How The IMAGE Team Wears A Slip Dress

There’s a huge trend towards “underwear as outerwear” this season.?Slip dresses, camisole tops and pyjama-style suits were the big reveal both on the catwalks and the sidewalks?of New York, London, Milan and Paris earlier this year. Never women to shy away from a challenge, the IMAGE team decided to test drive this trickiest of trends.

Ellie Balfe, editor, Image.ie

“I wore slip dresses the first time they came around in the early nineties. Back then, though, the look and feel was more the androgynous style of?Kate Moss in the Calvin Klein adverts. We wore short, A-line black slips over plain white T-shirts, and sometimes we added over-the-knee black socks (but we won’t dwell on those!). This time around, I like the longer length with lace trim, but given I’m not?a very girly-girl (too much embellishment makes me hyperventilate), I decided to down-play the detail and wear it with a fitted cargo jacket and my Stan Smiths, thus ensuring it felt a bit more like the 2.0 version of the look, rather than a nineties throwback.”

Marie Kelly, fashion editor, IMAGE

“Although I like the idea of pyjama dressing (if for all the wrong reasons; I’m thinking how comfy rather than how cool), slip dresses are too overtly feminine for me. I hate spaghetti straps, and I steer clear of lace unless it’s in a structured form and toughened up with’something utilitarian.?But then I found this Phillip Lim embellished, asymmetric slip dress and I started to rethink my staunch stance on the subject. The hand-beaded front and back panel lends the kind of weight to the piece that I hadn’t imagined you’d get from a slip dress. The asymmetric hem makes it look modern, while the monochrome feel (enhanced by my own leather leggings and blazer, which also add that boyish vibe I consider mandatory for every outfit I wear) is nicely no-nonsense and unfussy. The slip dress felt good for sure, but will I be embracing the trend for summer? I don’t think so. I’d still feel far more fabulous in a pair of cropped trousers and a boyish shirt.”

Corinne Vaughan, senior account manager, CARA Magazine

“The modest slip dress saw’many women through an entire decade during the nineties, and I’m sure many have long been waiting its return. ?Not’me. Indeed, rather than?longing for?it, I’ve so far avoided it like the bubonic?plague (slight exaggeration, but only slight).?But as it turns out, I’m easily swayed. This Joseph dress is incredibly comfortable. I?found the looser fit a great?way to ease into the trend, especially for those who are’reluctant (like me) to opt for the’more risky neglig?e-style piece. Powder grey has a tendency to wash me out, so I paired the dress with my trusted Zara bomber to add?a pop of colour, and a pair of brogues to make it more wearable?for daytime.”

Olivia Keating, staff writer, IMAGE

“I’ve always considered the slip dress a nighttime number – it’s high shine finish and lace detailing offering ample sex appeal. But with the’recent nineties’revival, I wanted to dress it down for day, with no lace in sight! I opted for this off-white Helmut Lang slip dress and teamed it with a high-neck knit and snake-print wrap-around shoes. Two side splits showed just the right amount of leg, and the pockets added a hint of laid-back cool. I felt like the ultimate lady, a’modern Elizabeth Bennet.”

Louise Tyrrell, events and communications assistant, IMAGE