A Summer-Friendly Black Dress Is All You Need For A Lockdown Picnic

You’re planning your first six-person picnic - and the logistics are something of a buzzkill. Where’s the best place to meet? What’s the lightest food to carry to said place? What on earth should you wear? Somewhere equidistant, crisps and, as with most occasions, an LBD.

This isn’t the kind of LBD that you’d wear to a cocktail party or 35th birthday. For starters, the ‘L’ can mean long as well as little. Think about it. How much easier is it to sit cross-legged in something that skims the mid-calf instead of the mid-thigh? As much as it pains to me to say it, it’ll also provide more coverage if you’re having to wee in a bush.

Now that’s over and done with, what about the details? A puff-sleeved style will add flair to proceedings. Zara’s taffeta dress, with puffed sleeves that narrow towards the elbow and voluminous shape, will help keep things breezy if temperatures soar once more. Sleeper’s criss-cross corset style dress with sweet puffed sleeves, meanwhile, is just the thing for a socially-distanced first date.

If you’re worried about the heat – though note that temperatures are returning to the high teens this week (sob) – try something sleeveless and shaped like a tent. John Lewis & Partners’s scoop-back linen dress is particularly airy around the key areas (tummy, bum), while Arket’s lovely-and-loose kaftan just needs a pair of ankle-tie sandals to look park-ready. And if the weather fails on all fronts, a knitted dress with bare legs will strike the right note.

Once your LBD is sorted, you just need to think about a few park essentials. A hand-held fan (extra chic points if it’s wooden), sun cream and, of course, anti-bacterial wipes. Go forth and picnic.