Dresses

Women's dresses

A dress is the quickest way to get dressed well. Forcast has been dressing Australian women for work since 1992, and the dress range covers the working week and the weekend that follows: tailored minis and ponte shifts for the office, linen and satin styles for lunches and evenings, and knit dresses for the cooler months. Every style is cut in sizes 4 to 18.

Choose by length and cut

Start with the hemline. Short dresses such as the Hannah Tailored Mini Dress suit tights and boots in winter and flats in summer. Midi dresses sit below the knee and are the safest length for the office, with pleat-waist, panelled, shirt and crossover styles to choose from. Maxi dresses are the ones to reach for in the evening.

Then think about shape. Fitted panel dresses hold their line through a long day, while bias-cut slips, crossover fronts and dolman sleeves move more freely.

Fabric and fit

Ponte styles like the Sutton Ponte Dress have stretch and recover well, so they suit desk days and travel. Linen and linen blends breathe in the heat, satin catches the light for evenings, and knit dresses layer easily under a coat when it is cold. Most of the range is designed to be worn on its own, with the shape coming from panels, pleats or a defined waist rather than anything you add.

What to wear with a dress

The same dress can do two jobs. For work, add a blazer from jackets and blazers and a closed shoe. After hours, swap the blazer for jewellery and a heel. In winter, a coat, opaque tights and boots carry a midi through the cold without changing the dress at all.

How to shop dresses

Work from the dress code first and the fabric second: structured styles for the office, softer drapes for evenings and weekends. Check your bust, waist and hip against the size guide, and pay attention to shoulder and sleeve shape, which changes how a dress sits under a jacket. If you are shopping to a set brief, the work dresses and occasionwear edits narrow things down quickly.