Noa | Soft Floral Tiered Tassel Midi Dress

A puff sleeve that still puffs, and blooms that don't have to land anywhere in particular.

The volume in a puff sleeve comes from gathering a wide sleeve into a narrow cuff, and that cuff is one of the least-graded pieces in the whole garment — it barely changes as the sizes go up. On a fuller arm it becomes the tightest point on the dress, sitting above the elbow where it grips and marks, and the puff itself disappears because all the fabric is being used just to get around the arm. Painted florals have a different failure: they are usually drawn as one hero motif meant to sit in the middle of the chest, and a motif with a fixed position has to be moved and rescaled for every size, which almost never happens — so it ends up sitting low, or split down the middle. And a long dress that ends in a plain narrow hem gives you nothing to walk in; the fabric wraps around the leg and shortens your stride, which you notice most on stairs.

Noa is drawn and cut past all three. The cuff is a soft shirred frill rather than a band — the gathering is held in the fabric itself, so it gives at the arm and the sleeve keeps its shape instead of being pulled flat. The watercolour blooms are scattered across the whole dress with white space between them, carrying over the shoulders and down the sleeves, so nothing needs to be centred on the chest and the print reads the same whichever size it's printed on. And the skirt finishes in a deep gathered tier, which puts real width at the bottom of the dress — enough to take a full stride without the fabric wrapping.

Why it works

• Shirred frill cuff above the elbow: the gathering lives in the fabric, so the sleeve gives at the arm instead of banding it.
• Blooms scattered with space between them: the print carries over the shoulders and sleeves, so nothing has to be positioned on the chest.
• Deep gathered tier at the hem: real width at the bottom, so the skirt opens up for a full stride.
• Two cream tassel ties at the V: knot them to set how deep the neckline sits, and it stays there.
• No waist seam anywhere: nothing has to find your natural waist, so sizing for the bust doesn't misplace a seam.
• Light crinkled texture at ankle length: it falls in soft folds down the body line rather than standing away from it.

Fit note

Loose from the shoulder down with no fastenings — it pulls on over the head, so take your usual size. This is the palest fabric in the range and a fine crinkled weave: it lets light through, and on a white ground you will see the outline of what's underneath in strong sun — a slip, or underwear close to your own skin tone, if that matters to you. The sleeve is cut to sit above the elbow and the frill will sit a little higher on a fuller arm. The weave creases softly as you wear it; that's the nature of it. Sizes M to 4XL.