We nominate Nobody’s Child’s ‘Starlight’ dress of the year – from £62

Great fashion pieces always have a story. And so it is with the excellent Starlight dress by British brand Nobody’s Child. Haven’t discover the brand yet? Know this: you will.

Launched in 2015, it has steadily become a go-to for British women looking for feminine, flattering and stylish dresses that deliver for any occasion. Dresses which also, and this is important, make you feel amazing when you wear them. But tucked away behind the clothes is the fact that this company’s philosophy is based on responsibility – it uses renewable fabrics and an ethical supply chain. Its founder, Andrew Xeni, is also the man behind ‘clothing passport’ technology, which traces the supply chain of the clothing from factory to store. But they don’t shout about it. It’s just there. If that wasn’t enough, Marks & Spencer loves Nobody’s Child so much, it bought 27% of the company in 2021.

Now, to the Starlight. If you’re looking for an easy dress to make a style statement for spring and summer, this really is it. Quite simply, the Starlight features all the ingredients that make a dress a brilliant, one-stop style solution: a V-neck, short puffy-but-not-too-puffy sleeves, a panelled waist to draw the eye to your slimmest part and an A-line midi-length skirt that skims the hips – oh, and it has pockets!

‘The design inspiration comes from 1950s tea dresses and feminine vintage slips,’ says Jody Plows, the CEO of Nobody’s Child, “but the dress itself is named after my childhood guinea pig,” says Jody, who also notes the dress is multigenerational and worn by mothers, daughters and grandmothers.

While there are no guinea pig-print Starlight dresses – yet! – there are currently 20 versions of the midi-length, short-sleeve design on the site. The collection ranges in price from £62 for one in black and white cotton gingham, to a pretty vintage tablecloth print in linen and viscose at £110, as well as a very chic one in black with floral embroidery at £130. There are Starlights for evening, summer days out and beach holidays, in stripes and geranium red (my favourite) and a plain white cotton , which is selling out fast. Nobody’s Child even offers versions of the original Starlight in sleeveless and shorter-length versions (the butter yellow one is a standout), and as a pretty top. Now all that remains is to choose which Starlight will make it into your life this spring and summer.