A letter from a Claire & Grace customer

I opened my wardrobe at the end of winter and realised everything in it was there to hide me

I'm not a writer, and I don't go around telling other women what to wear. But I've been asked about one dress often enough lately that it seemed easier to write it down.

At the end of winter I stood in front of my open wardrobe, looking for something to wear into spring, and it dawned on me.

Everything in here is chosen to hide me.

Navy, black, charcoal and three loose grey cardigans. Not one thing I'd bought because I loved it. Nobody plans that. It builds up quietly, one sensible purchase at a time.

How it happens

I'm a bigger woman, and somewhere along the way I started shopping as if my only job was not to be noticed. Dark, loose, long. If a label said forgiving, I took that as good news.

I'd given up on dresses altogether. Anything fitted pulled across the middle, and anything loose made me look like I'd wrapped myself in a bedsheet.

What I had wrong

It was never dresses that were the problem. It was the cut, the weight and the length. Relaxed and shapeless aren't the same thing, and neither are comfortable and hidden.

Old habits from my banking days, perhaps. I'd stuck with the safe option so long I'd stopped checking it was still the right one.

The dress is called the Sara

It's from Claire & Grace Sydney. A relaxed midi in a soft green, with a pattern worked right through it, so there's something to look at without it being loud. It comes in a blue as well.

It's soft and lightweight, with room to sit, walk and bend down to the garden bed without anything pulling or clinging.

The first time I wore it

I wore it to lunch with an old friend from my bank days. The woman at the next table leaned over and asked where it was from. I nearly looked behind me to see who she meant.

What I noticed most was that I forgot I had it on. No tugging, no checking how it sat. The next morning I put it straight back on to take Banjo out, and felt completely myself.

Three things I've noticed since

One. The sizing. It goes from S right up to 5XL. As a bigger woman, that's the first thing I look for.

Two. The length. The midi hem gives me the coverage I like, without any fuss when I sit down.

Three. It goes both ways. Sandals for the shops and the garden, or dressed up a little for lunch.

About the price

The Sara is $65.95 AUD. It was $132.00 AUD.

Years at the bank taught me to read the fine print, so I did. It's part of their spring sale, shipping is free with Australia Post, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. The product page shows a rating of 4.7 out of 5 from 4,261 customers.

Then I ordered the blue one as well.

What I'd tell you if we were friends

If you've spent the last few years reaching for the same dark trousers and loose top because nothing else felt made for you, it's worth ten minutes of your evening to have a look.

A dress won't change your life. But getting dressed in the morning and seeing yourself, rather than a woman trying not to be seen, is a small pleasure I'd let slip without noticing. The spring sale ends once stock runs out, so I wouldn't leave it too long.

I haven't dressed to disappear since.

Julie