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Wafty summer dresses with sleeves

— by Alyson Walsh

This is definitely a week for wafting. I don’t wear dresses very often but it’s sweltering in London and I am in need of a breeze. Hence, I’ve been looking at frocks in natural fabrics, with the Waft Factor AND with sleeves. Michele Oka Doner is an American artist and these uber-chic photos are from an old copy of Kinfolk magazine. Oka Doner works with organic materials to reference the natural environment, lives in New York and exhibits superb sleeve action. Growing up by the beach in Miami, this natural beachcomber moved to Manhattan in the 1980s, and says, ‘Nature is everywhere in New York…Working with organic materials and making things invigorates and enlivens the rituals of everyday life.’ There’s also a wonderful StyleLikeU video of Michele OD HERE.

So, where to find dresses with sleeves that score highly on the Scale of Waftiness? COS is our spiritual home and Toast has a fine selection of summer dresses and tunics in natural fabrics. The silk/cotton printed Ladakh dress is lovely and suddenly the Madras check linen maxi is very appealing.

Kin at John Lewis

Kin at John Lewis is a bit like COS with more accessible silhouettes; this coated linen dress (available HERE) could be good for a spot of wafting. This style is also available in a shorter, smock top version (available HERE) and there’s more Scandi-inspired Kin stuff HERE.

Waft away.

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This is definitely a week for wafting. I don’t wear dresses very often but it’s sweltering in London and I am in need of a breeze.