As much as I love colourful prints and patterns, I’m always a fan of any classic swing dress in black and white that can function as a style comfort blanket in your closet. Got a last minute invite to an event with a vague dress code? Trusty classic backup dress to the rescue! Not sure if anyone else will be wearing colour where you’re going? Trusty classic backup dress to the rescue! Feel like everyone else is going to be fairly casual, so you don’t want to be too extra but you’re also not willing to compromise your style entirely? Trusty classic backup dress to the rescue!

And one such dress is the lovely black and white Aurora by Dolly & Dotty. It’s swing, it’s striped, and it has pockets. What more could you ask for?

Dress: Aurora C/O Dolly & Dotty
Cardigan: Burgundy Tootsie Crop Cardigan from Doll Me Up
Bangles: Splendette Charcoal + Bow & Crossbones Confetti bangles
Petticoat: Jennifer by Malco Modes
Shoes: Old New Look

The great thing about a black and white dress is that you can fully lean into the monochrome look with your styling if you want, but you can very easily still add colour to change it up. Pops of red, for example, like the red faux leather belt this dress came with, would look amazing against the black and white.

We’re at that weird time of year now where it still feels like winter a lot of the time, as it technically is, but the first spring flowers are starting to make an appearance and some days the sun really does feel like spring. As such, for now layering on burgundy tones with this dress makes me feel a little more colourful and lifted than layering up with more black. But in summer I’m sure I’ll be pairing this dress with a white cropped cardigan (I live in England, after all,) black cats eye glasses, wedges and a red lip. It’s an all-year-round wonder.

This dress is incredibly comfortable, with enough stretch to have ease of wear for a full day’s wear. The skirt takes a medium volume petticoat beautifully and the large pleats in the skirt give it a lovely shape even without one. Plus, did you forget about the pockets? Don’t forget about the pockets! As it’s sleeveless you can add layers as needed to make it appropriate to any season.

I’m wearing it in a UK size 18 to fit my bust and it runs a little larger than the size chart. The waist flat measures 39 inches with stretch to 42, while the bust flat measures 42 inches with stretch to 46 inches. The skirt is 26 inches long, and the dress closes with a size zip topped with a hook and eye.

The Aurora dress comes in UK sizes 8-24. Dolly & Dotty ship internationally, and offer 10% off to new subscribers of their newsletter.