A letter from a reader
Every woman at the long lunch wore the same dark dress. One wore a green diamond print with little white tassels at the neck. I had to know where she got it
Megan Clark on the Luna boho dress that ended her cling and tug years, and the 5 reasons she'd buy it again tomorrow.
There's a group of us who meet for a long lunch on the first Saturday of the month. Same café, same corner table, and if you looked under that table you'd see the same thing every time: a row of dark, sensible dresses. Navy, black, charcoal. Mine included.
Then one Saturday a woman two seats down sat in something completely different. A long dress in a green and white diamond print, soft V neckline, two white cords with little tassels hanging from the neck, and sleeves that stopped just past the elbow with a tiny ruffle. It fell loose from the bust all the way to her ankles. She looked cool, comfortable and properly dressed, all at once. I couldn't stop looking.
I assumed it came from one of those boutiques where you don't dare look at the tag. By dessert I just asked. She laughed and said I wasn't the first to ask that month.
It's the Luna Effortless Boho Dress from Scott & Daughters, the family boutique in Melbourne that Julie Scott has just handed over to her daughters, Emily and Charlotte.
I'll be honest. I have bought more dresses than any woman needs, and most of them let me down in the same three ways. Too short once I sat down. Too fitted through the middle, so I spent the afternoon tugging. Or so plain I forgot I owned them. So I ordered this one half expecting another one for the back of the wardrobe. It didn't go there.
I've spent a small fortune on dresses over the years. This is the first one I'm actually glad to wear.
Since then it's been to the monthly lunch, a Sunday at the markets and a warm evening on my sister's back deck. Here's what it comes down to.
It skims my middle instead of hugging it
The Luna is cut loose and relaxed, so it falls from the bust and skims straight past the tummy. At lunch I sat for three hours and didn't pull at the front once. That has never happened in a fitted dress.
Long enough to sit, bend and forget about it
It's a proper maxi that comes down to the ankle, with a soft A-line that flares out at the bottom. Climbing into the car, sitting on a low café chair, picking up a dropped napkin: no checking the hem, no crossing my legs just so.
→ See the Luna dress and check your size
Sleeves that cover the bit I like covered
The lantern sleeves finish just past the elbow with a little ruffle. My upper arms are covered, my forearms are free, and I don't need to carry a cardigan to feel put together.
Room to move on a warm day
It's a relaxed, breezy shape, so there's air around you instead of fabric stuck to you. At the markets in the sun I was the only one at our table who wasn't fanning herself with the menu.
A print people actually ask about
The pattern is what got me in the first place. Mine is the blue and white diamond print. There's also green, purple, a red pattern on cream, a light blue with white blossom and a white with red and green flowers. Now I'm the one being asked where it's from.
How it stacks up against the dresses in your wardrobe
Most of us never really choose a dress. We grab whatever's in the wardrobe and live with it. Here's how this one compares, side by side.
About the price
Right now it's $79.95 AUD, down from $194.95 AUD.
I'm careful with money, so I'll pass on what they told me: it's their New Chapter Sale. Julie is retiring and her daughters are clearing the current stock to make room for their own collection. Each style comes in a small batch, and once a size is gone, it's gone. At that price I didn't think about it long. I ordered the blue the same evening.
I don't trust perfect scores, so I always look at the details first: the size chart, the six colours, the free shipping and the 30 day money back guarantee. That was enough for me to try it.
So if you've got a few lunches, a market morning or a Christmas get together coming up this summer, do yourself a favour. Check your size while it's still there.
Megan
Luna | Effortless Boho Dress
$194.95 AUD$79.95 AUD
New Chapter Sale · Save 60%
- Soft V neckline with white tassel ties
- Loose, relaxed cut that skims the tummy
- A-line maxi that falls to the ankle
- Lantern sleeves to just past the elbow
- 6 colours · Sizes S to 3XL
Free Shipping with Australia Post | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
See if your size is still in stock →New Chapter Sale on now. The popular sizes go first.