October's question is this: how do I wear a long shirt dress in autumn, and what do I pair it with? In Spain we don't want an occasion dress. We want one for everyday — long sleeves, good for errands and lunch, and still right at seven in the evening with the right shoes.
In late October Elle España called it autumn's current obsession; Trendencias and Cosmopolitan were already there in September. The long shirt dress isn't new, but this year it comes back with more substance: collar, buttons, tie belt and, if possible, pockets.
In NEW IN you have three long Utrecht dresses — mustard checks, blue checks and black with chillies — and, if you prefer it shorter, two Vaduz styles, in black and in purple. They also live in Dresses.
What a long shirt dress is (and why it works in autumn)
It's a shirt that became a dress: shirt collar, front buttons, long sleeves and, on the Utrecht styles, a matching fabric tie and pockets. It covers more than a midi, works with boots, and doesn't force a jacket at midday if the sun is still out.
For everyday in Spain that matters: one step in the morning, a waist you can cinch when you want, and a print that already makes the look. The mustard check Utrecht (with blue and brick) is from the Gloria collection; the blue check plays with greens and browns; the black one has red chillies scattered over it — less grid, more graphic.
How to wear it with knee-high boots
Knee-high boots are the autumn shortcut: it stays a dress and your legs aren't bare. The trick is not to hide the hem. Show a little shaft so the look doesn't read as a tube.
- Cinch the tie belt and, if the dress is very long, lift it a handspan: you see the boot and walking is easier.
- Brown or camel boots with the mustard check; black with the black Utrecht or the blue check.
- If it turns cold, opaque tights or a fine sock in the boot colour. Don't mix three shoe colours.
For work or lunch, that trio — long shirt dress, knee-high boot, one bag — is enough. If the temperature drops at night, a short jacket over the top and you're done.
How to wear it with knitwear
Knitwear turns the shirt dress into an October uniform without looking like fancy pyjamas. Pick a knit in a colour already in the print — mustard, blue, black, brick — and leave it open.
- Cardigan or open jumper over the buttoned dress: the shirt collar stays visible.
- Fine turtleneck underneath, with two or three buttons undone, if you want more warmth without losing the shirt-dress line.
- Avoid a very heavy knit and a very large check at once: one of them leads.
How to wear it with a belt
The Utrecht dresses already come with a matching fabric tie: use it. Defined waist, skirt that falls, pockets to hand. That's already a day look.
If you want another volume, a wider belt or a different material over the tie, in black or the darkest tone in the check. One belt only: don't cinch twice.
Checked dress and mustard dress
If you want a checked dress, the two checked Utrecht styles cover it: mustard warms an everyday look; blue, with greens and browns, feels closer to the woods than to a stiff office. A mustard-coloured dress in long shirt-dress form does what a mustard jumper does, in one piece: October sun comes in and the colour is already there.
Black with chillies is the third route: the same shirt-dress cut, less grid, a motif you can read from across the street. All three are in NEW IN, limited edition.
If you prefer it shorter: Vaduz
Same family, different proportion: the two Vaduz dresses, black and purple, are shorter. With knee-high boots you see more leg; with knitwear the look is more compact. They still work for everyday if a long shirt dress feels like too much fabric for the metro or a bike.
Where to find it
Start with Dresses and go into NEW IN for what has just arrived. These are limited editions: if an Utrecht or a Vaduz fits, don't leave it for next week.
A long shirt dress, boots and a knit: the autumn uniform that doesn't look like a uniform. Ready for everyday on La Web de Smile.
