I Wore This COS Dress on My First Day and Got So Many Compliments
Every so often, there comes along a dress with such universal appeal that it is a guaranteed success. You know the type—styles that spawn Instagram accounts, waiting lists and people stopping you in the street to ask, "Excuse me. Where is that dress from?” I’m pleased to tell you not only have I found that dress but also it’s an affordable hidden gem from COS.
I love minimalist dresses in bold colours, so COS is often my go-to. At Who What Wear, we're all in agreement that whether it's a statement sleeve, a subtle detail or simply a great cut, the brand always manages to get its dress silhouettes right, and the current collection is no exception. It was on one of my regular trips to the store to find the next It dress that I came across a distinctive shade of orange that immediately caught my eye, and so I found the dress. Not quite bright orange and distinctly darker than yellow (I’m going to call it clementine for now), the slightly A-line midi is made in a pleasingly sculpting stretch cotton with a ruched side detail to emphasise the waist. So far, so good.
The real test came from wearing it for the first time to the office in my first week as shopping editor at Who What Wear, where it proved an across-the-board hit with all of our editors—petite, tall, bright-colour skeptics and all, which is a testament to its broad appeal.
And although we haven't seen it everywhere just yet, I have a feeling I may be letting one of the best-kept secrets out of the bag in sharing this number because once COS pieces sell out, we're on tenterhooks waiting for them to come back in.
A quick aside for those of you unsure about pulling off the colour (although, I assure you it works on just about everyone): It also comes in powder blue and black, so if you prefer soft pastels or a classic monochrome, you're covered.
Shop the Dress
At the moment, I’m wearing it with chunky Birkenstock sandals and a crossbody bag for casual weekends (the best-selling COS bag is perfect for this) or dressing it up with pointy shoes for more formal occasions. In fact, it even works with platform sandals for dinner, which goes to prove its real selling point is its versatility.
Shop More Must-See COS Dresses
The romantic, oversized bow details on the back made me add this dress to my wish list.
The colour! The chic length! The pockets! You've also got to love a built-in accessory.
The kind of flattering column dress that COS specialises in in a new sporty knit.
Up Next: 8 Elevated Outfits Our Fashion Editors Wear on Rotation in Summer
Remy Farrell is a London-based shopping editor with nearly 10 years of editorial experience covering fashion, beauty and lifestyle. After graduating with a journalism degree and working on the editorial and fashion teams for titles such as Grazia, Elle, Cosmopolitan and British Vogue, she moved into the luxury e-commerce sector, working as fashion assistant at TheOutnet.com styling for the social media channels and helping to develop the collections for the in-house brand Iris & Ink. After expanding an assisting and styling portfolio that includes shooting talent such as Gigi Hadid, Victoria Beckham and Miquita Oliver, she also branched out into beauty, creating tried-and-tested reviews and diverse beauty content.In her role as shopping editor at Who What Wear, Remy is interested in discovering new and exciting brands to share with the Who What Wear readership and particularly loves uncovering hidden gems at affordable prices to make shopping accessible to everyone.Born and raised in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Remy moved to London in 2014 and lives in the Docklands with her partner and pug Billie.
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