Élina™ | Flowing Boho Dress

Loose is easy to make. Loose without turning into a tent is the hard part.

Three things usually go wrong with a big, unstructured summer dress. The first is where the fullness starts. On most loose maxis the fabric is cut to fall from the bust, so on a fuller bust it lands on the widest point and then drops straight down from there — the dress stops touching you below the chest and the whole thing hangs off one shelf. The second is the armhole. Sleeveless plus-size dresses are usually graded up by simply cutting the armhole deeper and wider, so it gapes open at the side, shows your bra band when you lift your arm, and leaves a raw edge sitting right on the fullest part of the upper arm. The third is the neckline. A deep V in a soft, unlined fabric has nothing holding its edge, so on a full bust it slides sideways, the point wanders off centre, and by lunchtime you are pulling at it instead of wearing it.

Élina is cut to release its fullness from the shoulder line instead of the bust. Small gathered pleats sit along each shoulder, so the fabric starts falling from the top of the shoulder and hangs clear of the bust and stomach on the way down — it skims rather than tents. The armhole is closed by a short ruffled cap sleeve rather than left as a cut edge: the frill sits on the very top of the arm and fills the opening, so there is no gaping gap at the side. And the neckline is the reason the V holds. Two layers of gathered ruffle are stitched along both edges of the V, from the shoulder down to the point below the bust — that doubled, gathered edge gives the opening body and weight, so it stays where you put it instead of collapsing sideways. Below the V point the front is completely plain, there is no waist seam anywhere, and the hem runs straight just above the ankle. Two pockets are set into the side seams.

Why it works

• Gathered pleats at the shoulder line: the fullness is released from the shoulder rather than the bust, so the fabric falls free from the top instead of hanging off your chest.
• Ruffled cap sleeve: a real sleeve closes the armhole instead of a deep cut edge, so nothing gapes open at the side when you move or reach.
• Double-ruffle V edge: two gathered layers stitched along the opening give the deep V enough body to hold its line on a full bust rather than sliding sideways.
• No waist seam and no belt: nothing has to land at one exact height on your torso, and nothing sits across the stomach.
• Straight column to the ankle: the dress is the same width past the hips as it is at the ribs, so full hips and thighs never meet a narrowing point.
• Side-seam pockets: real pockets in the seam, so your hands have somewhere to go without pulling the front of the dress out of line.

Fit note

This one runs generous by design — it is meant to hang loose, not close, so size for your bust and shoulders and let the rest fall. If you are between sizes, the smaller one will still be roomy; take the larger only if you want more sweep. The fabric is a lightweight matte weave with a soft crinkled surface, which is what keeps it standing slightly away from the skin rather than sticking to it, and that crinkle is part of the finish — it is supposed to look a little lived-in, so do not press it flat. The V is genuinely deep; if you want it to sit higher, a camisole underneath works with it rather than against it because the ruffle frames whatever sits inside the V. Sizes M to 4XL.