I Own a Lot of Expensive Dresses But This £79 One Is What I Want to Buy Now

Anyone who has stumbled across my monthly new-in dresses column will know a few things about me already.

Firstly, I'm a sucker for a midi—these legs have not seen the light of day since a post-GCSE holiday to Malia. Secondly, I can get a little bit carried away with costly, insanely beautiful dresses that I cannot afford to keep adding to my wardrobe. As someone who has developed a taste for all things luxury (well, I have worked in fashion for a long time now!), it takes a lot for a more affordable buy to make it into my basket.

That's not to say I'm only buying expensive items, it's more that I'm just not buying anything lately because I'm fussy and already own too much. So, when I looked into some recent data and saw that Who What Wear UK readers were all clicking on one particular (very chic) dress which only costs £79, my interest was piqued.

nobody's child penni dress

(Image credit: Nobody's Child)

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised: Nobody's Child is a more affordable brand I was early to support and highlight to you dear readers when it launched many years ago. It started as a great destination for dresses, and whilst the offering is now vast (tailoring, knits and even a perfume!), dresses remain a strong part of the collection each season. Where its original designs leaned into the typically "feminine" floral tea dresses of that moment, you'll now find more pared-back styles like Penni—the dress you've all been clicking on (and most likely buying).

Penni taps into the dress trend for "combined" silhouettes, whereby the top and skirt almost look like two separate entities but are combined for that styled-together aesthetic minus the effort. It has the comfort of a jersey dress but with the volume and drama of a full skirt, and the low-ish scooped back adds a little sassiness (making it even more suitable for party season).

As well as classic black, the Penni is also available in the season's main colours: olive green, burgundy and brown. Made from 97% organic cotton and coming in both regular and petite cuts, there's a lot to love about this seemingly simple little dress. What's more, my experience with Nobody's Child sizing is that it is either spot-on or a little generous (which is always welcome).

Shop the Penni dress and other similar styles below.

Shop the Nobody's Child Penni Dress:

Shop More "Combined" Dresses:

Hannah Almassi
Editor in Chief

Hannah Almassi is the Editor in Chief of Who What Wear UK. Hannah has been part of the the Who What Wear brand since 2015, when she was headhunted to launch the UK sister site and social channels, implement a localised content strategy and build out the editorial team. She joined following a seven-year tenure at Grazia magazine, where she led front-of-book news, fashion features and shopping specials as fashion news and features editor. With experience in both print and digital across fashion and beauty, Hannah has over 16 years in the field as a journalist, editor, content strategist and brand consultant. Hannah has interviewed industry heavyweights such as designers including Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson through to arbiters of taste including Katie Grand and Anna Dello Russo. A skilled moderator and lecturer specialising in the shift to digital media and e-commerce, Hannah’s opinion and work has been sought by the likes of CNBC, BBC, The Sunday Times Style, The Times, The Telegraph and MatchesFashion.com, among many others. Hannah is often called upon for her take on trends, becoming known as a person with their finger of the pulse of what’s happening in the fashion space for stylish Brits. Hannah currently resides in Eastbourne with her photographer husband, incredibly busy son and highly Instagrammable cat.