A Letter From a Reader: The Neila Dress (Elaine)
At my nephew's wedding, the photographer put down his camera to ask where my dress was from. Then the bride's aunt asked as well.
What I told them in the garden after the ceremony, about the first bright colour I have worn to a wedding in years, written down by a customer, not a shop.
Elaine · Customer · Hervey Bay, Queensland · 4 min read
I have been to a lot of weddings. Family ones, mostly, and for most of them I have worn something in a shade Peter calls mother-of-the-bride beige. Safe, sensible, and invisible in every photo.
My nephew was married last month at a country reception venue, with a marquee in the garden and fairy lights strung through the trees. After the ceremony we were all out on the lawn with a drink while the photos were done, and the photographer, a young man with two cameras round his neck, came over to me, of all people. He said, that colour is going to look wonderful in the pictures, where is the dress from?
Not ten minutes later the bride's aunt asked me the same thing, and then wanted to touch the pleats.
In the garden before the reception, in the cobalt. Peter took this one.
The dress is called the Neila, from Portsea Boutique, a small Australian boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. Here is what I told them both.
A proper colour, for once
The Neila comes in three rich jewel colours: cobalt blue, fuchsia pink and emerald green. I nearly did not dare. What changed my mind is that it is all one colour from neck to hem, with nothing busy going on, so it looks bright and elegant rather than loud. In a garden full of beige and navy, it was like standing in a patch of sky.
The morning of the wedding, on the kitchen table, before I could change my mind.
The pleats do the work
Fine pleats run all the way from the round neckline to the hem. They are what the bride's aunt wanted to touch. When you stand still they fall straight and long, and when you walk they sway, which is a lovely feeling at sixty-two. At the waist there is a twisted knot that gives the dress a shape, so you look like you have a waist without anything being tight.
It is a lightweight pleated fabric and a relaxed fit. I wore it from the two o'clock ceremony until well after the cake, sat through the speeches, and had two dances with Peter and one with the groom, and I never once thought about it.
The fuchsia one up close. The pleats run all the way down.
Sleeves that cover just enough
This is the thing I would tell you if I only had a minute. The sleeves are layered flutter sleeves, so they fall softly over the tops of your arms. You get light cover where most of us would like it, without a cardigan, and without looking like you are hiding anything. On a warm afternoon in a garden, that is worth a great deal.
Why there are two in my wardrobe
I ordered the cobalt and the fuchsia together, meaning to send one back. I kept both. The fuchsia is for my cousin Pam's sixtieth next month, with a gold clutch and nude sandals, and a cream wrap for when the evening cools. It comes in XS to 2XL, and if you are between sizes, take the larger one.
Both of them, the morning they arrived. I was only going to keep one.
The fuchsia, on the wardrobe door, ready for Pam's sixtieth.
See The Neila Maxi Dress →About the price
I will be straightforward about the price, because it was the thing that made me suspicious. The Neila is A$99.95, and it was A$333.00. The boutique says the sale is about clearing the season's stock, selling directly, with no middleman taking a cut. That is their arithmetic, not mine. I have paid more than that for a beige wedding outfit that nobody, including me, can remember.
If you have a wedding, a dinner or a big birthday coming up, and you have been reaching for the beige again, this is the dress I would hand you instead.
— Elaine
The Neila Pleated Flutter-Sleeve Maxi Dress
- Fine pleats from the round neckline to the hem
- Twisted knot at the waist for a gentle shape
- Layered flutter sleeves for light arm cover
- Lightweight pleated fabric, relaxed and flowing
- Cobalt, fuchsia or emerald, XS to 2XL, free delivery across Australia
Sale on now. Between sizes? Take the larger one.