Awama Boat-Neck Dress with Long Sleeves and Flared Skirt

A boat-neck dress with a skirt that swings

This boat-neck dress from Awama is fitted to the waist and flares from there to the knee. It has long sleeves, a concealed zip at the back and two buttons on the waist seam at the front.

The fabric is plain, with no print, and comes in navy blue, red and two blues. Length runs from 97 cm in S to 100 cm in XL.

At a glance

The piece: four colours, one pattern

Awama sells this dress through a fashion wholesaler in Poland under four model numbers, one per colour: 212238 in navy blue, 212239 in red, and 212240 and 212241, which the maker both calls blue. In the photos one is a light, powdery blue and the other a strong cobalt. Our buttons say "blue" and "blue 2"; the photo that appears when you pick one shows which you get.

The maker's description is short: a flared silhouette, a boat neckline, decorative buttons at the front and a concealed zip at the back. The supplier calls it a classic with a modern touch, for everyday wear and for more formal outings.

An earlier version of this page called it a floral summer dress. It is neither. The fabric is one solid colour and the sleeves are long.

Who it's for

For you if you like a marked waist and room to move below it. The bodice follows the body and the skirt does not, so you can sit, cycle and climb stairs without tugging at the hem.

It also suits you if you want sleeves on a dress that still looks light. The boat neck shows the collarbones and keeps everything else covered.

Closer look: what the maker's data and the photos show

• Boat neckline (maker's data)
• Flared skirt from the waist seam (maker's data); soft folds fall from the seam (photos)
• Two dark decorative buttons on the waist seam at the front (maker's data and photos)
• Concealed zip at the back (maker's data)
• Long sleeves ending just above the wrist with a turned-back cuff (photos)
• Hem at the knee on the model; 97 to 100 cm long depending on size (photos, size table)

The maker's data does not mention pockets or a lining, and the photos show neither.

Fabric and feel: a viscose blend with stretch

The composition is 60% polyester, 35% viscose and 5% spandex. In the photos the cloth is smooth and matte and has enough body to hold the folds of the skirt in clean lines.

The spandex gives the fitted bodice some stretch across the chest and the upper arm. The maker lists no fabric weight and no lining, so we cannot tell you how the dress behaves over tights. A slip solves that if it clings.

Fit and silhouette: choose by chest and waist

The bodice is the part that has to fit. Size S has a chest of 88 cm and a waist of 70 cm; each size up adds 4 cm to both, to 100 and 82 cm in XL. The length grows by a centimetre per size.

The table does not say whether these are garment or body measurements. Measure a fitted dress you own across the chest and waist, double the numbers and compare. Between two sizes, let the waist decide, because the zip has to close there.

Size chart (cm)

Source: the maker's size table, the same for all four colours. The hip figure is large because the skirt flares; it will not limit your choice. Go by chest and waist.

Styling: keep the neckline clear

The model wears black block-heel sandals and no necklace. That is the right call for a boat neck: earrings yes, a pendant no.

In colder months, add opaque tights and ankle boots, and a short jacket that ends at the waist seam so the skirt can still move. The navy takes a tan belt well if you want to cover the buttons for a change. The red needs nothing.

Occasions

The supplier names everyday wear and more formal outings. We read that as the office, a family lunch and a christening or graduation where you will be photographed standing and sitting.

With long sleeves and a knee-length hem it covers most dress codes short of black tie. For a summer terrace it will be warm; this is a dress for September to April.

Care: follow the label

The maker's data has no care instructions, so go by the label sewn into the dress. We would rather tell you that than guess.

A general habit for dresses with a full skirt: hang them on a hanger straight after washing and let the folds drop out by their own weight. Close the zip before the dress goes in the machine.

The wow detail: two buttons

The buttons close nothing. They sit side by side on the waist seam, dark against the colour of the dress, exactly where the folds of the skirt begin. They give the eye a place to rest at the narrowest point of the body, the way a belt buckle would, and they do it without a belt.

Fashion that gives back

5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose. The causes are matched to 11 of the 17 SDGs, the global goals set by the United Nations, and you decide where your share goes.

Our promise

Ships from the maker's wholesale partner in Poland, inside the EU, with tracking. The wholesaler lists up to 3 days to prepare an order; within the EU delivery usually takes 2–7 business days after dispatch. Delivery is free within the EU on orders from €69; below that it costs €4.95 in the Netherlands and €6.95 elsewhere in the EU.

You have 30 days after delivery to ask for a return, as long as the dress is unworn and still has its tags. Our promise is plain: if what arrives does not match what this page says, send it back within 30 days and we refund you.

More dresses for daytime are in our day dresses collection.