Essential event dressing for the summer

Spring has been teasing us with the promise of a splendid summer (although we're not counting all of our chickens just yet), which should have you all busy working out your event wardrobe for the coming months! Weddings, birthdays, holidays and special events such as Ascot, Glyndebourne and Garsington all require a broad spectrum of stylish summer dresses and coats to look the part (and not fall foul of dress codes in some cases). We've laid out some style tips to ensure you look glamorous and chic no matter what the occasion.

Say it with flowers

Collarless Duster Coat Blue Ortensia Silk Satin

Carnaby Coat Blue Goodall Silk Satin

Collarless Duster Coat Aqua Tulipino Silk Satin

Floral motifs are back with a bang this season, writ large across some of our long-line silk coats. Think bold and vibrant tropical fauna alongside more delicate feminine florals and you have the recipe for a blooming wardrobe. Use the floral patterns in the coat to pick out colours for your dresses, tops or jump suits.

Pattern recognition

Carnaby Coat Rainbow Ivory Mikado Linen

Carnaby Coat Stone Red Medici Silk Satin

Carnaby Coat Aqua Puccini Silk Satin

If you really want to make a statement this summer, there's no more effective way to do it than with pattern. Against the backdrop of stunning lightweight silks and linen fabrics, this season's patterns feature complex geometric designs to catch the eye and turn heads. Using a broad palette of soft pastels and more vibrant rich tones, adding patterns to your look is a sure-fire way to get noticed for all the right reasons.

 

Love linen

Westminster Coat Mint Jekyll Crease Resist Linen

Westminster Coat Pale Green Bryce Marle Crease Resist Linen

Westminster Coat Khaki Cow Parsley Crease Resist Linen

The king of summer fabrics, linen is not only a breathable lightweight natural fibre, but it's also most sustainable. Made from flax crops, we source our linen fabrics from Belgium and Ireland, ensuring that they are the very best. Not only that, most of this season's linen coats are crease-resistant so if you averse to a crumple or two then you're in luck! We have used crease-resist linen to create a number of stunning perennial coats, such as our inimitable Westminster coat.

Heed the code

If you're attending specific formal events such as the operas at Glyndebourne and Garsington, then make sure you check the dress codes well ahead of time. Royal Ascot has a fairly stringent dress code one must adhere to, for example, so it pays to check before you start purchasing garments! One case in point is the Garsington Opera at Wormsley, where evening dress in typically required but for performances of Orfeo the audience is invited to wear white or cream to reflect the production design (and you don't want to be THAT woman in THAT red dress!)