The Scott & Daughters Journal · Spring Edition

The first dress I buttoned on myself after my shoulder operation

Written by Carolyn Reid, 54 · Melbourne

Have you ever stood in front of your wardrobe and realised half of it is off limits? Six weeks after my shoulder operation I still couldn't lift my right arm above my head. Every dress I owned went on over my head or zipped up the back, so for weeks it was the same two shirts and my husband doing up the rest.

Why a new dress often feels like a risk

Most dresses either cling to the tummy and hips or cut in at a waist seam. The relaxed ones so often look frumpy rather than put together. And the sleeves tend to stop right at the shoulder, just where you'd rather they didn't.

A button-front dress that caught my eye

The Saffron Relaxed Tiered Button-Front Midi Dress buttons the whole way, from the collar down to the hem. When it arrived I laid it open on the bed, slipped my sore arm into the sleeve first, then the good one, and did it up from the bottom while sitting on the edge of the bed. No lifting, no twisting, no calling out for help.

Then I went and stood in front of the mirror in the hall. The bodice ends in a seam just under the bust, and from there three gathered tiers fall loosely to mid-calf, with no waist seam at all: not a ripple over my tummy. The short sleeves cover the upper arm and stop above the elbow. And the pointed collar with the contrast topstitching makes it look put together, not like something I'd just thrown on.

Three easy ways to wear it

• Walking the dog: flat leather sandals and a cardigan over your arm.
• Lunch with friends: tan block-heel mules and simple gold earrings.
• The Sunday market: flat strappy sandals and a straw hat.

Available in Sky Blue and Navy Blue, sizes S to 3XL. I paid $79.95 AUD instead of $194.95 AUD for the Navy Blue and wore it three days out of the first week.

That Saturday I dressed myself entirely, and the dog did the rest. — Carolyn