Gilbert White Cotton Strapless Maxi Dress

The Gilbert Strapless Maxi Dress is a white cotton maxi with a strapless neckline that sits straight across the chest.

Cotton gives the dress its character: it is breathable, holds a clean line and suits white better than most fabrics, which tend to either cling or shine. The strapless top leaves the shoulders, arms and collarbone open, and the maxi length carries the white all the way down to the floor. With no colour and no print to manage, the dress depends on its shape, which is long, simple and uncluttered.

A white strapless maxi dress is a statement without being loud, and it suits occasions that are dressed but daytime: a rehearsal dinner, a summer engagement party, a resort evening. Tan or gold sandals warm the white; bare shoulders take a single necklace well. Bring a wrap for when the sun goes, and keep the bag small so nothing competes with the line of the dress.