For years I dismissed beige as you might mutter “oh it’s fine” about a Wednesday. Safe. Bland. Something you throw on when you can’t be arsed deciding, not something you’d actually wear by choice. Then my workmate Priya wore a beige shift to her leaving do. She didn’t wear any jewellery, just flat sandals. And she looked put together where all of us in our wilting attempts at “statements” did not. I went home and had a proper rethink.
So hello beige, consider this a public apology. I was wrong about you and I’m sorry it took me coming to that kind of party at a chain pub to admit it.
What makes a shift dress worth buying in beige, specifically, is that the shape is doing all the talking rather than the colour demanding attention. It needs a little structure through the shoulder and should skim, not cling, so it looks put together whether you’re standing still or busting a move.
Also fabric matters more than most people realise, thin cheap beige will go translucent in even the weakest light and suddenly you find yourself fielding questions about your underwear choices at work. This happened to me once in a meeting room with horrific fluorescent lighting and I’ll never forget the mortification. Never.
Speaking of shopping, styling it is actually the easy bit. That’s the beauty of beige. Gold jewellery warms it up, silver tones it down. Add a bag or shoe in a contrasting colour with some actual pigment to it – rust, deep green, even black – and it stops you looking like you forgot to get dressed. Throw a blazer on top for day time work wear, swap to leather jacket and boots and it’s transitioned right back to evening. Bare legs and sandals in summer, instantly tights and knee boots when it gets cold, it works in every season better than you’d hope from such a neutral.
Speaking of work, occasion wise it’s also the LBD you grab when you need to look like you’ve made an effort but can’t have anyone pinpointing what. Client meetings, weddings as a wedding gift or when you don’t want to upstage the bride, a summer lunch that could go into drinks. It asks so little of you and gives you so much back, not many colours with this little flavour can say that.
