Fashion

Majesty

Your child is getting married. At times like these you need Condici, a label that specialises in mother-of-the-bride fashion, offering long and short dresses with co-ordinating jackets, as well as skirt suits and statement hats. Fabrics include silks and crêpes and some pieces are inspired by the glamour of the Royal Wedding back in the spring. This influence is especially evident in Condici's hats, including disc-shaped fascinators that may well remind you of the more chic choices of the Royal crowd, but fortunately not of one particular young princess's headgear (sorry Beatrice).

Fabrics are chosen to be as crease-proof as possible, so your Condici outfit will look as smart at midnight as it did when you nervously put it on. We've all seen garments that begin to look just a little tired as the evening progresses. Reassuringly, this simply doesn't happen with Condici.

Sizes range from eight to 24, although not all outfits are available in every size.

Condici offers the following shopping suggestions:

If you have a curvy figure, make sure that your jacket is not too short and that it covers your hips. This will give a longer, streamlined silhouette.

Those lucky enough to be classed as petite will usually look best in a fitted shorter jacket to accentuate their best points, while a long jacket worn over a straight dress is a great trick to disguise the larger derrière or less-than-svelte waist.

If you dislike your upper arms, opt for a dress with short sleeves instead of none, wear a Condici silk jacket or drape a pashmina around your shoulders.

Some of the sophisticated Condici jackets have three-quarter-length sleeves, ideal if you want to look modestly modern at a function and you would rather not put your arms on display.

A mainstay of the current Condici collection is the combination of a tailored silk jacket with a print dress. Condici prints tend to be abstract, in striking colours, with evocative names like rhapsody and cosmos.

Current colour themes throughout the range include brights such as as fuchsia or teal, but if that's not your style, Condici suggests an outfit in metallic gold or ash silver, with a black mesh overlay.

The overlay gives subtle visual interest and mellows the metallic effect.

Annie at Condici also points out that, without the jacket, many of the short print dresses would make ideal holiday wear, perhaps for a cruise or smart resort.

This versatility means you get better value for your clothing budget. And whenever you wear the outfit again, you are sure to have a smile on your face, thinking back to the wedding day.