you can wear, there are plenty of ways to jazz it up.
Some of you may not even be familiar with the idea of a house dress, so let me enlighten you. A house dress is a type of simple, easy-to-wear dress that is to be worn around the house or to do quick errands (does what it says on the tin, you might say). The idea of a house dress originated in the 19th century, designed for housewives who needed maximum accessibility and practicality in their wardrobes, but were still expected to maintain a certain standard of style.
Nowadays, there are no expectations on your personal style except the ones you enforce yourself — and when you’re just dressing for you, anything and everything goes. However, in the current Covid-19 climate, house dresses are enjoying a revival — daily tracksuit bottoms and the same t-shirt can drag your mood down surprisingly quickly, and making the (very slight) effort to put on a dress (large, billowing and comfortable, preferably) can bring it back up equally fast.
Interested in updating your wardrobe for your new normal schedule? House dresses await.
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Voluminous puff sleeve midi dress, €99 from & Other Stories
Anouki open-back pleated cotton shirt dress, €593 available from Farfetch
Embroidered dress, now €39.99 from Zara
Printed tiered chuck-on midi dress with matching scrunchie, now €26 from Topshop
ASOS DESIGN maxi dress with puff sleeves in satin astrological print, now €42.44 from ASOS
Saks Potts polka dot print maxi dress, €498 available from Farfetch
Printed poplin dress, now €19.99 from Zara
Fresh floral print midi dress, €38 from Topshop
ASOS DESIGN high neck organza check midi dress, €40.44 from ASOS
Alessandra Rich belted floral-print dress, €1095 from Farfetch
Poplin dress with voluminous sleeves, €29.99 from Zara
Green drop hem pinafore dress by Topshop Boutique, €117 from Topshop
ASOS WHITE check u-neck midi dress, now €52.54 from ASOS
Ganni floral print shirt dress, €206 available from Farfetch
Rustic printed dress, now €29.99 from Zara