The Emerald Midi Dresses We Keep Coming Back To

Emerald is one of those colours that functions as a neutral and does all of the heavy lifting of a statement piece. It reads warmer than black against skin and more forgiving than jewel tones like sapphire or ruby, which will pick up on everyelse flaw and demand way more of the rest of your outfit. Since a well put together emerald midi dress makes its case solely through colour, the silhouette underneath should be minimalist and intentional rather than distracting. Look for a fabric with some weight and some drape to it, a crepe, a matte satin, a thicker jersey. You want it to move with you when you walk, not cling to your body or easily crease. Emerald polyester that clings too tightly to your body will be cheap under fluorescent lighting, and let me tell you those are the places this dress ends up bitch.

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Fit is everything with this dress. More than any other colour, emerald is attention grabbing and will keep anyone who catches it there.

Bias cuts or lightly gathered waists win every time over boxy silhouettes, as you want the dress to skim across your body, not hang rigid away from it. Sleeves are worth taking the time to select properly instead of tossing on at the last minute, both fitted long sleeves and well placed cap sleeves look intentional, while straps that were obviously added later scream lazy summer dress.

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Pick a dress that has a neckline clearly doing one thing, deep V, square neck, wrap front, etc.

Once you have the dress itself sorted, styling it is simple.

Gold jewellery complements the green better than silver, and in my opinion, one bold piece beats a bunch of small ones. Cuff or statement earrings are usually my go to. You can go either shoe direction with confidence, a pointy toe block heel in black or nude for evenings or formal functions, or boots in brown or burgundy for daywear and colder seasons. Boots will keep it feeling less like occasionwear and more like something you’d actually wear on a Tuesday. Throw a structured coat in camel or black over it and you’ve done more for your silhouette than a sweater ever will.

This is one of those colours that feels like it can get you through any event with a fancy in the name. Party, wedding guest, fancypants dinner. But a strong silhouette can take it to the next level of something you’ll reach for when you want to look like you made an effort with no explanation as to how you did it.