what makes a one + done?

here's why the "easy dress" isn't so easy

I recently posted about a certain type of dress, the kind you put on post-shower, no matter when that shower is, a sweet relief after a long day running from workouts to meetings etc., etc. A ready-for-anything or even better, a ready-for-nothing dress. I call it a one and done (O&D).

(In a Balenciaga shirt dress, out for coffee, left, all the way through a night at home, right)

And I hadn’t thought much about the criteria for one. Just that I when I knew I knew. And I value them a LOT. But a friend on IG shared that she always had trouble with O&Ds that didn’t work out the way she expected.

Here’s what she said when I asked for more information.

“I tried for so many years when I had younger children (preTibi/finding CP/shopping at a higher price point) to make an easy summer dress work but so many of the main stream brands marketed to women (JCrew, Boden, Eileen Fisher) in my Midwestern environment lean too boho or straight up classic. I ended up looking and feeling like a preschool teacher. No offense to that vibe, just not my jam. I used to try non US independent brands like Kemi Telford, Maisha Concept, and lots of linen as it’s so hot in the summers. None of it works. The Tibi t shirt dress does. So I am thinking these one and done pieces need some architectural elements in colors that play well with others. Really curious what lends a piece to be one and done.”

So I did some thinking. There are a couple parts to what makes the perfect O&D.

Part 1: The basics

• Comfy enough to wear as long as you want: You might be in this from a post lunch workout until you put pajamas on. And yet linen is, as they say, “very specific” and can take you to boho fast. So more likely cotton if that’s not your vibe.

• Informal enough to wear at home without feeling ridiculous: A silk dress might be plenty comfortable and airy, but realistically you won’t feel right sitting around in that eating a spoonful of almond butter or cleaning the counter.

• Dressed enough to go somewhere: It’s what makes you feel so much better than hanging out at home in ripped sweats. And it’s so useful, because then you can accept a last-minute pizza invite, decide to go grab a cappuccino, etc etc.

• Works with comfortable shoes. You can make little changes all day long, add or subtract socks, sweater, etc. But it has to look good with something comfortable so you can go for a walk on the spur of the moment without a change.

• You have to have tried it before. To be a O&D you have to know it works. Every time.

Part 2: That unspecified something

This is the harder part, and it’s what my friend is referring to, above. It’s actually not that it has to be “sculptural” per se. It’s that it has to align with the strongest part of your style DNA, if not all the elements of it.

To review, your DNA is 3-5 (generally 4) adjectives that together form your unique personal style. Inherently, a comfy dress takes a certain style path by virtue of its comfy dress-ness. It’s going to be cotton or linen. Probably loose. So most likely it veers toward the approachable, casual, low key, boho.

Most of us who are style-focused like friction, so when we do approachable, etc., we like something heritaged, refined, modern or otherwise unexpected to counter it. Where it’s a single piece, that can be harder to achieve. Maybe you do it with a shoe or a ring or whatever. But with a dress vs. a couple of pieces, it’s a lot in one direction and can be harder to feel like you.

What my friend gets in a sculptural dress like the lantern shaped Tibi one (below, center), is modernity. Also the heritage of a classic cotton tee. Built in unexpectedness.

So take a sec and think about your DNA adjectives. And think about how you’d rank them. Whatever’s at the top, that’s what you’re looking for in your O&D.

Take a look at these options + give it a try.

3 great O&Ds, above.

L to R: If your vibe is very modern, artful, Soho, etc., Lee Matthews gives edge but in a soft way. For most Creative Pragmatists, Tibi does the trick (get 15% off by shopping on Tula, using code DAFNE15 (thanks @by.dafne!). And if you really lean more toward the edgy side of things, how about this R13? Feel free to roll the sleeves or even lop them off.

Or how about these 3? (Again, I’m going L to R.)

If you veer toward the classics, Raey’s spin on a rugby will make you feel right at home. If refinement is your jam, this Zero Maria Cornejo supplies it but still feels chilled out enough to be home-appropriate. If you feel lacking without lots of oomph, Ganni does its trademark leopard in organic cotton and a loose shape. (It’s not as short as it looks, probably just about to the knee for most.)

And maybe a dress isn’t your O&D at all. I’ve always been a fan of the shorter Alex Mill jumpsuit; go up a size so it’s relaxed. And pick a color that feels you. I would feel most myself in the navy with my crazy summer bracelets. But if you’re more about heritage, you might like the army green, and the more boho among us might relate to the denim.

p.s. On a few of these I figured out how to use the LTK creator app and may get a small commission if you buy through the link at no cost to you!)