Some of the best dinners of my life I've had alone. A table by the window, a glass of something cold, a book I don't actually read because I'm too busy watching the room. There's a particular freedom in dressing up for no one — no opinions to consider, no one to match, just you and the version of yourself you most enjoy being.
I always overdress for it, on purpose. A sleeveless cotton shift embroidered with little eyelet flowers — Lucie — is my favorite table-for-one dress, structured enough to feel deliberate. I pull it straight over my head and I'm done. The waiter thinks I'm meeting someone. I'm not. I'm meeting me.
When the evening's warmer, a long white halter maxi with pockets — Suzanne — tied at the neck, pockets I keep my hands in while I wait for the food. Pockets, I've decided, are the height of luxury. They mean you have nothing to hold and nowhere to be.
And when I want separates I can rearrange all week, a cotton cami and skirt set edged in fine lace — Fabienne — worn together tonight and scattered through the rest of the wardrobe by Thursday.
Margot says you can tell everything about a woman by how she treats a night alone. I think she's right. I treat mine like an occasion. I'd recommend it.
— Sabine, for Forever Vogue
Dresses worth getting dressed for, alone → Elevated Everyday Dresses