Rosanna Falconer, brand consultant and co-founder of FashMash, shares her favourite pieces for the summer season’s events calendar, and discusses the challenges of finding sustainable occasionwear.
May is here and so is a mantlepiece of wedding invitations. The summer months might not mean the traditions of deb balls and regattas anymore, but they do still bring formal dress codes and the urge for something ‘new’. Embrace this all-too-rare chance to dress up (even if you end up barefoot on the dance floor after midnight!). But cast aside doubts that hosts and guests might notice if you wear an old favourite: the hosts will just be hoping you are having fun and frankly, if friends judge you on double-wearing a dress, they need to focus on having more fun themselves!
Regardless, there are times that call for the pure joy of the new. The searching for it only adds to the anticipation of the party. These ideas are here to kickstart just that quest. It was not the easiest undertaking: brands have moved on leaps and bounds since my first article for Eco-Age but glamorous pieces do seem to be an underserved category with focus more on statement design than on ethical craft. In researching this piece, I was confronted with cornucopia options for day and holiday wear but sadly few for times when you want to be the best-dressed guest. You could rent or go vintage, both of which I explored for the festive party season. But for the here and now of summer, read on…