Gianneli Colours Red and Blue Fitted Dress

Vivid red, blue and green on a dress cut close to the body. The number that makes this garment possible is 18% spandex, and it is worth putting in context: most stretch clothing runs between 3 and 8%. At eighteen this fabric is closer to swimwear and dancewear than to an ordinary jersey dress.

What Eighteen Percent Actually Does

• It moves in every direction and comes back. Four-way stretch at this level means the dress follows the body sitting, reaching and walking, then returns to shape rather than holding the stretch.
• It removes the need for shaping seams. A fitted dress usually gets its shape from darts and panels; this one gets it from the fabric, which is why the surface stays unbroken for the print.
• It does not bag at the knee or seat. Low-stretch fabric worn close deforms where it is loaded. High recovery is what prevents that after a day of sitting.

Printed Flat, Sewn After

The cloth is printed before the panels are cut, then cut and hand-sewn, so the pattern runs from front to back without stopping at a side seam. On a fitted garment that continuity matters more than on a loose one, because the eye follows the body line straight across the join.

The Fabric

82% polyester with 18% spandex at 6.78 oz per square yard, 230 gsm, in a smooth microfiber yarn. Sizes run XS to XL.

What A Close Cut Asks Of You

A body-skimming dress shows what is underneath it. At 230 gsm the fabric is substantial rather than thin, but seams and edges beneath it will read through, and that is a property of the silhouette rather than a fault in the cloth.

Before You Order

Is 18% spandex unusual? Yes, considerably. Everyday stretch clothing runs 3 to 8%, so this fabric has far more give and far more recovery than a standard knit dress.

Will it hold its shape after a day? That is what the high spandex content is for. The fabric returns rather than staying stretched at the knee and seat.

Does the print continue around the back? Yes. The fabric is printed before cutting, so the design runs the whole way round without a break at the seam.