15 house dresses to wear when you want to feel dressed up in isolation

The humble house dress is making a comeback, but its roots go further than you may think

When I say the words ‘house dress’, you may picture the equivalent of a house coat or house shoes — cosy, probably in some sort of fleece material, and with absolutely no semblance of style whatsoever. But the humble house dress does not have to be so beige — when it’s all you can wear, there are plenty of ways to jazz it up.

Some of you may not even be familiar with the idea of a house dress, so let me enlighten you. A house dress is a type of simple, easy-to-wear dress that is to be worn around the house or to do quick errands (does what it says on the tin, you might say). The idea of a house dress originated in the 19th century, designed for housewives who needed maximum accessibility and practicality in their wardrobes, but were still expected to maintain a certain standard of style.

Nowadays, there are no expectations on your personal style except the ones you enforce yourself — and when you’re just dressing for you, anything and everything goes. However, in the current Covid-19 climate, house dresses are enjoying a revival — daily tracksuit bottoms and the same t-shirt can drag your mood down surprisingly quickly, and making the (very slight) effort to put on a dress (large, billowing and comfortable, preferably) can bring it back up equally fast.

Interested in updating your wardrobe for your new normal schedule? House dresses await.

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Voluminous puff sleeve midi dress, €99 from & Other Stories

Anouki open-back pleated cotton shirt dress, €593 available from Farfetch

Embroidered dress, now €39.99 from Zara

Printed tiered chuck-on midi dress with matching scrunchie, now €26 from Topshop

ASOS DESIGN maxi dress with puff sleeves in satin astrological print, now €42.44 from ASOS

Saks Potts polka dot print maxi dress, €498 available from Farfetch

Printed poplin dress, now €19.99 from Zara

Fresh floral print midi dress, €38 from Topshop

ASOS DESIGN high neck organza check midi dress, €40.44 from ASOS

Alessandra Rich belted floral-print dress, €1095 from Farfetch

Poplin dress with voluminous sleeves, €29.99 from Zara

Green drop hem pinafore dress by Topshop Boutique,  €117 from Topshop

ASOS WHITE check u-neck midi dress, now €52.54 from ASOS

Ganni floral print shirt dress, €206 available from Farfetch

Rustic printed dress, now €29.99 from Zara