Black and White Print Wrap Maxi Dress with Balloon Sleeves

A maxi dress with a wrap front and balloon sleeves

This is a maxi dress with a wrap front, in a black and white animal-style print. It has a V-neck that wraps and ties at the waist, long balloon sleeves gathered into ruffled cuffs, and a tiered skirt with ruffles that opens at the front when you walk.

It is 135 to 137 cm long and comes in S, M and L. The supplier declares the fabric as 100% polyester.

At a glance

The piece: a wrap, a tie and a lot of movement

The cut does the work here. The wrap front forms the V-neck and closes with a tie at the waist, so you decide how snug it sits. A ruffle runs along the wrap edge down to the hem. When you walk, the front opens into a slit, which you can see in several of the photos.

The sleeves are wide and full, then gathered at the wrist into a ruffled cuff with a small tie (photos). In the photos the fabric is light and floaty, and it moves with every step.

Who it's for

For you if you like a long dress with some drama in the sleeves, and a print that hides a coffee stain better than a plain colour does. The tie waist makes it forgiving if you are between sizes at the waist.

The sizes run from S to L, with a bust of 102 to 110 cm. There is no XL.

Closer look: read this before you look at the photos

• Wrap V-neck with a ruffle along the edge (supplier and photos)
• Self-tie at the waist (supplier and photos)
• Long balloon sleeves gathered into ruffled cuffs with a small tie (supplier and photos)
• Tiered, ruffled maxi skirt with a front wrap opening (supplier and photos)

One honest warning. Six of the supplier photos show the same dress in a second print: smaller spots in cream, brown and black. We don't sell that version. What you receive is the black and white animal-style print, the one on the close-up photos. The alt text on each photo says which is which.

Fabric and feel

The supplier writes "Polyester" as the material. Following our house rule for a single declared fibre, we list it as 100% polyester, as declared by the supplier. The supplier gives no fabric weight and says nothing about a lining.

The print is a white base with black and grey patches, part leopard, part snake. From a distance it reads as grey; up close you see the pattern.

Fit and length

The dress is long: 135 cm in S, 136 cm in M and 137 cm in L. On the model it reaches the ankle. The shoulder is narrow, 33 to 35 cm, while the sleeves are long at 68.5 to 69.5 cm, so the gathered cuff sits at the wrist rather than halfway up the arm.

The waist in the chart is 90 to 98 cm, and the tie lets you pull it in. Because of the wrap and the slit, you may want a slip or shorts underneath on a windy day. The supplier asks you to allow 2-3 cm difference.

Size chart (cm)

Source: the supplier's size chart. Allow 2-3 cm difference.

Styling: straw, gold and boots

The supplier styled it with a straw tote, a thin gold-tone necklace and light boots. That works: the warm tones soften the black and white. In autumn, swap the tote for a plain black bag and add ankle boots. Keep jewellery small, because the sleeves already take up a lot of space.

Occasions

A summer garden party, a birthday lunch, a city trip where you want one dress that looks dressed up without trying. With boots and a coat on top, it also carries into early autumn.

Care

The supplier data has no care instructions, so follow the sewn-in label. Tie the waist ties loosely before washing so they don't tangle, and hang the dress to dry so the ruffles fall back into place.

The wow detail: the sleeves

Those balloon sleeves, full to the wrist and then gathered into a ruffle with a little tie. Raise your hand to wave and they catch the air. It is the part of the dress people will ask about.

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 our partner warehouse in China. Usually 8–15 business days to your door, with tracking. 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 it is unused and in its original packaging. 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 long and short dresses are in our dresses collection.