Cream and Black Straight Neck Maxi Dress

A cream and black maxi dress with a straight neckline, cut relaxed through the body and left unlined.

Thin straps adjust at the shoulder, which is how the straight neckline is set level and kept there. A shirred panel across the back gives the fit somewhere to move, and an invisible zip closes the back with a hook and clasp. Being unlined is the notable part: there is one layer between you and the day, which is what makes a full length dress wearable when it is hot.

The relaxed fit and the single layer put this firmly in warm weather. Flat sandals and a woven bag make it a daytime dress; a heel and something smaller take it as far as dinner without any other change. A light layer over the shoulders covers the evening, and the cream maxi dress works underneath it without bunching.